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Cartwheeling in Thunderstorms
Even a life on the untamed plains of Africa can’t prepare Wilhelmina for the wilds of an English boarding school in this lovely and lyrical novel from the author of Rooftoppers, which Booklist called “a glorious adventure.”
Wilhelmina Silver’s world is golden. Living half-wild on an African farm with her horse, her monkey, and her best friend, every day is beautiful. But when her home is sold and Will is sent away to boarding school in England, the world becomes impossibly difficult. Lions and hyenas are nothing compared to packs of vicious schoolgirls. Where can a girl run to in London? And will she have the courage to survive?
From the author of the “witty, inventively poetic” Rooftoppers comes an utterly beautiful story that’s sure to be treasured.
Wilhelmina Silver’s world is golden. Living half-wild on an African farm with her horse, her monkey, and her best friend, every day is beautiful. But when her home is sold and Will is sent away to boarding school in England, the world becomes impossibly difficult. Lions and hyenas are nothing compared to packs of vicious schoolgirls. Where can a girl run to in London? And will she have the courage to survive?
From the author of the “witty, inventively poetic” Rooftoppers comes an utterly beautiful story that’s sure to be treasured.
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First published January 6, 2011
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About the author
Katherine Rundell
36 books2,035 followersKatherine Rundell was born in 1987 and grew up in Africa and Europe. In 2008 she was elected a Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford. Her first book, The Girl Savage, was born of her love of Zimbabwe and her own childhood there; her second, Rooftoppers, was inspired by summers working in Paris and by night-time trespassing on the rooftops of All Souls. She is currently working on her doctorate alongside an adult novel.
Source: Katherine Rundell
Source: Katherine Rundell
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 477 reviews
October 29, 2019
Her knees smelled the same as the air, of woodsmoke and earth. Had anyone ever been as happy as her?
having loved Rooftoppers more than most other books i read back in 2013, i was completely unprepared for my very tepid reaction to this one. i'm not gonna lie, it actually broke my heart a little. because Rooftoppers was perfect. it really was. rundell's writing in that book made me swoon and the whole tone of the book was so fresh and rambunctious and off-kilter in a way that made me feel exhilarated and nostalgic all at once. i pushed it at everyone i knew with an under-twelve daughter with very positive results. it's so rare that i read middle grade and i felt that i had stumbled upon a treasure and that rundell would be that perfect game-changing author who elevated middle grade to the level that john green elevated YA, where adults were unashamed to be reading the same books as their kids because they were so lovely and appealing no matter your physical age.
but this one… this one seemed much safer and more traditional. it has the feeling of a "lost classic" to it, something to be read alongside The Secret Garden or A Little Princess (neither of which i have actually read, mind you, but i stand by the comparisons, particularly in this book's "tea party" scene) and classics are great and remain beloved for a reason, but they still read like products of their time; dated, static, fine stories, but without the transporting power of something as unusual and "new" as Rooftoppers.
this one lacked sparkle, is i guess the best way to put it.
it starts out strong - wilhelmina a.k.a. "will," "madman," "wildcat," "cartwheel," is twelve years old and living on two tree hill farm in zimbabwe with her beloved father william. she barely remembers her mother, who died of malaria when will was only five, but her father loves her enough for two parents. they are of english descent, but will has only ever known an african life. she has her horse, her pet monkey, her own mango tree and a nest of baby hyrax*. she also has an african best friend named simon, a friendship of "the firmest, stickiest, and eternal sort." will spends her days running carefree and barefoot in the bush, as unruly and unfettered as a wild creature. she is "stubborn [and] exasperating and wild and honest and true." her father is indulgent with her, and all she has ever known is love and independence.
Wilhelmina knew that there were some houses that had glass in every window and locks on the doors.
The farmhouse in which she lived was not one of them. If there was a key to the front door, Wilhelmina had never seen it. It was likely that the goats that wandered in and out of the kitchen had eaten it.
there are very few rules, but one of them is a doozy, which is that it is forbidden …to wear clothes that had not been ironed - even vests; even socks. Ironing was the only way to kill the putsi fly that laid eggs on damp clothes and burrowed into your arms and legs without you feeling it.
do not click this if you are squeamish. will would click it, but you don't have to
eek!
will's relationship with her father is the same kind of quirkily loving relationship as sophie and charles in Rooftoppers, where they are both in admiring awe of each other and share secrets, a language of whistles, and a bond that is heartswellingly tender.
which is why it hurts so much when they are wrenched apart. because circumstances occur which end in will being sent away from the only home she has ever known to an all-girl's boarding school in england, where there is no freedom, no wide open spaces, and no sunshine - only gray and drizzly ("grizzly") weather.
and that's where the book became less interesting to me. the decision to send will away comes at the insistence of cynthia, the beautiful and much-younger gold-digging widow who weds the farm's owner, captain browne. despite will's having been like a beloved daughter to this man, she is sent into a country completely foreign to her experience, which will feels is as sharp as betrayal. and it is a betrayal. she is unprepared for how different her life is about to become. cynthia assures her new husband that will needs to become more civilized; to be around others like her, which means white people, but which also means girls.
but it also means no more freedom, no more animals, no more sleeping outside.
or does it?
long story short - will does not assimilate well. most of the girls at the school are bullies, and she hates them all instantly. between cynthia and the boarding school girls, there aren't many positive portrayals of females in this book. and naturally, when will does make an english friend, it's a boy. which is not my favorite thing about this book, will's instant dislike of other girls.
i also am not really a fan of just how much will is unable to acclimate, because there's a difference between being free-spirited and being flat-out nell. really? will doesn't know how to use a spoon? despite the story at one point stating her heart was rattling around like a cutlery drawer in an earthquake. it just didn't ring true, and her wildness actually kind of propagates stereotypes of africa and africans as wild and uncultured to these little rich white girls. it's not great.
and once she says "see ya" to the school and takes to the london streets for her urban adventure, i felt the story went off the rails a little. i wish there had been a stronger relationship between the "survival skills" she used on the streets and her old african life. there are a couple of parallels, but i think it could have been emphasized a bit more to make it a more cohesive story overall. i mean, it might have been a little trite, message-wise, but this is middle grade after all; it doesn't need to be super-subtle.
this is in no way a bad book; it's just not nearly as special as her first. there are still examples of her soaring and lyrical prose, but here it's just a bit clunkier, a bit less magical. the writing is peppered with phrases and slang in afrikaans and the shona dialect, which gives it a nice rollicking rhythm, and the way rundell writes about zimbabwe, where she herself lived until she was fourteen, is absolutely worth the cover price.
i do think this is a book that middle grade girls will love - will is a strong female character and there's enough beauty in the prose to make it stand out from many other books for this age group, but if you are the parent of a little girl, you would be doing her a disservice, developmentally, if you didn't go out and get her a copy of Rooftoppers right now.
i'm still going to read her next one, which comes out soon - two days after my birthday, in fact, because look at that cover!
and i am way excited about a girl-and-wolves story. i hope that the sparkle of Rooftoppers returns. sparkle would be a very thoughtful birthday present.
