Kirkus Reviews awards Clay Carmichael's Wild Things with a starred review in the April 15, 2009 issue:

"Strongly drawn characters—Zoé, Henry and the people in their small town—come alive on the pages of this debut novel. There are resonances and echoes of the children's books important to Zoé—The Secret Garden, Because of Winn-Dixie, The Golden Compass and, a story integral to this tale, The Boy Who Drew Cats. A tribute to the power of story, this is ultimately a tale of hope and redemption. Zoé Royster, peer to the literary heroines she so loves, is as memorable in her own way as the Great Gilly Hopkins, Opal Buloni and Anne Shirley."