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Wild Things
Stubborn, self-reliant eleven-year-old Zoe, recently orphaned, is forced to move to the country to live with her strange and bad-tempered uncle. Zoe could care less that he's a famous doctor and sculptor. All she knows is that he is impossible to understand. The only interesting thing on the farm is a feral cat who won't let Zoe near. Together, Zoe and her uncle learn about trust and the strength of family ties. In this moving coming-of-age novel, Zoe comes to understand what it means to love and be loved, uncovers a long-kept secret, and finds family where she least expects it. Includes an interview with the author and a reading group guide.
Named ALA Notable Children's Book Award; Bank Street College of Education Best Children's books of the Year; NCTE Notable Children's Books in the Language Arts; Kirkus Reviews Best Children's Book.
Named ALA Notable Children's Book Award; Bank Street College of Education Best Children's books of the Year; NCTE Notable Children's Books in the Language Arts; Kirkus Reviews Best Children's Book.
241 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2009
46 people are currently reading
1,916 people want to read
About the author
Clay Carmichael
12听books112听followersBecause I can't always remember titles or I forget to email when people are kind enough to ask "What are you reading?"
Below are a few I've recently liked--or loved--some new, some not.
And I only review or archive books I like or love. Literature is a wildly subjective enterprise; one person's least favorite book may be a book someone else loves best of all.
"Be gentle with one another's efforts. Be kind and considerate with your criticism. Always remember that it's just as hard to write a bad book as it is to write a good book." -Malcolm Cowley
Below are a few I've recently liked--or loved--some new, some not.
And I only review or archive books I like or love. Literature is a wildly subjective enterprise; one person's least favorite book may be a book someone else loves best of all.
"Be gentle with one another's efforts. Be kind and considerate with your criticism. Always remember that it's just as hard to write a bad book as it is to write a good book." -Malcolm Cowley
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 362 reviews
November 3, 2010
I am in love with this book.
It鈥檚 a phenomenal book, truly astounding. It鈥檚 one of those books that touched me so deeply, I felt like burying myself in it and not coming up for air.
I adore Mr. C鈥檓ere (also known as Mr. C) and Zo毛 and Henry, and so many more characters, including a couple that ended up surprising me, which was just lovely. The characters are incredibly memorable.
This is yet another book I鈥檇 give anything to have written; it鈥檚 another one of 鈥渕y鈥� books.
It reminds me a bit of , another book I loved, and Zo毛 reminds me quite a bit of Scout in , and I don鈥檛 have much higher praise than that. This story says profound things about trust and love and, yes, as befitting the book鈥檚 title, wild things.
The story, told by Zo毛, with passages from the viewpoint of Mr. C鈥檓ere, is simultaneously hilariously funny and devastatingly sad.
This book is so deserving of my top-100 shelf, a shelf I鈥檝e kept at significantly fewer than 100 books, because I don鈥檛 want to have to choose which books to remove when I find yet another gem such as this book. I want to thank the for alerting me to this book. It was one of the nominees for the Fiction Book Club for December, and I started reading it without knowing or caring if it would be the book selected for group discussion.
On the acknowledgments page at the end of the book, the author-illustrator (yes, there are some illustrations in this book, all of them of a cat) thanks a cat who was an important companion in her life, and a photo of the cat is included, which is a nice touch.
There is so much more to this story, so many layers, so much else I could say, but no matter how much material I included, I couldn鈥檛 do the book justice, so I won鈥檛 try. I鈥檓 delighted that is a 欧宝娱乐 author member because otherwise I鈥檇 be making a huge effort to get her to join. I鈥檓 that much of a fan.
It鈥檚 a phenomenal book, truly astounding. It鈥檚 one of those books that touched me so deeply, I felt like burying myself in it and not coming up for air.
I adore Mr. C鈥檓ere (also known as Mr. C) and Zo毛 and Henry, and so many more characters, including a couple that ended up surprising me, which was just lovely. The characters are incredibly memorable.
This is yet another book I鈥檇 give anything to have written; it鈥檚 another one of 鈥渕y鈥� books.
It reminds me a bit of , another book I loved, and Zo毛 reminds me quite a bit of Scout in , and I don鈥檛 have much higher praise than that. This story says profound things about trust and love and, yes, as befitting the book鈥檚 title, wild things.
The story, told by Zo毛, with passages from the viewpoint of Mr. C鈥檓ere, is simultaneously hilariously funny and devastatingly sad.
This book is so deserving of my top-100 shelf, a shelf I鈥檝e kept at significantly fewer than 100 books, because I don鈥檛 want to have to choose which books to remove when I find yet another gem such as this book. I want to thank the for alerting me to this book. It was one of the nominees for the Fiction Book Club for December, and I started reading it without knowing or caring if it would be the book selected for group discussion.
On the acknowledgments page at the end of the book, the author-illustrator (yes, there are some illustrations in this book, all of them of a cat) thanks a cat who was an important companion in her life, and a photo of the cat is included, which is a nice touch.
There is so much more to this story, so many layers, so much else I could say, but no matter how much material I included, I couldn鈥檛 do the book justice, so I won鈥檛 try. I鈥檓 delighted that is a 欧宝娱乐 author member because otherwise I鈥檇 be making a huge effort to get her to join. I鈥檓 that much of a fan.
November 4, 2009
I like children's books that touch you without pandering at the same time. I like books that make you cry, but don't bend over backwards to make you think that they're sob-worthy. Basically, I like books that can get at the heart of a story the old-fashioned way. Through plain good writing. Now I don't know this Clay Carmichael character. According to her bio she's a resident of Carrboro, North Carolina. She's written three picture books in the past, making this book Wild Things her first novel. As a kid, if you'd tried to sell me on this tale by calling it a "coming-of-age story" I would have gagged right then and there. If, on the other hand, you'd said that this was a book about a kid who has practically lived on her own her entire life, goes off to live with her potentially crazy uncle, finds a cat in need of taming, and stumbles on a denizen of the woods who may or may not want to be found. . . . now THAT's a novel I could get behind! Forget that coming-of-age jargon. What you've got here is a story about freedom and learning to trust people. You'll find that there's a reason this book begins with a quote from Jorge Luis Borges that reads, "Love is a religion with a fallible god".