*these are hyraxes:
cute right?? yeah but also
be careful!
come to my blog!
having loved Rooftoppers more than most other books i read back in 2013, i was completely unprepared for my very tepid reaction to this one. i'm not gonna lie, it actually broke my heart a little. because Rooftoppers was perfect. it really was. rundell's writing in that book made me swoon and the whole tone of the book was so fresh and rambunctious and off-kilter in a way that made me feel exhilarated and nostalgic all at once. i pushed it at everyone i knew with an under-twelve daughter with very positive results. it's so rare that i read middle grade and i felt that i had stumbled upon a treasure and that rundell would be that perfect game-changing author who elevated middle grade to the level that john green elevated YA, where adults were unashamed to be reading the same books as their kids because they were so lovely and appealing no matter your physical age.
but this one… this one seemed much safer and more traditional. it has the feeling of a "lost classic" to it, something to be read alongside The Secret Garden or A Little Princess (neither of which i have actually read, mind you, but i stand by the comparisons, particularly in this book's "tea party" scene) and classics are great and remain beloved for a reason, but they still read like products of their time; dated, static, fine stories, but without the transporting power of something as unusual and "new" as Rooftoppers.
this one lacked sparkle, is i guess the best way to put it.
it starts out strong - wilhelmina a.k.a. "will," "madman," "wildcat," "cartwheel," is twelve years old and living on two tree hill farm in zimbabwe with her beloved father william. she barely remembers her mother, who died of malaria when will was only five, but her father loves her enough for two parents. they are of english descent, but will has only ever known an african life. she has her horse, her pet monkey, her own mango tree and a nest of baby hyrax*. she also has an african best friend named simon, a friendship of "the firmest, stickiest, and eternal sort." will spends her days running carefree and barefoot in the bush, as unruly and unfettered as a wild creature. she is "stubborn [and] exasperating and wild and honest and true." her father is indulgent with her, and all she has ever known is love and independence.
Wilhelmina knew that there were some houses that had glass in every window and locks on the doors.
The farmhouse in which she lived was not one of them. If there was a key to the front door, Wilhelmina had never seen it. It was likely that the goats that wandered in and out of the kitchen had eaten it.
there are very few rules, but one of them is a doozy, which is that it is forbidden …to wear clothes that had not been ironed - even vests; even socks. Ironing was the only way to kill the putsi fly that laid eggs on damp clothes and burrowed into your arms and legs without you feeling it.
do not click this if you are squeamish. will would click it, but you don't have to
eek!
will's relationship with her father is the same kind of quirkily loving relationship as sophie and charles in Rooftoppers, where they are both in admiring awe of each other and share secrets, a language of whistles, and a bond that is heartswellingly tender.
which is why it hurts so much when they are wrenched apart. because circumstances occur which end in will being sent away from the only home she has ever known to an all-girl's boarding school in england, where there is no freedom, no wide open spaces, and no sunshine - only gray and drizzly ("grizzly") weather.
and that's where the book became less interesting to me. the decision to send will away comes at the insistence of cynthia, the beautiful and much-younger gold-digging widow who weds the farm's owner, captain browne. despite will's having been like a beloved daughter to this man, she is sent into a country completely foreign to her experience, which will feels is as sharp as betrayal. and it is a betrayal. she is unprepared for how different her life is about to become. cynthia assures her new husband that will needs to become more civilized; to be around others like her, which means white people, but which also means girls.
but it also means no more freedom, no more animals, no more sleeping outside.
or does it?
long story short - will does not assimilate well. most of the girls at the school are bullies, and she hates them all instantly. between cynthia and the boarding school girls, there aren't many positive portrayals of females in this book. and naturally, when will does make an english friend, it's a boy. which is not my favorite thing about this book, will's instant dislike of other girls.
i also am not really a fan of just how much will is unable to acclimate, because there's a difference between being free-spirited and being flat-out nell. really? will doesn't know how to use a spoon? despite the story at one point stating her heart was rattling around like a cutlery drawer in an earthquake. it just didn't ring true, and her wildness actually kind of propagates stereotypes of africa and africans as wild and uncultured to these little rich white girls. it's not great.
and once she says "see ya" to the school and takes to the london streets for her urban adventure, i felt the story went off the rails a little. i wish there had been a stronger relationship between the "survival skills" she used on the streets and her old african life. there are a couple of parallels, but i think it could have been emphasized a bit more to make it a more cohesive story overall. i mean, it might have been a little trite, message-wise, but this is middle grade after all; it doesn't need to be super-subtle.
this is in no way a bad book; it's just not nearly as special as her first. there are still examples of her soaring and lyrical prose, but here it's just a bit clunkier, a bit less magical. the writing is peppered with phrases and slang in afrikaans and the shona dialect, which gives it a nice rollicking rhythm, and the way rundell writes about zimbabwe, where she herself lived until she was fourteen, is absolutely worth the cover price.
i do think this is a book that middle grade girls will love - will is a strong female character and there's enough beauty in the prose to make it stand out from many other books for this age group, but if you are the parent of a little girl, you would be doing her a disservice, developmentally, if you didn't go out and get her a copy of Rooftoppers right now.
i'm still going to read her next one, which comes out soon - two days after my birthday, in fact, because look at that cover!
and i am way excited about a girl-and-wolves story. i hope that the sparkle of Rooftoppers returns. sparkle would be a very thoughtful birthday present.
*these are hyraxes:
cute right?? yeah but also
be careful!
come to my blog!
June 11, 2024
“If hope is a thing with feathers, then libraries are wings.”
Despite her circumstances, Emily Dickinson tended to write poems of promise and assurance; One of those is titled “’Hope’ is a thing with feathers.” That Katherine Rundell has extended Dickinson’s thought to libraries being wings has everything to do with the sun-bleached library of her childhood in Mount Pleasant, Haare, Zimbabwe, where school finished at midday after which she and her friends were free to run barefoot to any place their bare feet could take them, including up the nearest trees. When she was fourteen, her family moved to Belgium. Shoes as a “given” was a culture shock and found her somewhat at a loss. In an interview with The Guardian, Rundell said, “The only time that kids fully understand the world they inhabit is when they read, the rest of the time the world is so large and so frayed at the edges.” In this book Rundell explores the world at large with all its frayed edges. But this book brings young readers within reach of understanding the way the world works.
