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The Wild Girls
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 Girls is about friendship, the power of story, and how coming of age means finding your own answers, rather than simply taking adults on faith.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
58 people are currently reading
1707 people want to read
About the author
Pat Murphy
202 books198 followersPat Murphy’s latest short story collection is called "Women Up to No Good," a title that describes Pat’s attitude in general. Pat writes about strong women who are not afraid of making trouble.
Pat's fiction has won multiple awards for her science fiction and fantasy works, including the Nebula Award, the World Fantasy Award, the Philip K Dick Award, the Theodore Sturgeon Award, and the Christopher Award. Her latest novel, "The Adventures of Mary Darling," is a historic fantasy -- a subversive take on Peter Pan (with a side helping of Sherlock Holmes). It will be out in May 2025 from Tachyon Publications.
Pat's fiction has won multiple awards for her science fiction and fantasy works, including the Nebula Award, the World Fantasy Award, the Philip K Dick Award, the Theodore Sturgeon Award, and the Christopher Award. Her latest novel, "The Adventures of Mary Darling," is a historic fantasy -- a subversive take on Peter Pan (with a side helping of Sherlock Holmes). It will be out in May 2025 from Tachyon Publications.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 379 reviews
January 23, 2022
The transformative power of friendship, storytelling, and writing are the themes of this insightful and rewarding coming-of-age novel for older girls. It’s 1972, and twelve-year-old Joan has just moved to California from Connecticut. Her dad has started a new job in San Francisco, while Joan, her brother, and her mother attempt to settle in at their new home. It’s a challenge for all of them. Joan’s dad is an irritable, driven, and generally angry guy, more committed to his job than his family. He may have been eager to move from one coast to the other, but no one else apparently was. There’s a lot of tension in this family, and Joan’s parents argue a lot, ostensibly over money. Author Pat Murphy doesn’t overdo the dysfunction, however. Both parents show concern for Joan, and though dad is a less sympathetic character than mum, there’s nuance in the portrayal of each.
Joan tries to assist her mother with unpacking boxes and getting the new house in order, but when she breaks a glass tumbler, her mum sends her out to explore the neighbourhood. There’s a wild area at the back of the property, including an old orchard, a wooded space, and a creek. Joan goes down an old dirt road and encounters something else: a very unusual “wild girl” Not quite a feral child, Sarah, refers to herself as “The Queen of All the Foxes” or “Fox”, for short—not in the informal North American sense of an attractive young girl, but in a kind of imaginative identification with a light, clever creature of nature.
Joan and Fox hit it off right from the start. Fox paints Joan’s face with the same clay markings that she wears. For Fox, “war paint” sends the signal that she’s not to be messed with. She sees this as necessary because neighbourhood kids taunt her and vandalize her “outdoor living room” with its armchair and shelves for crockery positioned in the lower branches of nearby trees. Reticent, obedient Joan, who has learned over time to blend in (mostly so she won’t set off her angry dad), is emboldened by the clay face markings. She also takes the name of a wild creature, a mutable one: “Newt”.
Fox has family troubles of her own. Some years back, her mum abandoned her and her dad, Gus, a pierced and tattooed sci-fi writer. Not long after, father and daughter moved to the ramshackle old house left to them by Gus’s uncle. Gus is an easygoing philosophical guy, who offers Joan another type of parental support. He introduces her to the idea of keeping a journal. Writing things down, he tells her, helps a person figure out how she feels.
When the girls start school in the fall, Joan sees just how far on the periphery Fox is. Joan is a good student and she takes Fox under her wing, helping to integrate her a little more into school life. The two write a fantasy story together, based on their own biographies. Their work is noticed by a Berkeley creative writing teacher, and a summer course with this eccentric young woman helps the two understand how observing and thinking like a writer can help them negotiate the challenges in their own lives. Noticing, questioning, and recognizing the subtext in the things people argue about prove to be very helpful skills.
I think this is a fine piece of work. Obviously geared towards girls from about ten to thirteen, like the best children’s literature, it resonates for older readers, too. I’ve had this book sitting on my shelf for years. I’m glad I finally got to it.
Joan tries to assist her mother with unpacking boxes and getting the new house in order, but when she breaks a glass tumbler, her mum sends her out to explore the neighbourhood. There’s a wild area at the back of the property, including an old orchard, a wooded space, and a creek. Joan goes down an old dirt road and encounters something else: a very unusual “wild girl” Not quite a feral child, Sarah, refers to herself as “The Queen of All the Foxes” or “Fox”, for short—not in the informal North American sense of an attractive young girl, but in a kind of imaginative identification with a light, clever creature of nature.