The wild things. They're critters and creatures and people who can't be tamed, but can (with patience) be coaxed. Eleven-year-old Zoe is wise beyond her years. She's had to be. Until now she's been taking care of her mama, a woman who runs hot and cold by turns. Now mama is dead and Zoe's living with her Uncle Henry, an unpredictable character at times. Growing accustomed to his ways (and his sculpture creations), Zoe finds a family with the people who surround her uncle. She even makes the acquaintance of a local wild cat. But who in the blue blazes is that strange wild boy with the white doe that lives in the woods? And what, if anything, is his connection to Zoe?
Character is hard. Stereotype is easy. Characters that have been used as stereotypical figures in the past are maybe the hardest of all. We're all familiar with the children's books in which a girl makes friends with an older black woman who has an abundant, unending supply of hope and cheer. Everything from to has gone that route, for better or for worse. There is such a woman in Wild Things too named Bessie, but Carmichael keeps a close eye on this character. Bessie could easily be a standard saintly speaker of platitudes, but Carmichael gives her a very human wicked streak that stretches a mile long. In fact, all of Carmichael's characters are like that. They look stock at first. The crusty uncle with a heartbroken past who learns to love thanks to a little girl (paging ). The wild boy who lives by his own rules, but loves to hear stories told by a girl (). But just using stock characters isn't a problem, it's what you do with them and how you develop them. Even J.K. Rowling took standard tropes that could have been considered tired and worn, but she made them sparkle with her great writing. Carmichael does the same thing on her end, only this time it's with reality pure and strong.
She's a writer, that Clay Carmichael. Seems to have it in her bones. Know how I know? She can pull off sentences that a lesser writer couldn't even attempt. Read these sentences with me: " `Welds are stronger than glue, as strong as the metal itself. Welds bind the steel for skyscrapers and bridges together. A good weld almost never breaks.' I thought of Bessie. Too bad a strong weld couldn't fix her heart." You see that? That shouldn't work. Heck, practically the very first sentence OF the book talks about Henry and how he's a heart doctor. A heart doctor! I think the nice thing about first time novelists is that they're willing to take chances with meaning. An author who'd been churning out novels for decades wouldn't get near a metaphor as outright obvious as a heart doctor. But darned if Ms. Carmichael doesn't pull it off. Heck, it wasn't until I reread sections of the book that I even noticed what she was doing. Kids pick up on sentences that try to tug at the heartstrings without earning the readers' trust. They won't be picking up on anything of the sort with this novel.
There are a couple loose ends that don't quite get tied up at the end of the book, of course. We never really find out why Zoe's classmate stares at her continually when she first gets to school (though we can probably guess). And we don't really know where the mysterious boy in the book has lived for all these years, or his fawn's story. But by and large you get to the end of this book with the feeling that all roads have converged, and the story has hit its natural end. In spite of the characters still trying to find their way in the world, no one in their right mind would say this book is in need of a sequel. No one I know, anyway.
I like books that have good hearts. Good souls. Kids do too when it's done well. by Leslie Connor was discussed in the children's bookgroup I run, and the kids really got into it. I'll be testing Wild Things out on them soon. This is a book that sucks you in with the storytelling, and doesn't loosen its grip until the very last page. Maybe there are elements in it that won't completely work for the child reader, but generally I think there are a lot of kid-friendly elements here. The headstrong independent girl who can hold her own with adults. The wild child, living in the forest with his snow white companion. And that sense of finding a home with people of "your kind" even if they don't look or seem anything like you. 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.
Ages 10 and up.
The wild things. They're critters and creatures and people who can't be tamed, but can (with patience) be coaxed. Eleven-year-old Zoe is wise beyond her years. She's had to be. Until now she's been taking care of her mama, a woman who runs hot and cold by turns. Now mama is dead and Zoe's living with her Uncle Henry, an unpredictable character at times. Growing accustomed to his ways (and his sculpture creations), Zoe finds a family with the people who surround her uncle. She even makes the acquaintance of a local wild cat. But who in the blue blazes is that strange wild boy with the white doe that lives in the woods? And what, if anything, is his connection to Zoe?
Character is hard. Stereotype is easy. Characters that have been used as stereotypical figures in the past are maybe the hardest of all. We're all familiar with the children's books in which a girl makes friends with an older black woman who has an abundant, unending supply of hope and cheer. Everything from to has gone that route, for better or for worse. There is such a woman in Wild Things too named Bessie, but Carmichael keeps a close eye on this character. Bessie could easily be a standard saintly speaker of platitudes, but Carmichael gives her a very human wicked streak that stretches a mile long. In fact, all of Carmichael's characters are like that. They look stock at first. The crusty uncle with a heartbroken past who learns to love thanks to a little girl (paging ). The wild boy who lives by his own rules, but loves to hear stories told by a girl (). But just using stock characters isn't a problem, it's what you do with them and how you develop them. Even J.K. Rowling took standard tropes that could have been considered tired and worn, but she made them sparkle with her great writing. Carmichael does the same thing on her end, only this time it's with reality pure and strong.
She's a writer, that Clay Carmichael. Seems to have it in her bones. Know how I know? She can pull off sentences that a lesser writer couldn't even attempt. Read these sentences with me: " `Welds are stronger than glue, as strong as the metal itself. Welds bind the steel for skyscrapers and bridges together. A good weld almost never breaks.' I thought of Bessie. Too bad a strong weld couldn't fix her heart." You see that? That shouldn't work. Heck, practically the very first sentence OF the book talks about Henry and how he's a heart doctor. A heart doctor! I think the nice thing about first time novelists is that they're willing to take chances with meaning. An author who'd been churning out novels for decades wouldn't get near a metaphor as outright obvious as a heart doctor. But darned if Ms. Carmichael doesn't pull it off. Heck, it wasn't until I reread sections of the book that I even noticed what she was doing. Kids pick up on sentences that try to tug at the heartstrings without earning the readers' trust. They won't be picking up on anything of the sort with this novel.