There is a reason Cartwheeling in Thunderstorms features a young girl growing up barefoot in Africa only to find herself negotiating her place and identity in a European boarding school through forces no child controls. Rundell wrote it in her early 20s when her original title was The Girl Savage.
Philip Pullman places Rundell “unarguably in the first rank” of children’s authors. She is also a Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, and an award-winning author of a non-fiction book on John Donne. What is most important however, is the ease with which she slips back into her childhood and the value she mines from her experiences. Have no doubt, Rundell includes the magic of childhood in writing the world’s frayed edges.
Will, Rundell’s heroine in Cartwheeling, is not one to take loss and culture shock sitting down; At the top of a tree in a monkey cage at the London Zoo, or hiding out in the garage of a boy her own age (the result of a chance meeting at the zoo) – all while on the run from her boarding school – definitely. But not quietly and rarely sitting down. Discovered in the garage, she finds a grandmother and has the foresight to listen to life’s hard-won lessons. This is a children’s book about resilience and learning. -Steven S.
Lexile measure: 720L
* https://www.theguardian.com/books/201...
Despite her circumstances, Emily Dickinson tended to write poems of promise and assurance; One of those is titled “’Hope’ is a thing with feathers.” That Katherine Rundell has extended Dickinson’s thought to libraries being wings has everything to do with the sun-bleached library of her childhood in Mount Pleasant, Haare, Zimbabwe, where school finished at midday after which she and her friends were free to run barefoot to any place their bare feet could take them, including up the nearest trees. When she was fourteen, her family moved to Belgium. Shoes as a “given” was a culture shock and found her somewhat at a loss. In an interview with The Guardian, Rundell said, “The only time that kids fully understand the world they inhabit is when they read, the rest of the time the world is so large and so frayed at the edges.” In this book Rundell explores the world at large with all its frayed edges. But this book brings young readers within reach of understanding the way the world works.
There is a reason Cartwheeling in Thunderstorms features a young girl growing up barefoot in Africa only to find herself negotiating her place and identity in a European boarding school through forces no child controls. Rundell wrote it in her early 20s when her original title was The Girl Savage.
Philip Pullman places Rundell “unarguably in the first rank” of children’s authors. She is also a Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, and an award-winning author of a non-fiction book on John Donne. What is most important however, is the ease with which she slips back into her childhood and the value she mines from her experiences. Have no doubt, Rundell includes the magic of childhood in writing the world’s frayed edges.
Will, Rundell’s heroine in Cartwheeling, is not one to take loss and culture shock sitting down; At the top of a tree in a monkey cage at the London Zoo, or hiding out in the garage of a boy her own age (the result of a chance meeting at the zoo) – all while on the run from her boarding school – definitely. But not quietly and rarely sitting down. Discovered in the garage, she finds a grandmother and has the foresight to listen to life’s hard-won lessons. This is a children’s book about resilience and learning. -Steven S.
Lexile measure: 720L
* https://www.theguardian.com/books/201...
November 6, 2015
This is my 9 year old granddaughter's rating. Since it's written for the middle grades, I thought this would be appropriate. I read it on her advice and enjoyed it. Will is an engaging wildcat of a girl who had the freedom to do as she wished in the wildly beautiful country of Zimbabwe. Simon, her best friend, observed that one of the hazards of being her friend was that she disappeared for long stretches of time "rambling over the bush, singing softly, eating fruit, telling stories to aloe plants and birds." For me, it was the author's descriptions of this African life that were most vibrant. Many of her descriptions were fresh, evocative and uniquely constructed.
Once she got to her new boarding school in England, I was less intrigued although this was not so for my granddaughter, Amelia.. I felt like Cynthia, Samantha and Mrs. Robinson were stereotypes who could have easily been better rounded. Amelia was pulled along wondering how Will would choose to deal with her new classmates and country.
I finished this book convinced that it would be a great choice for middle age readers to read and discuss. (Or a parent/child read) Even though Will wanted to run away from her problems, in the end she faced them. The novel ended perfectly without everything tied into a neat little bow like some authors think kids need. There was still plenty to ponder about Will and her new life.
Once she got to her new boarding school in England, I was less intrigued although this was not so for my granddaughter, Amelia.. I felt like Cynthia, Samantha and Mrs. Robinson were stereotypes who could have easily been better rounded. Amelia was pulled along wondering how Will would choose to deal with her new classmates and country.
I finished this book convinced that it would be a great choice for middle age readers to read and discuss. (Or a parent/child read) Even though Will wanted to run away from her problems, in the end she faced them. The novel ended perfectly without everything tied into a neat little bow like some authors think kids need. There was still plenty to ponder about Will and her new life.
October 25, 2014
After enjoying Rooftoppers so much, I was excited for KR's new book. The first 50 pages are full of the whimsy of her first: young white wild child Wilhemina (Will, Wildcat, Cartwheel), her great love of Zimbabwe, her black friend Simon, her foreman father and the ranch owner, Captain Browne. When her father dies of malaria, the young, evil manipulating wife ships Will off to boarding school in England, where she is miserable and abused by her classmates. The next 150 pages are difficult for her and the reader, including her running away. Will finally stumbles across some kindness, and they convince her to return to school, where she is no longer seen as a pariah. This happy ending seems woefully inconsistent with teenage girl behavior, particularly for the privileged. 2.5 stars.
August 30, 2014
A perfect little jewel of a book. Katherine describes place so well, and creates such strong characters - a phenomenal debut!
February 5, 2025
3,5 🌟
--
De recensie is eerder gepubliceerd op: https://meerboekenblog.nl/het-wilde-m...
De cover van Het wilde meisje sprak mij direct aan toen ik het voorbij zag komen in de aanbiedingsbrochure van uitgeverij LS Amsterdam. Toen ik las waar het boek over gaat, werd ik alleen maar meer geïnteresseerd. Lees hieronder mijn recensie over dit kinderboek.
Jeugdboeken schrijfster Katherine Rundell werd bekend vanwege haar boeken De ontdekkingsreiziger en De goede dieven, maar Het wilde meisje is haar debuut.