Joan and Fox hit it off right from the start. Fox paints Joan’s face with the same clay markings that she wears. For Fox, “war paint” sends the signal that she’s not to be messed with. She sees this as necessary because neighbourhood kids taunt her and vandalize her “outdoor living room” with its armchair and shelves for crockery positioned in the lower branches of nearby trees. Reticent, obedient Joan, who has learned over time to blend in (mostly so she won’t set off her angry dad), is emboldened by the clay face markings. She also takes the name of a wild creature, a mutable one: “Newt”.
Fox has family troubles of her own. Some years back, her mum abandoned her and her dad, Gus, a pierced and tattooed sci-fi writer. Not long after, father and daughter moved to the ramshackle old house left to them by Gus’s uncle. Gus is an easygoing philosophical guy, who offers Joan another type of parental support. He introduces her to the idea of keeping a journal. Writing things down, he tells her, helps a person figure out how she feels.
When the girls start school in the fall, Joan sees just how far on the periphery Fox is. Joan is a good student and she takes Fox under her wing, helping to integrate her a little more into school life. The two write a fantasy story together, based on their own biographies. Their work is noticed by a Berkeley creative writing teacher, and a summer course with this eccentric young woman helps the two understand how observing and thinking like a writer can help them negotiate the challenges in their own lives. Noticing, questioning, and recognizing the subtext in the things people argue about prove to be very helpful skills.
I think this is a fine piece of work. Obviously geared towards girls from about ten to thirteen, like the best children’s literature, it resonates for older readers, too. I’ve had this book sitting on my shelf for years. I’m glad I finally got to it.
November 14, 2008
The Wild Girls is a book for writers. It's a book for girls who don't always follow the rules and for girls who play with spotted newts. As a girl who enjoys writing, newts, and occasional rule-breaking, I fell in love immediately.
Pat Murphy tells the story of two girls -- the rule-following Joan (aka Newt), who just moved to California from Connecticut and has always written the kinds of stories she thought her teacher would like, and Sarah (aka Fox), who hangs out throwing rocks in the woods near the run-down house where she lives with her dad, a motorcycle-writer-guy who doesn't fit the image of any dad Joan has ever known. Fox and Newt form the kind of bond that can only be forged in secret clearings and treehouses, and together, they weather the storms of family trauma and trying (or not) to fit in among their peers. More than anything, though, they learn about writing and about the power of story to help us see truth -- especially when truth is different from the story that the grownups are dishing out.
Joan and Sarah call themselves the Wild Girls -- thus the title -- and through this new sense of self, they're able to confront questions that always lurked in the shadows before. This book reminds me of Clarissa Pinkola Estes' Women Who Run with the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype. Women Who Run With the Wolves is non-fiction aimed at adult readers, but the spirit of the two books feels the same.
There are so many fantastic moments in The Wild Girls. My copy is riddled with Post-It notes marking my favorite passages. One of them comes when Azalea, a colorful character Joan meets during a writing class on the Berkeley campus, offers her a chance to try walking on stilts.
I hesitated, thinking about it. "I don't know. I'd probably fall."
Azalea frowned fiercely, shaking her head. "That is the wrong attitude. That's a Failure of the Imagination." When she said that, I heard it in capital letters. By her tone, I knew that a Failure of the Imagination was a terrible and contemptible thing. "All it takes to walk on stilts is imagination. If you believe that you can walk on stilts, then you can." She looked at me. "What do you think?"
What do I think? I think I after reading this book, I could walk on stilts...or jump across a stream...or...or....just about anything. It's empowering in that way, and that makes it a perfect choice for kids, especially girls who love to read and write.
Pat Murphy tells the story of two girls -- the rule-following Joan (aka Newt), who just moved to California from Connecticut and has always written the kinds of stories she thought her teacher would like, and Sarah (aka Fox), who hangs out throwing rocks in the woods near the run-down house where she lives with her dad, a motorcycle-writer-guy who doesn't fit the image of any dad Joan has ever known. Fox and Newt form the kind of bond that can only be forged in secret clearings and treehouses, and together, they weather the storms of family trauma and trying (or not) to fit in among their peers. More than anything, though, they learn about writing and about the power of story to help us see truth -- especially when truth is different from the story that the grownups are dishing out.
Joan and Sarah call themselves the Wild Girls -- thus the title -- and through this new sense of self, they're able to confront questions that always lurked in the shadows before. This book reminds me of Clarissa Pinkola Estes' Women Who Run with the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype. Women Who Run With the Wolves is non-fiction aimed at adult readers, but the spirit of the two books feels the same.