There are a couple loose ends that don't quite get tied up at the end of the book, of course. We never really find out why Zoe's classmate stares at her continually when she first gets to school (though we can probably guess). And we don't really know where the mysterious boy in the book has lived for all these years, or his fawn's story. But by and large you get to the end of this book with the feeling that all roads have converged, and the story has hit its natural end. In spite of the characters still trying to find their way in the world, no one in their right mind would say this book is in need of a sequel. No one I know, anyway.
I like books that have good hearts. Good souls. Kids do too when it's done well. by Leslie Connor was discussed in the children's bookgroup I run, and the kids really got into it. I'll be testing Wild Things out on them soon. This is a book that sucks you in with the storytelling, and doesn't loosen its grip until the very last page. Maybe there are elements in it that won't completely work for the child reader, but generally I think there are a lot of kid-friendly elements here. The headstrong independent girl who can hold her own with adults. The wild child, living in the forest with his snow white companion. And that sense of finding a home with people of "your kind" even if they don't look or seem anything like you. 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.
Ages 10 and up.
November 7, 2012
Reviewed by Andrew S. Cohen for TeensReadToo.com
In WILD THINGS, protagonist Zoe no longer trusts anyone. Both her parents have now left her; her father left at an early age, and now her mother, an irresponsible mother and slob, has died. As a result of her traumatic, unbelievably self-sufficient childhood, Zoe trusts only herself.
To begin, Zoe goes to live with her uncle, Dr. Henry Royster, a surgeon. In his house she finds massive sharp metal sculptures dangling in a room, as she finds out her uncle is a famed sculptor. Though reluctant to trust Henry because everyone else in her life has failed her, Zoe finds much in common with him, especially their equally broken hearts.
All the while, Zoe meets a cast of friendly, curious characters who are loyal to Henry and begin to mend her heart, along with a wise cat and a mystical boy in the nearby forest. Zoe's curiosity, as she explores the woods, leads to adventure, heroism, and more as she unmasks the boy's identity, defiles a local lie, and more through her Wild Spirit. The tale of WILD THINGS is a wondrous page-turner.
What a phenomenal debut book by Ms. Carmichael. Throughout the story, I was stunned by the depth of the characters, and how I truly connected with many of them. My favorite part was the added perspective of the narrative of the wild cat, which adds an excellent dimension to this book. Carmichael, inspired by her actual husband, also a metal artist, skillfully weaves this story and interesting characters together to create the masterpiece that is WILD THINGS.
A must-read for all readers!
In WILD THINGS, protagonist Zoe no longer trusts anyone. Both her parents have now left her; her father left at an early age, and now her mother, an irresponsible mother and slob, has died. As a result of her traumatic, unbelievably self-sufficient childhood, Zoe trusts only herself.
To begin, Zoe goes to live with her uncle, Dr. Henry Royster, a surgeon. In his house she finds massive sharp metal sculptures dangling in a room, as she finds out her uncle is a famed sculptor. Though reluctant to trust Henry because everyone else in her life has failed her, Zoe finds much in common with him, especially their equally broken hearts.
All the while, Zoe meets a cast of friendly, curious characters who are loyal to Henry and begin to mend her heart, along with a wise cat and a mystical boy in the nearby forest. Zoe's curiosity, as she explores the woods, leads to adventure, heroism, and more as she unmasks the boy's identity, defiles a local lie, and more through her Wild Spirit. The tale of WILD THINGS is a wondrous page-turner.
What a phenomenal debut book by Ms. Carmichael. Throughout the story, I was stunned by the depth of the characters, and how I truly connected with many of them. My favorite part was the added perspective of the narrative of the wild cat, which adds an excellent dimension to this book. Carmichael, inspired by her actual husband, also a metal artist, skillfully weaves this story and interesting characters together to create the masterpiece that is WILD THINGS.
A must-read for all readers!
June 10, 2019
Dear Ms. Clay Carmichael: if you're reading this, please consider writing another children's novel, preferably with some of these same characters. Of course, I understand that Wild Things took you five years to complete, and that any hypothetical sequel (or other work - I would accept an unrelated story as well) might conceivably take just as long, but I know it will be worth the wait! Thank you.
I cannot recall the last time I encountered a character with as distinctive and winsome a voice as Zo毛 Royster, the eleven-year-old heroine of Clay Carmichael's middle-grade children's novel, Wild Things. Just as memorable is Mr. C'mere, the feral cat whose own narration is intermingled with Zo毛's, and whose observations of human behavior left me shaken - with laughter, with anger, and with sorrow. The following two opening lines, from these two distrustful souls, each of whom has learned to keep the world at a distance:
"Humans were diggers and buriers, the cat thought, like dogs."
"I'd hoped for better, Henry's being a heart doctor. A job like that, you'd think he might actually have a heart."
both grabbed hold of me, dragging me wily-nily into the story, instantly involving me in each narrator's life. I hadn't read more than a few pages, when I knew that here were characters I cared about. By the end of the first chapter, I knew I loved them, and was feverishly racing ahead, hoping for that moment when each - wild things in their different ways - allowed themselves to be, not domesticated, but befriended.
This is the story of a precocious young girl who is sent to live with the half-uncle she never knew - an irritable former heart surgeon, and current world-renowned metal sculptor - after the death of her neglectful and mentally ill mother. Having learned by hard experience that adults "don't stick," Zo毛 is on the look-out for signs that Henry is looking for the exit signs. What she discovers instead, is a kindred spirit - a man who loves books as much as she does, who is as prickly as she is, and who understands her need for time and space of her own. A person who encourages her to be who she is, but also provides companionship, some (minimal) structure, and the protection she needs from some of the dangers of the adult world. In short: she discovers the parent she never knew she wanted.