Stukje over de auteur
Katherine Rundell is een Engelse auteur en academicus. Ze groeide op in Zimbabwe, Brussel en Londen. Ze schrijft voornamelijk kinderboeken. Veel van haar boeken zijn in de prijzen gevallen. Zo won ze bijvoorbeeld met haar boek Rooftoppers uit 2015 een Blue Peter Award en de Waterstones Children’s Book Prize. Ze schreef ook het inspirerende essay Waarom je kinderboeken moet lezen, zelfs al ben je oud en wijs (die ik zeker eens wil lezen!).
Recensie
Het wilde meisje is een avontuurlijk kinderboek over een meisje dat uit de Afrikaanse wildernis wordt gehaald om plotseling naar Londen wordt gestuurd.
Wilhelmina (Wil) Silvers leeft een prachtig en vrij leven. Ze groeit op in de vrije natuur van Afrika, waar ze samen met haar vader op een boerderij woont. In Afrika heeft ze een beste vriend, een paard waar ze veel om geeft en een aap die ze ook als haar vriend beschouwt.
Op een dag wordt het thuis van Wil verkocht en wordt ze gedwongen naar een kostschool in Engeland gestuurd, men denkt dat Wil wel wat beschaving bijgeleerd dient te worden. Wil ziet dit echter niet zitten en heeft het gevoel alsof alles wat ze kent van haar afgepakt wordt.
In Afrika leerde Wil om op te passen voor hyena’s en leeuwen, maar in Londen ontdekt ze dat een groep schoolmeisjes nog veel gevaarlijker kan zijn. Wil kan absoluut niet aarden in Londen, maar dan vindt ze de Londen Zoo en dat komt een klein beetje in de buurt van wat zij kent van thuis.
Het idee achter Het wilde meisje vind ik erg mooi en ik denk dat het voor veel kinderen dan ook een prachtig avontuurlijk verhaal is. Persoonlijk had ik behoorlijk wat moeite met in het verhaal komen, vond ik Wil zelf in eerste instantie niet een bijster interessant personage en de schrijfstijl was niet helemaal mijn ding. Hierdoor heb ik niet zo veel leesplezier gehad met het jeugdboek als ik van te voren had gedacht, maar dat maakt het natuurlijk niet perse een slecht boek.
Het wilde meisje vertelt een verhaal over een meisje dat niet kan aarden in het drukke Londen, iets wat voor meer kinderen herkenbaar zal zijn (ongeacht of je uit Afrika komt, of niet). Tevens laat het boek zien dat er veel meer belangrijk is dan leren over taal en rekenen, en dat je op school weinig tot niets leert over het ‘echte’ leven. Wil blijft ondanks de tegenslagen een krachtig personage met een rijke fantasie, waardoor kinderen graag over haar lezen.
--
De recensie is eerder gepubliceerd op: https://meerboekenblog.nl/het-wilde-m...
De cover van Het wilde meisje sprak mij direct aan toen ik het voorbij zag komen in de aanbiedingsbrochure van uitgeverij LS Amsterdam. Toen ik las waar het boek over gaat, werd ik alleen maar meer geïnteresseerd. Lees hieronder mijn recensie over dit kinderboek.
Jeugdboeken schrijfster Katherine Rundell werd bekend vanwege haar boeken De ontdekkingsreiziger en De goede dieven, maar Het wilde meisje is haar debuut.
Stukje over de auteur
Katherine Rundell is een Engelse auteur en academicus. Ze groeide op in Zimbabwe, Brussel en Londen. Ze schrijft voornamelijk kinderboeken. Veel van haar boeken zijn in de prijzen gevallen. Zo won ze bijvoorbeeld met haar boek Rooftoppers uit 2015 een Blue Peter Award en de Waterstones Children’s Book Prize. Ze schreef ook het inspirerende essay Waarom je kinderboeken moet lezen, zelfs al ben je oud en wijs (die ik zeker eens wil lezen!).
Recensie
Het wilde meisje is een avontuurlijk kinderboek over een meisje dat uit de Afrikaanse wildernis wordt gehaald om plotseling naar Londen wordt gestuurd.
Wilhelmina (Wil) Silvers leeft een prachtig en vrij leven. Ze groeit op in de vrije natuur van Afrika, waar ze samen met haar vader op een boerderij woont. In Afrika heeft ze een beste vriend, een paard waar ze veel om geeft en een aap die ze ook als haar vriend beschouwt.
Op een dag wordt het thuis van Wil verkocht en wordt ze gedwongen naar een kostschool in Engeland gestuurd, men denkt dat Wil wel wat beschaving bijgeleerd dient te worden. Wil ziet dit echter niet zitten en heeft het gevoel alsof alles wat ze kent van haar afgepakt wordt.
In Afrika leerde Wil om op te passen voor hyena’s en leeuwen, maar in Londen ontdekt ze dat een groep schoolmeisjes nog veel gevaarlijker kan zijn. Wil kan absoluut niet aarden in Londen, maar dan vindt ze de Londen Zoo en dat komt een klein beetje in de buurt van wat zij kent van thuis.
Het idee achter Het wilde meisje vind ik erg mooi en ik denk dat het voor veel kinderen dan ook een prachtig avontuurlijk verhaal is. Persoonlijk had ik behoorlijk wat moeite met in het verhaal komen, vond ik Wil zelf in eerste instantie niet een bijster interessant personage en de schrijfstijl was niet helemaal mijn ding. Hierdoor heb ik niet zo veel leesplezier gehad met het jeugdboek als ik van te voren had gedacht, maar dat maakt het natuurlijk niet perse een slecht boek.
Het wilde meisje vertelt een verhaal over een meisje dat niet kan aarden in het drukke Londen, iets wat voor meer kinderen herkenbaar zal zijn (ongeacht of je uit Afrika komt, of niet). Tevens laat het boek zien dat er veel meer belangrijk is dan leren over taal en rekenen, en dat je op school weinig tot niets leert over het ‘echte’ leven. Wil blijft ondanks de tegenslagen een krachtig personage met een rijke fantasie, waardoor kinderen graag over haar lezen.
May 8, 2018
This ended up to be a sweet book, although, for a relatively short book, it did take me a little while to get into it. The characters, overall story and the message were alright, but the writing was definitely the best thing about it. This one is probably my least favorite book by my author, but I still enjoyed it.
Now please enjoy some quotes from this book that perfectly illustrate Katherine Rundell's gorgeous writing style:
Now please enjoy some quotes from this book that perfectly illustrate Katherine Rundell's gorgeous writing style:
"Letters, she thought, were just like books - mostly about love."
“Her voice, he thought, was like water running over pebbles in sunshine.”
“It was never too late, she said, to turn a living thing around, and a garden was the most living of things.”