There are so many fantastic moments in The Wild Girls. My copy is riddled with Post-It notes marking my favorite passages. One of them comes when Azalea, a colorful character Joan meets during a writing class on the Berkeley campus, offers her a chance to try walking on stilts.
I hesitated, thinking about it. "I don't know. I'd probably fall."
Azalea frowned fiercely, shaking her head. "That is the wrong attitude. That's a Failure of the Imagination." When she said that, I heard it in capital letters. By her tone, I knew that a Failure of the Imagination was a terrible and contemptible thing. "All it takes to walk on stilts is imagination. If you believe that you can walk on stilts, then you can." She looked at me. "What do you think?"
What do I think? I think I after reading this book, I could walk on stilts...or jump across a stream...or...or....just about anything. It's empowering in that way, and that makes it a perfect choice for kids, especially girls who love to read and write.
October 30, 2013
10/2013 I started with the audiobook, but it was one disc short, so I got the book and started over. I remain a big fan. It's solidly plotted, and covers a lot of early adolescence without being an issue book at all. Highly recommended.
11/2009 I loved the girls in this book. Fox and Newt are so perfectly poised between childhood and adolescence, between that subterranean self that exists early on and the later, public iceberg self. Their groping towards the light is beautifully mirrored in their writing. Also, the parents, siblings and friends are complex and interesting characters. Well-written and evocative.
11/2009 I loved the girls in this book. Fox and Newt are so perfectly poised between childhood and adolescence, between that subterranean self that exists early on and the later, public iceberg self. Their groping towards the light is beautifully mirrored in their writing. Also, the parents, siblings and friends are complex and interesting characters. Well-written and evocative.
February 10, 2013
4.5-5/5
I loved this book and couldn’t put it down until the last page.
It’s an insightful and absorbing middle-grade novel, very enticingly and well written.
Although the author wrote the story from a young girl’s point of view, both the writing and the plot aren’t childish at all.
It was heartwarming to read about these amazing girls, Joan and Sarah, and the issues they went through, their loyal friendship, how they grew up a lot in a not so long span of time.
Few pages were kind of moving too!
Highly recommended.
I loved this book and couldn’t put it down until the last page.
It’s an insightful and absorbing middle-grade novel, very enticingly and well written.
Although the author wrote the story from a young girl’s point of view, both the writing and the plot aren’t childish at all.
It was heartwarming to read about these amazing girls, Joan and Sarah, and the issues they went through, their loyal friendship, how they grew up a lot in a not so long span of time.
Few pages were kind of moving too!
Highly recommended.
January 12, 2018
Precioso. Un relato sobre la familia, las relaciones interpersonales y el valor de luchar por lo que queremos. Dos chicas con vidas completamente diferentes que nos enseñarán muchas cosas a medida que escriben su propia historia.
September 24, 2014
5/5.
"I wondered if it would always be like that: first the fear, and then the glory."
Picked from the J shelves of my local library because the cover promised all things girl-powery and maybe a little bit of good writing. And I was not disappointed.
The Wild Girls delivers absolute beauty in a junior lit book that adults can and should enjoy as well. The writing is not childish. There are some very moving passages and all does not have the happiest of endings. There is no black-and-white, right v. wrong debate here. It's so much gray area and, yes, that's how life is, but it's a bold move for a kids' author where this is so little seen. Both Joan and Sarah are strong female role models for any young girl, and it makes both intelligence and creativity seem absolutely awesome instead of nerdy (and it IS absolutely awesome).
First comes the fear, then the glory. Describes growing up in a nutshell.
"I wondered if it would always be like that: first the fear, and then the glory."
Picked from the J shelves of my local library because the cover promised all things girl-powery and maybe a little bit of good writing. And I was not disappointed.
The Wild Girls delivers absolute beauty in a junior lit book that adults can and should enjoy as well. The writing is not childish. There are some very moving passages and all does not have the happiest of endings. There is no black-and-white, right v. wrong debate here. It's so much gray area and, yes, that's how life is, but it's a bold move for a kids' author where this is so little seen. Both Joan and Sarah are strong female role models for any young girl, and it makes both intelligence and creativity seem absolutely awesome instead of nerdy (and it IS absolutely awesome).
First comes the fear, then the glory. Describes growing up in a nutshell.
August 1, 2015
Loved the book. A great book for preteens. Joan moved to a new town and thought she would hate it but she met a kindred spirit. Joan and Sarah - Newt and Fox - spent their time outside and writing stories. Great inspiration for anyone wanting to write their own journal, story or book.
October 3, 2018
This was an absolutely lovely novel that I would recommend to writers and aspiring writers ages 12 to 100. Also would recommend to anyone interested in the San Francisco East Bay (Danville and Berkeley) in 1972.