But as much as Wild Things is Zo毛's story, it is also the story of Mr. C'mere, an aging cat who has turned his back on human love, after witnessing one too many acts of violence and neglect. A cat who observes the humans around him, with a mixture of puzzlement and perceptive understanding that is by turns amusing and heartbreaking. In short, a cat who is Zo毛's feline doppelganger. There are many "wild things" in this story, as it happens, from Zo毛 and Mr. C'mere, to Henry's sculptures and Henry himself, not to mention Sister and Wil, whose identity - once it was revealed - felt so right to me, that I didn't even mind that I had guessed it, some time before.
There are moments of absolute, fall-down-laughing hilarity here - as in the episode in which Mr. C'mere, convinced that the hosing off of the plastic flowers at the graveyard, after he urinates on them, indicates an effort to mark territory, proceeds to urinate on them all the more - and there are moments of stomach-clenching tragedy, from the death of loved ones, to the death of not-so-loved ones. Carmichael's prose is beautifully expressive, whether in girl or feline form, and she has the occasional turn of phrase - Mr. C'mere's description of the newborn orphan Wil, howling in his father's arms, as an "inconsolable noise," Zo毛's observation, watching Henry and Fred at a funeral, that "though I didn't hear them exchange twenty words, I understood whole conversations taking place in the silence between them" - that stayed in mind long after I had finished reading.
With a feisty heroine who isn't afraid to say what's on her mind, regardless of the audience - "I focused all my energies on giving the Padre's Lord God Almighty, reportedly in Heaven, a piece of my agitated mind" - a cast of fascinating secondary characters, a feline that would win any reasonable person's heart, and many affectionate references to works of children's literature (particularly ), Wild Things is a superb story! I am so very grateful to the Children's Fiction Club to which I belong, for making this our December selection, as I might not otherwise have picked it up! Truly, this is a little masterpiece! I'm waiting on Carmichael's next effort with barely restrained impatience...
I cannot recall the last time I encountered a character with as distinctive and winsome a voice as Zo毛 Royster, the eleven-year-old heroine of Clay Carmichael's middle-grade children's novel, Wild Things. Just as memorable is Mr. C'mere, the feral cat whose own narration is intermingled with Zo毛's, and whose observations of human behavior left me shaken - with laughter, with anger, and with sorrow. The following two opening lines, from these two distrustful souls, each of whom has learned to keep the world at a distance:
"Humans were diggers and buriers, the cat thought, like dogs."
"I'd hoped for better, Henry's being a heart doctor. A job like that, you'd think he might actually have a heart."
both grabbed hold of me, dragging me wily-nily into the story, instantly involving me in each narrator's life. I hadn't read more than a few pages, when I knew that here were characters I cared about. By the end of the first chapter, I knew I loved them, and was feverishly racing ahead, hoping for that moment when each - wild things in their different ways - allowed themselves to be, not domesticated, but befriended.
This is the story of a precocious young girl who is sent to live with the half-uncle she never knew - an irritable former heart surgeon, and current world-renowned metal sculptor - after the death of her neglectful and mentally ill mother. Having learned by hard experience that adults "don't stick," Zo毛 is on the look-out for signs that Henry is looking for the exit signs. What she discovers instead, is a kindred spirit - a man who loves books as much as she does, who is as prickly as she is, and who understands her need for time and space of her own. A person who encourages her to be who she is, but also provides companionship, some (minimal) structure, and the protection she needs from some of the dangers of the adult world. In short: she discovers the parent she never knew she wanted.
But as much as Wild Things is Zo毛's story, it is also the story of Mr. C'mere, an aging cat who has turned his back on human love, after witnessing one too many acts of violence and neglect. A cat who observes the humans around him, with a mixture of puzzlement and perceptive understanding that is by turns amusing and heartbreaking. In short, a cat who is Zo毛's feline doppelganger. There are many "wild things" in this story, as it happens, from Zo毛 and Mr. C'mere, to Henry's sculptures and Henry himself, not to mention Sister and Wil, whose identity - once it was revealed - felt so right to me, that I didn't even mind that I had guessed it, some time before.
There are moments of absolute, fall-down-laughing hilarity here - as in the episode in which Mr. C'mere, convinced that the hosing off of the plastic flowers at the graveyard, after he urinates on them, indicates an effort to mark territory, proceeds to urinate on them all the more - and there are moments of stomach-clenching tragedy, from the death of loved ones, to the death of not-so-loved ones. Carmichael's prose is beautifully expressive, whether in girl or feline form, and she has the occasional turn of phrase - Mr. C'mere's description of the newborn orphan Wil, howling in his father's arms, as an "inconsolable noise," Zo毛's observation, watching Henry and Fred at a funeral, that "though I didn't hear them exchange twenty words, I understood whole conversations taking place in the silence between them" - that stayed in mind long after I had finished reading.
With a feisty heroine who isn't afraid to say what's on her mind, regardless of the audience - "I focused all my energies on giving the Padre's Lord God Almighty, reportedly in Heaven, a piece of my agitated mind" - a cast of fascinating secondary characters, a feline that would win any reasonable person's heart, and many affectionate references to works of children's literature (particularly ), Wild Things is a superb story! I am so very grateful to the Children's Fiction Club to which I belong, for making this our December selection, as I might not otherwise have picked it up! Truly, this is a little masterpiece! I'm waiting on Carmichael's next effort with barely restrained impatience...
July 27, 2009
It's far harder to explain why you LIKE a book than why you DON'T.
And I really like this one.
I could pick holes in some of the plot--some of it just doesn't work the way it should. I could find several of the plot twists a bit too much and a few of the characters less than believable.
And I could wonder if my 10 year old or my 14 year old would read this and delight in it the way their mother does. And I do.
But Zoe pulled me into her story from page 1. The sections from "Mr C'Mere" did too--as a cat lover myself, I liked Carmichael's attempt to get as far inside a cat's head as a human can, and I think it enhanced the story.
So 4 stars it gets. And I hope that it finds the audience that it deserves.