March 2, 2025
A gentle, yet firm reminder that othering happens at every age, by everyone unless they have exceptional mentors (of all ages) who help them see the wisdom of walking the other's path. . .
Wilhelmina Silver aka Will, starts out in Africa - mostly happy with her father, his employer and Simon her bestie. There is a dark cloud behind her from the death by malaria of her mother in the remembered past. The first page of the story does it all, tucking the reader next to Will's wild heart:
WILHELMINA KNEW THAT THERE WERE some houses that had glass in every window and locks on the doors.
The farmhouse in which she lived was not one of them. If there was a key to the front door, Wilhelmina had never seen it. It was likely that the goats that wandered in and out of the kitchen had eaten it. The house was at the end of the longest of the farm roads in the hottest corner of Zimbabwe. Her bedroom window was a square space in the wall. During the rains, she sewed plastic bags to make a screen and stretched it across the frame. During the heat, the dust blew in.
Years ago, a visitor to the farm had asked Will about her window.
“Surely your father can afford a pane of glass?”
“I like to be dusty,” she had said, “and wet.” Dust and rain made mud. Mud was full of possibilities.
The farm roads were bald and red with the settled dust. They were walked daily by Captain Browne, owner of the farm, driven daily by William Silver, foreman of the farm, and ridden daily by Wilhelmina, William’s only child.
Wilhelmina rode better than any boy on the farm, because her father had known that to ride before you can walk is like drinking from glass bottles of Coke underwater, or hanging by the knees from baobab trees: disorienting and delicious. So Wilhelmina grew up running under horses’ bellies and tripping up into horse manure and tugging handfuls of her long dark hair when horseflies stung. The horseboys living in the tin-roofed cottages in the staff quarters never wept at horseflies—sometimes they swore in a leisurely, laughing way in Shona—“Ach, booraguma”—and Wilhelmina was sure that she was the equal of any boy. She was faster than most of the boys her age on foot, too. And she was many other things: When the men on the farm talked about her in the evenings, they needed handfuls of “ands” to describe her: Will was stubborn, sha, and exasperating and wild and honest and true." Rundell, Katherine. Cartwheeling in Thunderstorms (pp. 3-4). Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. Kindle Edition.
I'm always looking for books to read with my Grands, and am adding this to the list. Poses just the right questions, with proposed responses to situations we all face growing up regardless of where we grow up. Thoroughly enjoying my trek through Katherine Rundell's works.
Wilhelmina Silver aka Will, starts out in Africa - mostly happy with her father, his employer and Simon her bestie. There is a dark cloud behind her from the death by malaria of her mother in the remembered past. The first page of the story does it all, tucking the reader next to Will's wild heart:
WILHELMINA KNEW THAT THERE WERE some houses that had glass in every window and locks on the doors.
The farmhouse in which she lived was not one of them. If there was a key to the front door, Wilhelmina had never seen it. It was likely that the goats that wandered in and out of the kitchen had eaten it. The house was at the end of the longest of the farm roads in the hottest corner of Zimbabwe. Her bedroom window was a square space in the wall. During the rains, she sewed plastic bags to make a screen and stretched it across the frame. During the heat, the dust blew in.
Years ago, a visitor to the farm had asked Will about her window.
“Surely your father can afford a pane of glass?”
“I like to be dusty,” she had said, “and wet.” Dust and rain made mud. Mud was full of possibilities.
The farm roads were bald and red with the settled dust. They were walked daily by Captain Browne, owner of the farm, driven daily by William Silver, foreman of the farm, and ridden daily by Wilhelmina, William’s only child.
Wilhelmina rode better than any boy on the farm, because her father had known that to ride before you can walk is like drinking from glass bottles of Coke underwater, or hanging by the knees from baobab trees: disorienting and delicious. So Wilhelmina grew up running under horses’ bellies and tripping up into horse manure and tugging handfuls of her long dark hair when horseflies stung. The horseboys living in the tin-roofed cottages in the staff quarters never wept at horseflies—sometimes they swore in a leisurely, laughing way in Shona—“Ach, booraguma”—and Wilhelmina was sure that she was the equal of any boy. She was faster than most of the boys her age on foot, too. And she was many other things: When the men on the farm talked about her in the evenings, they needed handfuls of “ands” to describe her: Will was stubborn, sha, and exasperating and wild and honest and true." Rundell, Katherine. Cartwheeling in Thunderstorms (pp. 3-4). Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. Kindle Edition.
I'm always looking for books to read with my Grands, and am adding this to the list. Poses just the right questions, with proposed responses to situations we all face growing up regardless of where we grow up. Thoroughly enjoying my trek through Katherine Rundell's works.
September 8, 2014
Here is a book that I will be sharing with our "juvenile" readers from here to forever! This was a wonderful story of Wilhelmina - a girl raised on the African plains by her father. This life is all she knows and she loves everything about it. It is all stripped away from her when her father dies and his farm is taken over by a wealthy woman from a nearby city that wants nothing to do with Will. Will is sent to a boarding school in England and so begins her downward spiral - taunting from other girls, her feeling of being trapped in the school, and loss of all she loves. This is a tender, touching story that sticks with you long after you finish. I loved it!
May 31, 2015
Whilhemina, known as Will, lives on an African farm and is blissfully happy hanging out with the local stable boys and getting into trouble. She is rough, she is wild and her father loves her very much. When tragedy happens and Will's father passes away and the guardian she has come to trust sends her instead to a boarding school in England, Will's world is upended. Her life there is miserable and she runs, searching for anything in England that will feel like the home she once knew. In running she will find the courage to go back until she is able to be back in Africa once more. For anyone who has ever felt like an outcast, for anyone who has been relocated and can't find the familiar - this is the book for you. Will's story feels very much like that of the female aviator, Beryl Markham. The magic of the African savannah comes through and you will find yourself rooting for Will. It is easy to see why this was the winner of the Horn Book's award for children's fiction for 2015.
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May 16, 2022Kamēr Latvijā var lasīt nesen @janisrozeinsta izdoto Rundellas grāmatu par ledainu ziemu un vilkiem, ķeros klāt pirms nu jau pāris gadiem iegādāto autores pašu pirmo grāmatu. Šo viņa velta savai bērnībai Zimbabvē, neaizmirstot pretnostatīt tik diametrāli pretējo dzīvi Rietumos-Londonā, vietā, kur Katrīna arī kādu laiku pavadījusi.