June 18, 2012
This book was amazing. The whole time I wanted to be these characters, I wanted to live their lives. This book was just amazing.
September 19, 2024
Such a cute story. so simple and so beautiful. A wonderful study on introspection and observing the world around you.
January 21, 2024
Loved this novel about girls finding what makes them unique.
November 7, 2019
It was a sad book at times but what they realized at the end was much better than to continue with what was going on. I really enjoyed this book.
October 18, 2024
This is now one of my favorite books. Took me back to reading Judy Blume books or watching My Girl. Joan (Newt) and Sarah (Fox) are endearing characters who found their voice and learned more than they expected.
November 1, 2011
Book talk: Before Joan moved to California she only read stories. After she moved to California, Joan began to live them. It all started when she was exploring in the woods near her house and she found what looked like a troll's living room. It turned out that it belonged to a girl named Sarah who called herself the Queen of Foxes. Joan soon became newt in turn and newt and fox explored secret grottoes, defended their fort from invaders, and hid in the woods. Their real life mixed with a fantasy life and they turned their story in to a writing competition. But eventually they had to return to reality, and the cold hard truths they could not avoid.
Rocks my socks: I would have loved to have been friends with these girls when I was their age! As it was my friends and I came up with some pretty elaborate fantasies playing in the park on my street. Reading this novel took me back on a pleasant trip to those days and many readers their age will be able to easily relate. The novel is set in the early 70s and they go to Berkeley at one point, which was amusing to read about as well. The novel could have just stayed at this level and been enjoyable but it goes beyond that. Fox's mother left her when she was a child and Joan's parents are separated by the end of the novel. It deals with both of these family situations with compassion and thoughtfulness and doesn't try to provide any easy answers, which I liked. I also appreciated how the characters got to know their parents better and understand them and their motives and that they had lives before they were born. Plus, they bond over throwing rocks at boys and write stories where they save themselves without any princes needing to intervene, what's not to love?
Rocks in my socks: "'She's a librarian,' Fox said, as if being a librarian were a crime." Clearly this line was meant as a personal affront to me and I took it as such. At least it gave me something to put in this section because otherwise it would be blank.
Every book its reader: This would be a great book to read at the beginning of a unit on writing. Fox's dad is a science fiction author and both girls end up taking a class on writing with a great teacher and so a lot about the craft is mentioned in the novel. Anyone with a lot of imagination and especially those who try to hold on to it when their peers are trying to look more grown up will enjoy this book. Fifth grade and up.
Read more of my reviews at http://auldschoollibrarian.blogspot.com/
Rocks my socks: I would have loved to have been friends with these girls when I was their age! As it was my friends and I came up with some pretty elaborate fantasies playing in the park on my street. Reading this novel took me back on a pleasant trip to those days and many readers their age will be able to easily relate. The novel is set in the early 70s and they go to Berkeley at one point, which was amusing to read about as well. The novel could have just stayed at this level and been enjoyable but it goes beyond that. Fox's mother left her when she was a child and Joan's parents are separated by the end of the novel. It deals with both of these family situations with compassion and thoughtfulness and doesn't try to provide any easy answers, which I liked. I also appreciated how the characters got to know their parents better and understand them and their motives and that they had lives before they were born. Plus, they bond over throwing rocks at boys and write stories where they save themselves without any princes needing to intervene, what's not to love?
Rocks in my socks: "'She's a librarian,' Fox said, as if being a librarian were a crime." Clearly this line was meant as a personal affront to me and I took it as such. At least it gave me something to put in this section because otherwise it would be blank.
Every book its reader: This would be a great book to read at the beginning of a unit on writing. Fox's dad is a science fiction author and both girls end up taking a class on writing with a great teacher and so a lot about the craft is mentioned in the novel. Anyone with a lot of imagination and especially those who try to hold on to it when their peers are trying to look more grown up will enjoy this book. Fifth grade and up.
Read more of my reviews at http://auldschoollibrarian.blogspot.com/
March 9, 2009
The Wild Girls is an amazing novel. Joan, later to be called Newt, has just moved from Conneticut to Danneville, California. She soon meets a strange, independent girl Sarah, called Fox by friends and family. The two girls become very close. Fox lives with her dad because her mom ran away when she was 7, but now Fox's mom wants to get a divorce and make ammends with Fox. Newt's parents still live together, but they are nearing the end of the line. Her dad is always angry and constantly fights about money, or what he says is about money. Fox and Newt find an outlet proven to work, writting. They take a special summer class, but know their family issues are creeping up, soon to explode at any second. Will this affect their relationship?