And I really like this one.
I could pick holes in some of the plot--some of it just doesn't work the way it should. I could find several of the plot twists a bit too much and a few of the characters less than believable.
And I could wonder if my 10 year old or my 14 year old would read this and delight in it the way their mother does. And I do.
But Zoe pulled me into her story from page 1. The sections from "Mr C'Mere" did too--as a cat lover myself, I liked Carmichael's attempt to get as far inside a cat's head as a human can, and I think it enhanced the story.
So 4 stars it gets. And I hope that it finds the audience that it deserves.
Read
April 4, 2009If you adored Wendy reading to the Lost Boys; if you were tickled by Opal's collection of misfit friends in Because of Winn-Dixie; if you remember how Spyri's Heidi won over her stern grandfather -- then you will welcome the loving vision behind this middle-grade gem. No character here is easily pegged or one-dimensional, least of all Mr. C'Mere, the cat who narrates inter-chapters and is featured in the author's beautiful pen and ink drawings throughout the book. WILD THINGS is about finding home but keeping your freedom, a consummation devoutly to be wished. And savored.
August 11, 2010
4.5 stars. If I ever do write a book, it will have elements of this one. An appreciation for nature, a child in trouble that finds her way with the help of a caring adult, extended family with lots of quirks, parts of the book from the point of view of a cat, parts that make you laugh while others make you cry.....this one has it all. Not to be missed!
April 7, 2011
After the death of her mother, Zoe is sent to live with her reclusive uncle, Henry, whom she has never met. Zoe has had a life of misfortune with a mentally unstable mother and her plethora of loser boyfriends. She doesn't expect Henry to stick around for long, after all no one else ever has, so why should he be any different? As the months go by, though, she begins to learn that Henry may be worth trusting, as well as some of the other people who live nearby.
Ugh. I really wanted to like this book, I really did, but it fell short for me. First, too much was unbelievable. Zoe is a genius who tests out of her grade level but has never gone to school? Really? There's a wild boy living in the woods that no one knows about? And he keeps company with a white deer that every hunter would want to get there hands on? Yep, sure. Also, there are more characters then in a Russian Novel, and they're near impossible to tell apart. The villains in the book are painfully two dimensional, an evil mayor who will have that white deer's head on his wall for his son, who's really a budding artist which is unacceptable to the evil mayor? And the cat? What the hell is that cat talking about? That cat almost makes me not like cats and I keep company with two of them! And perhaps the worst part, there is just too much conflict. This book could have centered on just Zoe learning to trust Henry, but the author has too keep bringing in more and more conflict in an attempt to keep the plot rolling (I guess?). It's not just Henry and Zoe opening up and learning to trust, it's Henry's snotty gallery owner demanding that Henry have a show, it's Zoe's mothers estranged boyfriends showing up unannounced, it's the poor lady next door and her oh so weak heart. Ugh! I think this book has ADD...
Ugh. I really wanted to like this book, I really did, but it fell short for me. First, too much was unbelievable. Zoe is a genius who tests out of her grade level but has never gone to school? Really? There's a wild boy living in the woods that no one knows about? And he keeps company with a white deer that every hunter would want to get there hands on? Yep, sure. Also, there are more characters then in a Russian Novel, and they're near impossible to tell apart. The villains in the book are painfully two dimensional, an evil mayor who will have that white deer's head on his wall for his son, who's really a budding artist which is unacceptable to the evil mayor? And the cat? What the hell is that cat talking about? That cat almost makes me not like cats and I keep company with two of them! And perhaps the worst part, there is just too much conflict. This book could have centered on just Zoe learning to trust Henry, but the author has too keep bringing in more and more conflict in an attempt to keep the plot rolling (I guess?). It's not just Henry and Zoe opening up and learning to trust, it's Henry's snotty gallery owner demanding that Henry have a show, it's Zoe's mothers estranged boyfriends showing up unannounced, it's the poor lady next door and her oh so weak heart. Ugh! I think this book has ADD...
June 5, 2019
I just really like the writing . The purity . The absence of dumbness .
December 29, 2009
I know what you are thinking, "Do I really need to read another children's book about: orphans, wise cats, surviving in the wilderness, dysfunctional families, brooding artists, small town life, or death?"
If I promised that Clay Carmichael turned these tropes into something magical, would you travel that well-worn road again?
With pitch perfect prose, characters you fall in love with (even the bad ones), and a three hanky resolution, Wild Things is a book I will recommend to many readers (young and not so).
If I promised that Clay Carmichael turned these tropes into something magical, would you travel that well-worn road again?
With pitch perfect prose, characters you fall in love with (even the bad ones), and a three hanky resolution, Wild Things is a book I will recommend to many readers (young and not so).
August 16, 2018
A Middle School Battle of the Books title. Pretty good.
December 22, 2009
In her first-ever stable home, 11-year-old Zoe gradually learns to trust her sculptor uncle Henry, works to tame a feral cat, and discovers relatives she never knew she had. Two wonderfully drawn characters, the street-smart, wary child and the brilliant, moody but loving uncle who often seems angry but not at her. The setting in a small southern town in North Carolina makes much of the nearby woods and offers constrastingly broad- and narrow-minded neighbors. The story is structured interestingly, beginning with and occasionally interrupting Zoe's 1st-person narrative with the story from the cat's point of view. And I think child readers will appreciate the homage to other classics of children's literature, and the importance that a particular book, The Boy Who Drew Cats, has in the story. I'm amused by the wide variance in reviewer opinion -- this seems to be a book you either love or hate. That should make for good discussion.
November 4, 2018
I found this book very interesting because it was different then all of the other books I've read so far. Most books I've read have something to do with school, but this book was totally different. My favorite part about this book is that it goes back and forth between a girl's perspective and cat's perspective. There is a stray cat that walks around the house of a girl named Zoe and the story includes that cats perspective, which I found was very enjoyable to read. This book also includes a lot of figurative language. One of my favorite similes in the book was "It jolted me like an electric shock."
