Wild Things by Clay CarmichaelAwards: Kirkus Editors Choice; ALA Notable/Best Books
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Zoe's mother has just died from a drug overdose. She's taken to the home of her Uncle Henry, whom she had never met before. Since Zoe had been taking care of herself her whole life, she has a hard time with trusting adults and following rules. But Henry, a heart surgeon turned artist, has a stubborn streak too. Together, they navigate through their new life with the help of friendly neighbors, the local priest, a mysterious boy in the woods, and an old cat who lives under the house.
This book started out really strong. I loved the developing relationship between Zoe and Henry and I think I wish the story had just focused on their journey. Instead, the book gathered new plot points with new characters along the way that really seemed distracting to me. There was a lot more than one interesting story to be told here, but none ever got as fully developed or resolved as I would have liked.
This book has some really sweet, poignant moments and fiery Zoe was a great protagonist. But she didn't come off as only 11 at all. (I've actually had an 11-year old foster sister and Zoe just didn't ring true.) While this book is shelved in juvenile, I would really hesistate to give this to any kid under the age of 12 and even then, only to a really mature 12. There are some heavy topics in this one including suicide, divorce, death, and drug abuse. Overall, I liked this book--there were flashes of brilliant writing with great emotion--but I was left wanting more in some parts and less in others.
Also reviewed by:
Did I miss yours?
Book 20 of 100 for the 100+ Reading Challenge
Book 8 of 25 for the Support Your Local Library Challenge
Book 11 of 50 for the New Author Challenge
Book 16 of 25 for the MG Reading Challenge
Book 12 of 50 for the YA Reading Challenge
No comments:
Post a Comment