October 24, 2017
This is the book I wish I had read when I was in fifth or sixth grade. It would have meant so much to know that I was not the only one dealing with arguing parents and being different in school. It is, however, much more than a girls' coming of age novel. This book silently screams to be chosen for book clubs and classroom literature instruction. The instructions given in the girl's summer writing class are ones to challenge writers in any classroom. The writing process the girls learn is very illuminating for all writers of any age. Learning about subtext while reading a good story? How much better can it get?
March 23, 2017
This book took me by surprise on several levels.
It's a quietly wonderful coming-of-age story; it explores the power of words, of friendship, of nature, and of nonconformity. It does push the nonconformity angle a bit too hard, though: nature-loving Joan and Sarah (who call each other Newt and Fox) emphasize that they don't understand girls who are interested in makeup and boys. That kind of gave me an icky "not like other girls" vibe. And their attitude on this doesn't really change, but Joan does eventually have some experiences that defy her expectations and show her that people are not always what they seem.
I was especially impressed by Murphy's presentation of an emotionally abusive father. Joan's dad is an unhappy person who wants everyone else to be as miserable as he is. He's always stressed, drinks every night, tries to make his family feel inferior to him, and keeps their household from ever feeling peaceful. This hit close to home for me and actually made me really anxious to read, but I was impressed by Joan's mature way of handling things (and Murphy's attention to the complexity of the situation). Eventually Joan tries to empathize with her father; she wants to see the good in him, as well as the bad. No promises are made, but she has learned to ask questions and try to understand. I think this was beautifully done.
Sometimes this book does feel somewhat didactic, especially when it comes to Joan facing her fears. Finding the courage to ride a ferris wheel or walk on stilts can be a good metaphor for inner growth, I guess, but the messages felt over the top to me; there was no subtlety here.
The Wild Girls takes place in 1970s California, which was very fun; and I enjoyed taking a look at the cultural scene of Berkeley in that era (especially from the POV of a 12-year-old). Most of all, though, I loved the wild girls themselves. They find each other in the woods, and they bond because they both feel like outsiders. They each adopt an animal name to call each other by, and together they write fairytale stories to help them cope with the painful parts of their lives. Their wildness may fade as they grow, they will always hold on to a piece of it.
It's a quietly wonderful coming-of-age story; it explores the power of words, of friendship, of nature, and of nonconformity. It does push the nonconformity angle a bit too hard, though: nature-loving Joan and Sarah (who call each other Newt and Fox) emphasize that they don't understand girls who are interested in makeup and boys. That kind of gave me an icky "not like other girls" vibe. And their attitude on this doesn't really change, but Joan does eventually have some experiences that defy her expectations and show her that people are not always what they seem.
I was especially impressed by Murphy's presentation of an emotionally abusive father. Joan's dad is an unhappy person who wants everyone else to be as miserable as he is. He's always stressed, drinks every night, tries to make his family feel inferior to him, and keeps their household from ever feeling peaceful. This hit close to home for me and actually made me really anxious to read, but I was impressed by Joan's mature way of handling things (and Murphy's attention to the complexity of the situation). Eventually Joan tries to empathize with her father; she wants to see the good in him, as well as the bad. No promises are made, but she has learned to ask questions and try to understand. I think this was beautifully done.
Sometimes this book does feel somewhat didactic, especially when it comes to Joan facing her fears. Finding the courage to ride a ferris wheel or walk on stilts can be a good metaphor for inner growth, I guess, but the messages felt over the top to me; there was no subtlety here.
The Wild Girls takes place in 1970s California, which was very fun; and I enjoyed taking a look at the cultural scene of Berkeley in that era (especially from the POV of a 12-year-old). Most of all, though, I loved the wild girls themselves. They find each other in the woods, and they bond because they both feel like outsiders. They each adopt an animal name to call each other by, and together they write fairytale stories to help them cope with the painful parts of their lives. Their wildness may fade as they grow, they will always hold on to a piece of it.
July 21, 2020
Disclaimer: This book would have been given a 5⭐ rating had the book edition I read from not been misprinted and missing two chapters.
I thought this book was fantastic. Set in the 1970s, Joan and Sarah meet after Joan's family moves across the country for her father's job. Joan stumbles upon Sarah while walking through the woods. At first, Sarah tried to scare Joan by threatening to throw rocks to scare Joan away, but when Joan falls and scrapes her knee Sarah helps her and asks to be called the Queen of the Foxes and Joan is nicknamed Newt. This incident starts a beautiful relationship between the girls.
Both girls are going through family issues and they both try to distract themselves from those issues by playing make believe. Soon the girls take up writing after winning a school contest and meeting a mentor named Verla. The girls are admitted into a summer writing program. The summer program encourages writing for creativity and for an escape from the world.