It's always nice to read books filled with figurative language because I feel like it gives you more of a visual of whats going on in the story. This book was also very mysterious and was filled with secrets. I would recommend this book to people who like mystery books and books that are filled with figurative language.
It's always nice to read books filled with figurative language because I feel like it gives you more of a visual of whats going on in the story. This book was also very mysterious and was filled with secrets. I would recommend this book to people who like mystery books and books that are filled with figurative language.
September 11, 2011
Though she has written a few shorter children's books in the past, Wild Things is the debut novel for Clay Carmichael, and it is an absolutely wonderful one. A reader can never be sure what to expect when encountering the work of an author previously unknown to him or her, but it took me only a few pages to recognize that the writing in this book has all the classic pace and depth of feeling that marks many of the best novels I've ever read, and often distinguishes a book as either being worthy of Newbery recognition, or at least right there in the mix as a top contender. Wild Things is such a lovely and emotionally honest story that I could have easily seen it copping a 2010 Newbery, which is high praise indeed in a year that saw Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose, Anything But Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin, The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo and Everything for a Dog by Ann M. Martin as just a few of the eligible competitors for the Newbery awards.
The basic premise behind Wild Things (an orphaned girl going off to start fresh by living in a totally new place with a distant relative) is so commonly known and frequently written about in the recent history of literature that it might be easy to expect the book to fall into well-worn patterns of development, but that certainly does not turn out to be the case here. With freshness of thought and plenty of creative vigor, Clay Carmichael unfurls the beautiful story that she has so carefully wrought, imbuing the characters with realistic, vibrant personalities that will likely make a permanent impression on the reader's memory. In fact, it is more than just Zo毛, the main girl in the story, and her Uncle Henry, the gruff artist that has agreed to be her legal guardian, who are so memorable in their personality traits. It seems that everyone introduced in the story is painted with carefully detailed, intricate brushstrokes, not a single character coming across as one-dimensional or unbelievable. That richness of characterization provides such an added fullness to the experience of reading the book.
Zo毛, at age eleven, has had mostly tough times in her life up to this point. Her mother had battled with some form of manic depressive mental illness for many years, bouncing back and forth between behavior that was either over the top or down in the dumps, but never adequately caring for Zo毛 no matter what her mood of the day might have been. Along with the high times came a long string of live-in boyfriends who ranged in attitude from indifferent toward Zo毛 to downright mean to her, and none of them were ever anything close to filling the role of the father who had run off prior to the day when Zo毛 was first born into the light of this world.
When her mother dies, it's Zo毛's Uncle Henry who steps in and offers to care of his niece. It's easy to understand why a girl in Zo毛's situation would be wary of trusting yet another grownup who's supposed to be someone on whom she can depend, and their method of relating to each other doesn't develop quickly, or without definite hitches along the way. But as Zo毛 becomes more familiar with her Uncle, as well as their extraordinary neighbors and all the unique townsfolk who have been filling her new life with a kind of vital energy and color that she never previously knew, we begin to see genuine hope take root inside of Zo毛 for the first time in her life. Hope, in its truest form, is always a wonderful thing to watch grow inside of a human being, but never is that hope as pure or as valuable as when it is growing inside of a young kid. At its core, Wild Things is that kind of a story about watching hope first take root and start to grow into something special, complete with snags and the sort of inevitable bumps along the way that no life is free of entirely. Zo毛 may not have left the days of sadness behind her completely, but the worst that she will have to endure has already come and gone. She has a family that really cares about her now, and that's enough of a ballast to help one steer through some pretty bad storms.
You can bet that whenever Clay Carmichael releases her next full-length novel, I'll be eagerly waiting to read it. I love her writing style, how it so effectively joins in theme and voice with the best books of great authors such as Katherine Paterson, Cynthia Rylant and Sharon Creech, while still remaining every bit as fresh as the premiere of a terrific new talent ought to be, opening up our minds to the expression of new thoughts and ideas while at the same time faithfully returning to the solid base of our commonly shared emotion that all of the greatest books have in common. I highly recommend Wild Things, and I would definitely consider giving it three and a half stars.
The basic premise behind Wild Things (an orphaned girl going off to start fresh by living in a totally new place with a distant relative) is so commonly known and frequently written about in the recent history of literature that it might be easy to expect the book to fall into well-worn patterns of development, but that certainly does not turn out to be the case here. With freshness of thought and plenty of creative vigor, Clay Carmichael unfurls the beautiful story that she has so carefully wrought, imbuing the characters with realistic, vibrant personalities that will likely make a permanent impression on the reader's memory. In fact, it is more than just Zo毛, the main girl in the story, and her Uncle Henry, the gruff artist that has agreed to be her legal guardian, who are so memorable in their personality traits. It seems that everyone introduced in the story is painted with carefully detailed, intricate brushstrokes, not a single character coming across as one-dimensional or unbelievable. That richness of characterization provides such an added fullness to the experience of reading the book.
Zo毛, at age eleven, has had mostly tough times in her life up to this point. Her mother had battled with some form of manic depressive mental illness for many years, bouncing back and forth between behavior that was either over the top or down in the dumps, but never adequately caring for Zo毛 no matter what her mood of the day might have been. Along with the high times came a long string of live-in boyfriends who ranged in attitude from indifferent toward Zo毛 to downright mean to her, and none of them were ever anything close to filling the role of the father who had run off prior to the day when Zo毛 was first born into the light of this world.
When her mother dies, it's Zo毛's Uncle Henry who steps in and offers to care of his niece. It's easy to understand why a girl in Zo毛's situation would be wary of trusting yet another grownup who's supposed to be someone on whom she can depend, and their method of relating to each other doesn't develop quickly, or without definite hitches along the way. But as Zo毛 becomes more familiar with her Uncle, as well as their extraordinary neighbors and all the unique townsfolk who have been filling her new life with a kind of vital energy and color that she never previously knew, we begin to see genuine hope take root inside of Zo毛 for the first time in her life. Hope, in its truest form, is always a wonderful thing to watch grow inside of a human being, but never is that hope as pure or as valuable as when it is growing inside of a young kid. At its core, Wild Things is that kind of a story about watching hope first take root and start to grow into something special, complete with snags and the sort of inevitable bumps along the way that no life is free of entirely. Zo毛 may not have left the days of sadness behind her completely, but the worst that she will have to endure has already come and gone. She has a family that really cares about her now, and that's enough of a ballast to help one steer through some pretty bad storms.
