Wild Things - Readings

Description

ALA Notable Children’s Book
Kirkus Reviews “Best Children’s Book of the Year”
Winner of the North Carolina Juvenile Literature Award
Winner of the NAPPA Gold Award

A feisty tweenage orphan discovers what it means to love and be loved in this powerful coming-of-age novel about hope, redemption, and found family

A headstrong girl. A stray cat. A wild boy. A man who plays with fire. Eleven-year-old Zoë trusts no one. Her father left before she was born. At the death of her irresponsible mother, Zoë goes to live with her uncle, former surgeon and famed metal sculptor, Dr. Henry Royster. She's sure Henry will fail her as everyone else has. Reclusive since his wife’s death, Henry takes Zoë to Sugar Hill, North Carolina, where he welds sculptures as stormy as his moods.

Zoë and Henry have much in common: brains, fiery and creative natures, and badly broken hearts. Zoë confronts small-town prejudice with a quick temper. She warms to Henry’s odd but devoted friends, meets a mysterious teenage boy living wild in the neighboring woods, and works to win the trust of a feral cat while struggling to trust in anyone herself.

In this award-winning coming-of-age tale for young readers, Zoë’s questing spirit leads her to uncover the wild boy’s identity, lay bare a local lie, and begin to understand the true power of Henry’s art. Then one decisive night she and the boy risk everything in a reckless act of heroism . . .

About the Author

Because I can't always remember titles or I forget to email when people are kind enough to ask "What are you reading?"Below are a few I've recently liked--or loved--some new, some not.And I only review or archive books I like or love. Literature is a wildly subjective enterprise; one person's least favorite book may be a book someone else loves best of all."Be gentle with one another's efforts. Be kind and considerate with your criticism. Always remember that it's just as hard to write a bad book as it is to write a good book." -Malcolm Cowley