🐞”The Girl Savage” galvenā varone Wilhelmina jeb Will aug kopā ar tēvu ļoti trūcīgos apstākļos, toties viņas spēļu pasaule un brīvība Zimbabvē ļauj izpausties viņas nevaldāmajam raksturam. Taču, kad tēvs nomirst, viņa tiek aizsūtīta izglītoties uz Angliju, kur iepazīst vienaudžu mobingu. Jaunā rietumu pasaule ir sveša, nesaudzīga un biedējoša…
Šķiet, ka katrā grāmatā autore mēģina ielikt daļiņu no sevis, bet pats galvenais-radīt drosmīgas, savādākas varones, kuras neiekļaujas pelēkajā sabiedrībā..
🐞”The Girl Savage” galvenā varone Wilhelmina jeb Will aug kopā ar tēvu ļoti trūcīgos apstākļos, toties viņas spēļu pasaule un brīvība Zimbabvē ļauj izpausties viņas nevaldāmajam raksturam. Taču, kad tēvs nomirst, viņa tiek aizsūtīta izglītoties uz Angliju, kur iepazīst vienaudžu mobingu. Jaunā rietumu pasaule ir sveša, nesaudzīga un biedējoša…
Šķiet, ka katrā grāmatā autore mēģina ielikt daļiņu no sevis, bet pats galvenais-radīt drosmīgas, savādākas varones, kuras neiekļaujas pelēkajā sabiedrībā..
September 3, 2015
This story captures the essence of what it means to be African. Poignant account of a young Zimbabwe girl with English origins who is ripped from the life she loves and plunged into the strange culture that is England. A place where order is paramount, and so unlike the freedom of the bush. I was immediately pulled in to the setting as if in a dream, from the first few pages, with the author's lyrical voice. It is best appreciated in an audio book. Perfect preparation for a trip to this vast continent!
December 21, 2025
Wilhelmina è una dodicenne africana che vive libera nella fattoria dove lavora suo padre.
Nel bush Will ha tutto ciò che si può desiderare ed è felice e spensierata.
Un giorno però tutto cambia... il suo papà muore e la ragazzina viene trasferita in un collegio in Inghilterra, un cambiamento radicale che mette alla prova il suo coraggio e il suo temperamento.
Wilhelmina non si sente accettata, scappa dalla scuola e incomincia a errare per Londra vivendo situazioni difficili ma anche incontrando persone che la accettano per la sua genuinità.
Amo le ragazze della Rundell, tutte diverse e uniche, speciali e coraggiose.
Lei poi scrive molto bene, una scrittura semplice ma dettagliata e creativa.
Lettura molto consigliata. Emotivo e coinvolgente.
Nel bush Will ha tutto ciò che si può desiderare ed è felice e spensierata.
Un giorno però tutto cambia... il suo papà muore e la ragazzina viene trasferita in un collegio in Inghilterra, un cambiamento radicale che mette alla prova il suo coraggio e il suo temperamento.
Wilhelmina non si sente accettata, scappa dalla scuola e incomincia a errare per Londra vivendo situazioni difficili ma anche incontrando persone che la accettano per la sua genuinità.
Amo le ragazze della Rundell, tutte diverse e uniche, speciali e coraggiose.
Lei poi scrive molto bene, una scrittura semplice ma dettagliata e creativa.
Lettura molto consigliata. Emotivo e coinvolgente.
August 17, 2018
Rundell is rapidly becoming one of my favorite writers. I'm kind of surprised I haven't heard more about her books, because Adventure tends to be a subject that kids love.
Will has grown up on a Zimbabwean farm where she was pretty much left to do whatever she wanted which mostly involved casual gymnastics and camping out in the bush, and just messing about with the other kids on the farm. She enjoys reading, too, but it's clear that her life is devoid of most of what a Western child would expect: no regular schooling, no after school lessons or play dates arranged for her. She is almost feral and happy with it.
And then she ends up being sent to a London boarding school and it is ghastly. She doesn't know any of what her peers take for granted: the way schools operate with bells, the subjects covered in class: she is the hick to end all hicks and the mean girls are brutal.
It's refreshing to read about a character who does not fit in, and who is shunned by her peers, and the author makes it clear that most readers would shun her too: Will is too out of her depth to be ingratiating or subservient. She is no Little Princess.
Colonialism and racism are never broached because Will doesn't see them. It isn't a good authorial stance, but it is an appropriate one: Will is totally self-absorbed. There are a lot of tomboys in literature, but few of them get to be truly awful. It's still a delightful change. All the women in this book are fierce, all in different ways, but they're intimidating as hell.
Library copy
Will has grown up on a Zimbabwean farm where she was pretty much left to do whatever she wanted which mostly involved casual gymnastics and camping out in the bush, and just messing about with the other kids on the farm. She enjoys reading, too, but it's clear that her life is devoid of most of what a Western child would expect: no regular schooling, no after school lessons or play dates arranged for her. She is almost feral and happy with it.
And then she ends up being sent to a London boarding school and it is ghastly. She doesn't know any of what her peers take for granted: the way schools operate with bells, the subjects covered in class: she is the hick to end all hicks and the mean girls are brutal.
It's refreshing to read about a character who does not fit in, and who is shunned by her peers, and the author makes it clear that most readers would shun her too: Will is too out of her depth to be ingratiating or subservient. She is no Little Princess.
Colonialism and racism are never broached because Will doesn't see them. It isn't a good authorial stance, but it is an appropriate one: Will is totally self-absorbed. There are a lot of tomboys in literature, but few of them get to be truly awful. It's still a delightful change. All the women in this book are fierce, all in different ways, but they're intimidating as hell.
Library copy
February 6, 2017
I adored Will and her fierce wildness. The imagery of Zimbabwe was so inviting. I greatly enjoyed the first half of the book, before Will was sent to England. The second half of the story left me wondering...
If you liked this book, you might also enjoy:
✱ Home of the Brave
✱ Flora and Ulysses
✱ Rooftoppers
✱ A Little Princess
If you liked this book, you might also enjoy:
✱ Home of the Brave
✱ Flora and Ulysses
✱ Rooftoppers
✱ A Little Princess
May 31, 2014
I read this book with an intensity that was almost painful. After loving Rooftoppers, I was eager to love this book, too, but I found it very grim. . . and I keep wondering why that is so. There is just so much loss in it. The displaced orphan is a familiar trope of children's literature, and it features in some of my favourites going all the way back to A Little Princess and The Secret Garden, but usually those losses take place mostly "off-stage". Will's wild childhood in Africa is so lovingly described and then so thoroughly dismantled. The displacement to English boarding school is so cold and harsh. And sadly, the bits of friendship and hopefulness seem all too meagre -- way too little, and way too late -- for both the young heroine and the reader. Still, Rundell is a hugely talented writer. She managed to make me suffer right along with her plucky, Pippi-ish young heroine. The thought of a shoeless, scantily clad Will roaming around London alone makes me shiver just to think of it!