You can bet that whenever Clay Carmichael releases her next full-length novel, I'll be eagerly waiting to read it. I love her writing style, how it so effectively joins in theme and voice with the best books of great authors such as Katherine Paterson, Cynthia Rylant and Sharon Creech, while still remaining every bit as fresh as the premiere of a terrific new talent ought to be, opening up our minds to the expression of new thoughts and ideas while at the same time faithfully returning to the solid base of our commonly shared emotion that all of the greatest books have in common. I highly recommend Wild Things, and I would definitely consider giving it three and a half stars.
June 15, 2022
I鈥檓 not sure maybe because we had to read this book for school but I really wasn鈥檛 excited for it to be honest with you鈥t the moment I started the book though I realized that I would really like it. Although I can鈥檛 explain why, I really loved this book!! I enjoyed reading it A LOT!! thank you!!
May 25, 2010
Publisher's Summary: With her father long gone, spunky eleven-year-old Zoe is shuffled from relative to relative after her mother dies. The story opens as she arrives at her uncle Henry Royster's Farm outside Sugar Hill, a small Southern town.
**
Zoe is a bright girl who has seen it all. Forced to care for herself due to her mother's struggles with mental illness, she is a tough nut to crack when she lands on her Uncle Henry's doorstep. At first, Henry seems ill-equipped to care for such a wounded soul. However, Henry has seen his own share of pain and knows precisely how to handle a wild thing like his niece.
The novel is told in a double narrative, with a feral cat helping to lend voice to parts of the story that an eleven year old narrator would be unable to relay. Just when the reader thinks he/she knows where the story is going, Carmichael cleverly weaves in several subplots to the text that add a new dimension and difficulty. An albino deer, the deer's near-wild caretaker, and Zoe's love of writing add a layer of depth to the story that is sure to capture the imagination of even the most reluctant reader. Add to all of this the overriding theme of trust, and this novel is a surefire hit with my students.
I was searching for my next read aloud when I stumbled across this title quite by accident. I have just a few genres left to cover, with fantasy being one of them. Wild Things is a different twist on the age-old thoughts about fantasy. My students are voracious readers of fantasy. A cursory glance at their reader's notebooks tells me that fantasy reigns supreme. But my readers are used to fairies, drazons or wizards making an appearance in their books. This book will surprise them. For although there are no fairies, wizards of dragons, Wild Things still makes a delightful fantasy read.
I especially love that there is a lot of instructional "meat" in the book: double narrative, theme (we call this the "so-what" in our room), and subplots will be explored when we read this next genre in my class. Yes, I have made my decision on my next read aloud, and my kids will be begging for more to be read each day.
Favorite passages:
"...Bessie says folks are starved for beauty." (p. 49)
"You know the thing that burns me most about being a kid?" I yelled at Henry when we got in the truck. "The worst thing about being a kid is that people twice my size with half my brains get to run my life." Henry sighed. "Wait till you start voting." (p. 72)
After thatm only one thing made school bearable: Ms. Avery wasn't as dull as I'd thought. When I got to my desk on Monday, I found a book and a note: I think you might like this, if you haven't already read it. If you like it, I have others. E. Avery....I lived for Ms. Avery's books and for the last bell..." (p. 77)
**
Zoe is a bright girl who has seen it all. Forced to care for herself due to her mother's struggles with mental illness, she is a tough nut to crack when she lands on her Uncle Henry's doorstep. At first, Henry seems ill-equipped to care for such a wounded soul. However, Henry has seen his own share of pain and knows precisely how to handle a wild thing like his niece.
The novel is told in a double narrative, with a feral cat helping to lend voice to parts of the story that an eleven year old narrator would be unable to relay. Just when the reader thinks he/she knows where the story is going, Carmichael cleverly weaves in several subplots to the text that add a new dimension and difficulty. An albino deer, the deer's near-wild caretaker, and Zoe's love of writing add a layer of depth to the story that is sure to capture the imagination of even the most reluctant reader. Add to all of this the overriding theme of trust, and this novel is a surefire hit with my students.
I was searching for my next read aloud when I stumbled across this title quite by accident. I have just a few genres left to cover, with fantasy being one of them. Wild Things is a different twist on the age-old thoughts about fantasy. My students are voracious readers of fantasy. A cursory glance at their reader's notebooks tells me that fantasy reigns supreme. But my readers are used to fairies, drazons or wizards making an appearance in their books. This book will surprise them. For although there are no fairies, wizards of dragons, Wild Things still makes a delightful fantasy read.
I especially love that there is a lot of instructional "meat" in the book: double narrative, theme (we call this the "so-what" in our room), and subplots will be explored when we read this next genre in my class. Yes, I have made my decision on my next read aloud, and my kids will be begging for more to be read each day.
