Wild ThingsAges: 9–11 Grades: 4–6 Pages: 184 List Price: 18.95 Cover: Hardcover Published: 5/1/2009 ISBN: 1-59078-627-0 ISBN-13: 978-1-59078-627-7 |
With her father long gone, spunky eleven-year-old Zoë is shuffled from relative to relative after her mother dies. As the story opens, she has just arrived at her uncle Henry Royster’s farm outside Sugar Hill, a small Southern town. A world-famous heart surgeon who once operated on the President, Henry has since put away his doctor’s bag and has taken up metalwork, earning himself national recognition for his powerful statues. When Zoë arrives, Henry is reserved, angry, and thoroughly anti-social. Because she interferes with his routine, Henry resents Zoë’s presence at the farm. Zoë doesn’t expect to stay with Uncle Henry for long and knows as soon as she’s at all settled, she’ll get shipped off to yet another previously unknown relation. Temporary though her living arrangements are, Zoë settles in with the optimism and spunkiness that serve as her armor against the world. You can visit Clay's website at www.claycarmichael.com. Awards
Reviews
"In her debut novel, Carmichael gives a familiar plot fresh new life in this touching story with a finely crafted sense of place. Zoë’s first-person narration alternates with the observations of a feral tomcat who provides hints to the past, and an array of welldrawn eccentric characters add additional sparkle to the magic-touched story. Zoë’s fierce, funny voice is compelling, whether she is describing tense standoffs or moments of rare vulnerability that go straight to the heart. Carmichael uses a sure, light touch to portray the gradual blooming of trust among the story’s many wild things in this satisfying tale." "I don't like to pull out the term "a little gem of a book" too often, for fear of overusing the phrase, but if ever a title earned it, it's Wild Things by Clay Carmichael. Entirely enjoyable for kids and adults alike." |
"Strongly drawn characters…come alive on the pages of this debut novel. … A tribute to the power of story, this is ultimately a tale of hope and redemption. Zoë 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."