October 27, 2014
Will lives on a ranch in Zimbabwe and is a bit of wild child - her mom died a while ago and she is the only female around. This first third of the book is quite interesting, giving readers a real feel for this country. Later a tragedy occurs and Will is forced to London to a girls' boarding school, where she not only doesn't fit in, she can't cope at all with everyday activities like bathing or eating in the cafeteria. Then she escapes and that final third is also compelling, focusing on her urban survival abilities. Will is an interesting female character due to her skills and the three sections actually work well together although each is quite different. A great book with a strong female protagonist to recommend to tweens, with the added plus that it is a page-turner, and introduces readers to a country that is not that well know in the U.S.
May 24, 2023
It was slow and hard to get in to at first, but after you get past the beginning it is an amazing book.
February 6, 2017
It's difficult for me to figure out how I feel about this novel. In many respects, I think that Wilhelmina's story is one of a courageous little girl making the best of foreign circumstances that have upended her world. It broke my heart to see her go through so much hardship, and it was jarring to feel her displacement due to the move so keenly (since I moved to a new place at a similar age). What I did feel was a bit on the lackluster side was the secondary character development, but it didn't deter me from my appreciation of Will's story.
October 19, 2024
DNF at 40%.
I am not enjoying this book and I have no inclination to continue. I think Rundell is a good writer, but I’m just not interested in this story. I want to check out her newest novel though, Impossible Creatures. That one sounds like it would be more up my alley.
I am not enjoying this book and I have no inclination to continue. I think Rundell is a good writer, but I’m just not interested in this story. I want to check out her newest novel though, Impossible Creatures. That one sounds like it would be more up my alley.
January 21, 2015
Stiffly written at points, and beautifully in others, The Girl Savage is a book of peaks and troughs. Ultimately it's an awkward read but one that retains a powerful sense of heart throughout. It is, as you may gather, somewhat confusing.
Wilhemina Silver (Will) has lived in Zimbabwe all her life with her widower father. Will lives a wild life in the bush; falling off horses, climbing trees, and in one particularly memorable incident, biting the head off a tick. It's only when her father falls ill, and ultimately dies, that her life changes.
Because this is when Cynthia makes her presence felt. Cynthia sends Will away to school in England and Will, naturally, struggles to fit in to her new world. Will she sink or will she swim in her new surroundings? And what will the schoolgirls make of the 'girl savage' in their midst?
Like I said, this book is a bit difficult. I felt it wasn't sure what it was meant to be at points; whether an elegy to Africa, a fairytale of circumstantial events, or a fish out of water tale and I think it may have been stronger if it had been more defined. Whilst the Africa sections are very beautiful (they are word-pictures at points) and clearly written with a lot of love, some of the other elements fell a little flat. The school itself didn't appear until a good halfway through the book and ultimately formed very little of the book as a whole. This meant that whilst yes, girls can be bitches,they were bitches really without any particular defined sense of context. I struggled, for example, to work out the time period this book is set in; wondering if it was historical at some points before realising at others that it was quite modern.
Will herself had a strong, unique voice, and I could hear her very well. She does slide into slightly Mary-Sue territory at times, but I never lost sense of her as a character. Whilst she is slimly defined, and almost more defined by her relationship with others, it is a technique that works here with her voice. I loved it when she spoke; the stumbling mixture of Shona and English, capped off with an edgy Ja?
So there's a lot of love in this book, a strong powerful heart, but also a lot of awkwardness to contend with. If you're interested in the school story genre, do read this as the sort of fairytale nature of school isn't one that's explored that much these days. If you're looking for a more fish out of water tale, I'd maybe plump for something like Pippi Longstocking / Opal Moonbaby instead.
Wilhemina Silver (Will) has lived in Zimbabwe all her life with her widower father. Will lives a wild life in the bush; falling off horses, climbing trees, and in one particularly memorable incident, biting the head off a tick. It's only when her father falls ill, and ultimately dies, that her life changes.
Because this is when Cynthia makes her presence felt. Cynthia sends Will away to school in England and Will, naturally, struggles to fit in to her new world. Will she sink or will she swim in her new surroundings? And what will the schoolgirls make of the 'girl savage' in their midst?
Like I said, this book is a bit difficult. I felt it wasn't sure what it was meant to be at points; whether an elegy to Africa, a fairytale of circumstantial events, or a fish out of water tale and I think it may have been stronger if it had been more defined. Whilst the Africa sections are very beautiful (they are word-pictures at points) and clearly written with a lot of love, some of the other elements fell a little flat. The school itself didn't appear until a good halfway through the book and ultimately formed very little of the book as a whole. This meant that whilst yes, girls can be bitches,they were bitches really without any particular defined sense of context. I struggled, for example, to work out the time period this book is set in; wondering if it was historical at some points before realising at others that it was quite modern.
Will herself had a strong, unique voice, and I could hear her very well. She does slide into slightly Mary-Sue territory at times, but I never lost sense of her as a character. Whilst she is slimly defined, and almost more defined by her relationship with others, it is a technique that works here with her voice. I loved it when she spoke; the stumbling mixture of Shona and English, capped off with an edgy Ja?
So there's a lot of love in this book, a strong powerful heart, but also a lot of awkwardness to contend with. If you're interested in the school story genre, do read this as the sort of fairytale nature of school isn't one that's explored that much these days. If you're looking for a more fish out of water tale, I'd maybe plump for something like Pippi Longstocking / Opal Moonbaby instead.
June 7, 2015
This review is for the audiobook.
Cartwheeling in Thunderstorms will break your heart over and over. Wilhelmina has spent her childhood in Africa running wild with the farm boys, especially her best friend Simon. She loves riding her horse, climbing trees and being free, but she also loves ironing her father’s socks so he doesn’t catch parasites because she loves her father very, very much. Will’s mother died when she was young, and when her father becomes ill with the same cholera that killed her mother, Will’s life changes drastically. She is suddenly ripped from her beloved home in Zimbabwe and sent to boarding school in London. The wild girl is soon broken and you will weep for her again and again.
Bianca Amato is perfect as Will. She sounds youthful and free. Amato does a splendid job voicing the African farmhands’ Zimbabwean dialect as well as the snooty girls in the London.
There are a few technical problems with this recording, including a few pauses that were overly long and audible breath intakes, especially at the start of the chapters. However, the overall story telling is so good that these minor instances can be overlooked.