This book covers so many issues that many children and teens have to face. Divorce, abandonment, alcoholism, and depression are all issues discussed. I think this book would be super impactful for pre-teen and younger teenage girls. I will definitely be putting this in my classroom for my students.
I thought this book was fantastic. Set in the 1970s, Joan and Sarah meet after Joan's family moves across the country for her father's job. Joan stumbles upon Sarah while walking through the woods. At first, Sarah tried to scare Joan by threatening to throw rocks to scare Joan away, but when Joan falls and scrapes her knee Sarah helps her and asks to be called the Queen of the Foxes and Joan is nicknamed Newt. This incident starts a beautiful relationship between the girls.
Both girls are going through family issues and they both try to distract themselves from those issues by playing make believe. Soon the girls take up writing after winning a school contest and meeting a mentor named Verla. The girls are admitted into a summer writing program. The summer program encourages writing for creativity and for an escape from the world.
This book covers so many issues that many children and teens have to face. Divorce, abandonment, alcoholism, and depression are all issues discussed. I think this book would be super impactful for pre-teen and younger teenage girls. I will definitely be putting this in my classroom for my students.
January 17, 2023
I'm feeling all the feels of a girlhood gone by... and the 70's aren't even my era. This book spanned ages of emotion in me: watching Joan's parents spiral into their inevitable divorce, reading the not-so-subtle emotional abuse spread from Joan's father onto his entire family, and Fox "Sarah" coming to terms with her mother's abandonment, all nearly made me weep on an adult level. But on the flipside, seeing Fox and Newt "Joan" find kindred spirits in not just each other, but the other students in the writing seminar, as well as the class course prompting Joan to really know her mother before she was Mom, and even that bittersweet ending (yeah, Joan's father comes to the final presentation, but he doesn't stay; and while Sarah's mother atones for her running away, she doesn't return to Sarah's life as a parent, instead asking if they can be friends) gave me a sense of hope in that teenager sense. And the writing didn't read like an adult masquerading as an adolscent; it wasn't too verbose, nor was it juvenile to an eye-rolling degree. I can't even really say it was matter-of-fact... it, like The Wild Girls themselves, is simply in a league of its own.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 17, 2017
You can find my full review on my blog.
This is a beautifully written story about two middle school girls who develop a deep friendship with each other while learning lessons about life, interpersonal relationships, and writing. The characters are complex and relatable, the story is soft and heartwarming (although some deep issues are mentioned), and the lessons are applicable to everyone. I cannot recommend this book enough!
(cw for alcoholism & domestic abuse)
This is a beautifully written story about two middle school girls who develop a deep friendship with each other while learning lessons about life, interpersonal relationships, and writing. The characters are complex and relatable, the story is soft and heartwarming (although some deep issues are mentioned), and the lessons are applicable to everyone. I cannot recommend this book enough!
(cw for alcoholism & domestic abuse)
August 16, 2025
As a parent I approve of books that involve figuring out that your parents are people. It also have parts that kids will approve of but I am me and they are them.
February 5, 2026
Wow, just wow...
June 7, 2018
Thank you for this wonderful book! I stumbled upon the audio book searching to fill in a bingo square in my summer book bingo card, and it was the perfect book at the perfect time. The lessons and process Fox and Joan go through were lessons I needed to learn and words I needed to hear. This book reminded me how important fiction is. How the words we authors put on the page are powerful. So, thank you Pat Murphy I look forward to reading more of your work.
March 9, 2017
This book is about Joan. Joan and her family moved to California. Joan thinks her life there would be miserable. But when Joan and her family got there, her life changes. Joan met a friend named Sarah. While they were getting to know each other, both Joan and Sarah found out that they liked writing a story. So, Joan and Sarah entered the fiction contest and they won. Both Joan and Sarah got recruited to a summer writing class and the teacher would Verla Volante. That class is for them to know how to be a good writer. They got to spend more time even though they have a summer writing class. But both Joan and Srah have family problems but they always got each others back. I like this book because it's about friendship and also about doing what you want or what you're good at.
July 27, 2011
I really enjoyed this while I was reading it. The characters had real problems, the adults were actually complicated and had their own journeys within the book, but didn't upstage the two main characters, Joan/Newt and Fox/Sarah. It was definitely refreshing that there weren't black-and-white characters; even the least sympathetic nevertheless had his moments. I did like the central idea of trying to understand the world and the people around you in order to write about them, and finding the courage to do things in order to understand yourself and the world better.
