It is the early 1970s. Twelve-year-old Joan is sure that she is going to be miserable when her family moves from Connecticut to California. Then she meets a most unusual girl. Sarah prefers to be called “Fox,” and lives with her author dad in a rundown house in the middle of the woods. The two girls start writing their own stories together, and when one wins first place in a student contest, they find themselves recruited for a summer writing class taught by the equally unusual Verla Volante. The Wild Girlsis about friendship, the power of story, and how coming of age means finding your own answers—rather than simply taking adults on faith. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Gr 5-9-Told by Joan, a recent transplant from Connecticut to Northern California in 1972, this tale embodies the transformative power of both the written word and friendship. While trekking through the woods near her house, the 11-year-old stumbles upon Sarah, who calls herself Fox. The two girls become inseparable companions in exploring the outdoors and their imaginations. They overcome disparities in background: Joan has a more traditional suburban life with a mother who tries to compensate for a sour, unhappy father; Fox lives with her father, a science-fiction author, in a run-down house, and prefers to believe that the mother who abandoned her years ago did so because she was transformed into a fox. Joan can't penetrate Fox's outsider persona at school, but away from class, they compose a contest-winning story of two girls questing in a magical forest. Their read-aloud performance at a San Francisco ceremony, wearing full lipstick war paint to make them feel suitably wild, gains them admittance to a summer writing program at Berkeley. Their avant-garde instructor urges them to pay attention and ask questions, helping them become stronger writers and more confident people, able to deal with difficult family challenges. Supporting characters are fully formed and intriguing. Murphy evokes her setting with skill and plays out themes of creativity and self-expression with grace and intensity. Readers will applaud the metamorphoses of Fox and Joan, who come to understand themselves and others through their art.-Suzanne Gordon, Peachtree Ridge High School, Suwanee, GA Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

The first friend Joan makes after moving to California is Sarah, nicknamed Fox, who is hanging out in the wood between their houses. Joan quickly acquires a nickname herself Newt, for the salamanders with thoughtful eyes that she finds in the stream. Both girls have parent issues. Joan's are fighting, and Sarah, whose mother abandoned her and her father (a sf writer), claims her mother has been transformed into a fox that keeps an eye on her. When Joan questions this, her friend replies, Sometimes, you gotta believe something crazy. Because all the other things you could believe hurt too much. It's only after the girls spend the summer at writing camp that they are able to confront their family problems. Nicely fleshed-out characters, adults as well as children, grow believably as the story progresses, and although the main characters are fairly young (12), the family dynamics, the allusions to gender roles in the 1970s, and the detailed writing exercises will broaden the audience to include some older readers. Most kids will probably skip right over the occasional mild swearing.--Dobrez, Cindy Copyright 2007 Booklist From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.