Cartwheeling in Thunderstorms will break your heart over and over. Wilhelmina has spent her childhood in Africa running wild with the farm boys, especially her best friend Simon. She loves riding her horse, climbing trees and being free, but she also loves ironing her father’s socks so he doesn’t catch parasites because she loves her father very, very much. Will’s mother died when she was young, and when her father becomes ill with the same cholera that killed her mother, Will’s life changes drastically. She is suddenly ripped from her beloved home in Zimbabwe and sent to boarding school in London. The wild girl is soon broken and you will weep for her again and again.
Bianca Amato is perfect as Will. She sounds youthful and free. Amato does a splendid job voicing the African farmhands’ Zimbabwean dialect as well as the snooty girls in the London.
There are a few technical problems with this recording, including a few pauses that were overly long and audible breath intakes, especially at the start of the chapters. However, the overall story telling is so good that these minor instances can be overlooked.
January 10, 2015
Will (Wihelmina) loves her wonderful, wild life on the hot, dusty African farm where she is free to roam, climb trees and play with her best friend Simon and numerous animals all day long. Unfortunately her idyllic life comes to an abrupt halt after her father dies from malaria and her father’s friend and new guardian Captain Browne marries a heartless woman. Given no choice by his new wife he is forced to sell the farm and send Will to a strict boarding school in London. Stuck inside a rigid building in a strange, cold climate and struggling to exist in a culture she does not understand, Will is bullied by the other girls at the school who also do not understand her. This well-written, remarkable story, written for tweens, by the author of “Rooftoppers” will be enjoyed by all.
Sharyn H. / Marathon County Public Library
Find this book in our library catalog.
September 22, 2014
As with Rundell's book Rooftoppers, this book drew me in quickly and didn't let go. I fell in love with the characters of Will and Simon - their easy friendship and their love of nature and Africa. This book is not all sunshine and roses though - the title is, after all, Cartwheeling in Thunderstorms - that is to say, learning to persevere through difficult things in life. Will is a free spirit, and when that free spirit is corralled and sent to a London boarding school, she has a very difficult time adjusting. Nothing about this move is easy - not the absence of her beloved country and friends, not the girls in the school and their harsh treatment of her and certainly not the circumstances that brought about this move. However, in the end, the story leaves the reader with a sense of hope - a sense of possibilities. Cartwheeling in the sunshine is easy - cartwheeling in thunderstorms takes some pretty major skill and determination - a lesson that will resonate with readers.
January 17, 2022
She begins each day with a cartwheel and believes that reading is almost exactly the same as cartwheeling: it turns the world upside down and leaves you breathless. In her spare time, she enjoys walking on tightropes and trespassing on the rooftops of Oxford College. ~ from the author bio on inside back cover
I really liked this story about a Zimbabwean tomboy who ends up, against her will, at a boarding school in London. The themes of wild vs. cultivated are like those found in the Incorrigible Ashton Place books. Will (from Wilhelmina) is at home in the African bush, working as a 'horse boy', playing with her monkey Kezia, and enjoying the fruits of her mango tree named Marmaduke.
Then she finds herself having to cope with uniforms, schedules, and snide remarks.
I felt the ending was a wee bit wobbly.
If you are interested in this book, I beg you to listen to the *superlative* audio narration by Bianco Amato.
I really liked this story about a Zimbabwean tomboy who ends up, against her will, at a boarding school in London. The themes of wild vs. cultivated are like those found in the Incorrigible Ashton Place books. Will (from Wilhelmina) is at home in the African bush, working as a 'horse boy', playing with her monkey Kezia, and enjoying the fruits of her mango tree named Marmaduke.
Then she finds herself having to cope with uniforms, schedules, and snide remarks.
I felt the ending was a wee bit wobbly.
If you are interested in this book, I beg you to listen to the *superlative* audio narration by Bianco Amato.
August 21, 2015
This lovely book started off reminding me of A Little Princess (a wonderful thing) and then took a turn I did not expect, but wholly appreciated. I sense perhaps another adventure for Will is on the horizon -- I'm hoping for it! The best part of the book was the first half, being transported to Zimbabwe and into the life of this extraordinary, completely wild and free girl, Will. Part Sara Crew from A Little Princess-part Mowgli from the Jungle Book! The design of this book was really beautiful too, from back and front cover, to the yellow leaves, to the chapter head designs that change when Will's life changes.
November 10, 2011
This was a fabulous book! Little Will, a wild girl from a farm in Tanzania, is a free spirit who values truth and friendship. Unfortunately for her, life is not always fair and adults aren't always true. She finds herself an orphan at an all girls school in England and has to figure out a way to come to terms with her situation. She has a great verve for life and has grand adventures, but always you feel a little worried and heart-broken for her. I feel like the language and dialect might be a bit challenging for younger kids, but tweens and even teens would enjoy this.
July 23, 2015
This story is beautiful because it is at turns both subtle and brutal. Will is a modern hero that all children can embrace. The story does not end perfectly but it ends hopefully and with a depth of emotion that so many middle grade novels lack. I will be recommending this to any child who needs to find someone who truly understands what it is to be an outcast, but who uses that inner-worth to make his or her world better, no matter how hard that might be. I hope you'll read it, "ja?"
July 1, 2024
Read as a family during our move to Hawaii. The kids enjoyed it very much.
December 29, 2017
I will admit that I went into this very wary. The whole non-boarding-school girl gets sent to boarding school is not my thing.
And I was very happy to be proved wrong.
Why was I proved wrong? Because first there is a beautiful, glorious seven chapters in Zimbabwe, where Will is wild and free. And it is all so real.
Which makes what comes next all the more achingly sad. But Will won't change. She still finds hope, eventually. And she still makes good, true friends.
Perhaps, after everything, the ending is slightly cliched, but the author's writing makes up for it and makes the ending new and special. Throughout the book, she makes the smallest things important. I was writing down quotes every other page because she says things so uniquely.
This is my second breath-taking read by Katherine Rundell.
And I was very happy to be proved wrong.
Why was I proved wrong? Because first there is a beautiful, glorious seven chapters in Zimbabwe, where Will is wild and free. And it is all so real.
Which makes what comes next all the more achingly sad. But Will won't change. She still finds hope, eventually. And she still makes good, true friends.
Perhaps, after everything, the ending is slightly cliched, but the author's writing makes up for it and makes the ending new and special. Throughout the book, she makes the smallest things important. I was writing down quotes every other page because she says things so uniquely.
This is my second breath-taking read by Katherine Rundell.
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