Now that I've finished it, I think the things that made it really good are also the things that are kind of annoying. Take the idea that even things that make you scared, or horrible experiences, are still good for you because they give you valuable experiences for writing. It's not that I disagree exactly, it just seems a bit Candide-ish - everything happens not for the best, but to give you experience and understanding in this world that's just waiting to be experienced and understood. Maybe I've just gotten more grumpy and cynical as the day's progressed.
I confess I was waiting for the writing teacher, Verla Volante, to show some feet of clay, but she never did. Though Newt started by wondering whether Verla was a good witch or a bad witch, she seemed to me more like that animated paperclip tool that pops up in the corner of a Microsoft Office program before you figure out how to disable it. But I'm not 12, and she was entirely plausible as an inspirational figure for a 12-year-old girl. Fox's dad, Gus, though, was well worth the price of admission.
Now that I've finished it, I think the things that made it really good are also the things that are kind of annoying. Take the idea that even things that make you scared, or horrible experiences, are still good for you because they give you valuable experiences for writing. It's not that I disagree exactly, it just seems a bit Candide-ish - everything happens not for the best, but to give you experience and understanding in this world that's just waiting to be experienced and understood. Maybe I've just gotten more grumpy and cynical as the day's progressed.
I confess I was waiting for the writing teacher, Verla Volante, to show some feet of clay, but she never did. Though Newt started by wondering whether Verla was a good witch or a bad witch, she seemed to me more like that animated paperclip tool that pops up in the corner of a Microsoft Office program before you figure out how to disable it. But I'm not 12, and she was entirely plausible as an inspirational figure for a 12-year-old girl. Fox's dad, Gus, though, was well worth the price of admission.
January 8, 2024
I can't find the review now, but I'm sure I added this to my TBR after seeing somebody mention it was not unlike the preteen version of Jackie & Willa meeting in Lady Sunshine, and I just love that idea (and honestly, it's not too far off). I loved being invited into their Wild Girl world, meeting Sarah/Fox's unconventional biker-looking single father (a sci-fi writer by trade), and following them into a summer writing course taught at the university, where you too could follow the weekly writing prompts to practice your craft, if you're so inclined.
I also appreciate the way it deals with the idea of divorce -- and it not always being a bad thing -- from a preteen perspective, as well as the fact that Joan doesn't have to choose between Fox and the more mainstream neighbor girl from a traditional suburban family. They might not all get along together, but Joan can still participate in Girl Scouts and be friendly with her neighbor at school without jeopardizing her friendship with Fox, and I think that's lovely.
P.S. The website appears to be defunct now, and I can only hope it doesn't get repurposed, because omg...you don't see a lot of author pages in children's books listed as brazenhussies(.)net(/murphy). Listen, I know the harmless meaning in this instance, but I also see a lot of ways that could go wrong...
I also appreciate the way it deals with the idea of divorce -- and it not always being a bad thing -- from a preteen perspective, as well as the fact that Joan doesn't have to choose between Fox and the more mainstream neighbor girl from a traditional suburban family. They might not all get along together, but Joan can still participate in Girl Scouts and be friendly with her neighbor at school without jeopardizing her friendship with Fox, and I think that's lovely.
P.S. The website appears to be defunct now, and I can only hope it doesn't get repurposed, because omg...you don't see a lot of author pages in children's books listed as brazenhussies(.)net(/murphy). Listen, I know the harmless meaning in this instance, but I also see a lot of ways that could go wrong...
August 6, 2020
"Chicas salvajes" comienza cuando Joan se muda con su familia de Connecticut a California. Allí encontrará algo totalmente inesperado pues conocerá a Sara o Zorro, como prefiere ser llamada. En ella hallará un alma gemela, una amiga, en fin, una hermana con la que descubrirá su pasión por la escritura y juntas aprenderán que nunca hay que dejar de hacerse preguntas.
Ha sido un libro maravilloso en todos los sentidos: los personajes, la historia y las enseñanzas del libro. Me ha encantado que es una novela que ensalza la búsqueda de la identidad propia y si eso conlleva pintarse la cara, andar en zancos o pintar cuadros de cerdos, que así sea. Me ha enamorado la relación de hermandad de Zorro y Joan. Y me ha encantado también el amor que destila el libro por el proceso creativo de escritura. No puedo poner ninguna pega a la historia pues no sobra ni falta nada.
«Algunas veces tienes que creer en una locura. Porque todas las demás cosas en las que creer te hacen demasiado daño»
«Éramos las chicas intrépidas, y ellos no sabían de lo que éramos capaces de hacer»
«Tú te inventas a ti misma —dijo—. Con todo lo que haces o dices, creas tu propio ser»
«Cualquier mentiroso se puede inventar algo. Pero un buen escritor es más que un trolero ingenioso. Un buen escritor dice la verdad contando mentiras»
Ha sido un libro maravilloso en todos los sentidos: los personajes, la historia y las enseñanzas del libro. Me ha encantado que es una novela que ensalza la búsqueda de la identidad propia y si eso conlleva pintarse la cara, andar en zancos o pintar cuadros de cerdos, que así sea. Me ha enamorado la relación de hermandad de Zorro y Joan. Y me ha encantado también el amor que destila el libro por el proceso creativo de escritura. No puedo poner ninguna pega a la historia pues no sobra ni falta nada.
«Algunas veces tienes que creer en una locura. Porque todas las demás cosas en las que creer te hacen demasiado daño»
«Éramos las chicas intrépidas, y ellos no sabían de lo que éramos capaces de hacer»
«Tú te inventas a ti misma —dijo—. Con todo lo que haces o dices, creas tu propio ser»
«Cualquier mentiroso se puede inventar algo. Pero un buen escritor es más que un trolero ingenioso. Un buen escritor dice la verdad contando mentiras»
April 2, 2022
I enjoyed this book very much. I wish my copy had the cover shown here, because it is so significant to the story!
Joan is twelve and her family has just moved from Connecticut to California. Her brother is 15 and quickly finds new friends but they aren't a good influence on him. Plus the kid's dad is always yelling at him, criticizing him, and never has a nice thing to say. He is a very unhappy man who is the family's main problem.
But Joan, her mother, and her brother all learn slowly throughout the summer that they are better together when their dad is gone on his business trips. They are not constantly walking on eggshells when he's gone. When he's home, he is never happy, everyone is tense, and he and their mother are always fighting.
Joan, however, finds solace in her new friendship with Sarah, who calls herself Fox. She lives closeby and they grow close.
When they decide to write a story together for a writing contest, the result leads them both on new paths of self-discovery. Their summer becomes one of struggles but also healing.
I really loved the changes in these characters, their growth, and all of Pat Murphy's insights about writing!
Joan is twelve and her family has just moved from Connecticut to California. Her brother is 15 and quickly finds new friends but they aren't a good influence on him. Plus the kid's dad is always yelling at him, criticizing him, and never has a nice thing to say. He is a very unhappy man who is the family's main problem.
But Joan, her mother, and her brother all learn slowly throughout the summer that they are better together when their dad is gone on his business trips. They are not constantly walking on eggshells when he's gone. When he's home, he is never happy, everyone is tense, and he and their mother are always fighting.
Joan, however, finds solace in her new friendship with Sarah, who calls herself Fox. She lives closeby and they grow close.
When they decide to write a story together for a writing contest, the result leads them both on new paths of self-discovery. Their summer becomes one of struggles but also healing.
I really loved the changes in these characters, their growth, and all of Pat Murphy's insights about writing!
September 22, 2022
I was slow to start this book, but I am glad I continued it. We are following two inventive young writers who give themselves code names Fox and Newt. We follow these girls as they further their education (showing an influential culture shift during the 70s), journey through the forests, and write anecdotes that are closely parallel to their life and family problems at home. It was so sweet and don't even get me started on the quotes. It was utterly realistic; these kids are trying to discover themselves and make memories while juggling pressing family issues like neglect and abandonment.
It gave Anne of Green Gable's vibes! Without all of Anne's mischief of course ;)
Some quotes:
I think I'll be myself for today.
It was summer 1972 when I met the Queen of the Foxes.
You told me you were learning how to ask questions. I didn't realize how troublesome that would be.
What would happen if she stopped apologizing, she wondered.
When I got older I realized I couldn't find books that could take me to all the places I wanted to go. To go to all those places, I had to write some books myself.
Birds don't look on the ground when they fly.
It gave Anne of Green Gable's vibes! Without all of Anne's mischief of course ;)
Some quotes:
I think I'll be myself for today.
It was summer 1972 when I met the Queen of the Foxes.
You told me you were learning how to ask questions. I didn't realize how troublesome that would be.
What would happen if she stopped apologizing, she wondered.
When I got older I realized I couldn't find books that could take me to all the places I wanted to go. To go to all those places, I had to write some books myself.
Birds don't look on the ground when they fly.
July 3, 2008
Joan and Sarah, or Newt and Fox, are imaginative girls who like to play in the forest. Fox's mother left long ago, and Joan's family is made miserable by her angry father. They write a story that gets them into a writing class, where they begin to think about those around them. Very good story that resonates at several levels. Went a bit over the top with several the bird-named people in Berkeley. Worth reading.
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