Favorite passages:
"...Bessie says folks are starved for beauty." (p. 49)
"You know the thing that burns me most about being a kid?" I yelled at Henry when we got in the truck. "The worst thing about being a kid is that people twice my size with half my brains get to run my life." Henry sighed. "Wait till you start voting." (p. 72)
After thatm only one thing made school bearable: Ms. Avery wasn't as dull as I'd thought. When I got to my desk on Monday, I found a book and a note: I think you might like this, if you haven't already read it. If you like it, I have others. E. Avery....I lived for Ms. Avery's books and for the last bell..." (p. 77)
February 7, 2012
When 11-year old Zo毛鈥檚 mother passes away, she is taken in by her uncle, Dr. Henry Royster. Both are accustomed to being on their own 鈥� Zo毛 had to take care of herself because of her mom鈥檚 mental illness and poor choices, and Henry lost wife #3 and became an artist (he makes large metal sculptures) 鈥� and both are rather independent and stubborn. Like the feral cat, Mr. C鈥檓ere, that Zo毛 attempts to befriend, she鈥檚 a little wild and slow to trust. When Henry forces Zo毛 to attend school (5th grade, so she can be with her 鈥榩eers鈥� and where she鈥檚 terribly, terribly bored) for the first time in her life, Zo毛 takes to keeping a journal 鈥� one of the assignments her sympathetic teacher gives her. She begins writing her memoir, and is furious when her classmate Hargrove steals it and uses it to find her secret cabin in the woods. Zo毛 has another secret, too, about the white deer (Sister) and its human shadow, Wil. When Hargrove is injured and Wil is suspected, Zo毛 finally has to decide whether or not to confide in Henry and the other people who she is just coming to know and love.
Although Zo毛 is just a kid, her uncle treats her with respect and gives her a lot of leeway and lenience 鈥� he seems to understand that she needs to do things her own way, and that that way may not necessarily be wrong. It鈥檚 a delicate balancing act, because he wants to protect her and keep her safe from harm, but safety isn鈥檛 always Zo毛鈥檚 priority. Zo毛鈥檚 experiences with her mother have made her older and wiser beyond her years, but they鈥檝e also made her cautious about opening up to and loving other people. She has a lot of conflicted feelings, too, which she鈥檚 working through on her own. Readers who get inside her head will fall in love with this smart, tough little girl. An extremely satisfying read with excellent, well-developed characters.
It鈥檚 interesting to note that Clay Carmichael got the idea for this story from a tom cat she gentled and tamed. There are chapters from the cat鈥檚 point of view interspersed with Zo毛鈥檚 observations/memoir.
Although Zo毛 is just a kid, her uncle treats her with respect and gives her a lot of leeway and lenience 鈥� he seems to understand that she needs to do things her own way, and that that way may not necessarily be wrong. It鈥檚 a delicate balancing act, because he wants to protect her and keep her safe from harm, but safety isn鈥檛 always Zo毛鈥檚 priority. Zo毛鈥檚 experiences with her mother have made her older and wiser beyond her years, but they鈥檝e also made her cautious about opening up to and loving other people. She has a lot of conflicted feelings, too, which she鈥檚 working through on her own. Readers who get inside her head will fall in love with this smart, tough little girl. An extremely satisfying read with excellent, well-developed characters.
It鈥檚 interesting to note that Clay Carmichael got the idea for this story from a tom cat she gentled and tamed. There are chapters from the cat鈥檚 point of view interspersed with Zo毛鈥檚 observations/memoir.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 16, 2012
This book wasn't long enough! I wanted to be in this world with these characters much longer than the length of the book allowed. I found myself thinking about the story and pulling the book out to read just a bit more even when I really didn't have time to read. I immediately fell in love with the characters and ended up loving them all even more by the end.
Why didn't this win a Newbery?? This should have won a Newbery! Or at least a Newbery Honor! More people need to know about and read this book.
I do have a small issue with the title and the cover illustration. I think the title fits perfectly once you've read the story, but for those who haven't read the book, I think another title would be better. Although I wouldn't mind the title so much if the cover illustration was better. I like the cat on the front, but overall the cover is too dark and definitely doesn't say "read me!" At least not to me. I wanted to read this when I first heard of it (thanks to Lisa Vegan's review here on GR!), but I think I would have read it sooner with a more appealing cover illustration. Although it could just be me. I had a student put it on hold just based on the cover illustration - she hadn't read anything about the book or even seen more than just the cover.
This is a definite 5-star book. I love the characters and how they relate to each other. I hope that someday Clay Carmichael takes us back into this world to let us be with these characters again. Everyone should read this book!
A favorite quote:
"I inhaled the musty, leathery, old-papery scent and a shiver passed over me. If I had any idea of heaven, it was this: shelves and shelves of books, ten times as many as were upstairs, each with stories or pictures more exciting and beautiful than the next, and two overstuffed chairs big enough for me to sleep in."
Why didn't this win a Newbery?? This should have won a Newbery! Or at least a Newbery Honor! More people need to know about and read this book.
I do have a small issue with the title and the cover illustration. I think the title fits perfectly once you've read the story, but for those who haven't read the book, I think another title would be better. Although I wouldn't mind the title so much if the cover illustration was better. I like the cat on the front, but overall the cover is too dark and definitely doesn't say "read me!" At least not to me. I wanted to read this when I first heard of it (thanks to Lisa Vegan's review here on GR!), but I think I would have read it sooner with a more appealing cover illustration. Although it could just be me. I had a student put it on hold just based on the cover illustration - she hadn't read anything about the book or even seen more than just the cover.
This is a definite 5-star book. I love the characters and how they relate to each other. I hope that someday Clay Carmichael takes us back into this world to let us be with these characters again. Everyone should read this book!
A favorite quote:
"I inhaled the musty, leathery, old-papery scent and a shiver passed over me. If I had any idea of heaven, it was this: shelves and shelves of books, ten times as many as were upstairs, each with stories or pictures more exciting and beautiful than the next, and two overstuffed chairs big enough for me to sleep in."
March 24, 2020
Ein wundervolles Buch, dessen Lesen ich mir viel zu lange aufgespart hatte.
Zoe ist von Anfang an eine fesselnde und sehr andere Kinderpers枚nlichkeit. Zwar ist sie gerade mal 11, kommt einem aber dennoch die meiste Zeit viel 盲lter vor. Sie vertraut niemanden und will sich von niemanden helfen lassen, da sie sich nie auf Erwachsene verlassen konnte.
Auch hat sie viele Dinge gelernt, die Kinder in ihrem Alter noch nicht unbedingt k枚nnten sollten, sowie Rechnungen bezahlen oder Wetten setzen.
Ich denke Herr KommKomm stellt in dem Buch so ein bisschen Zoe als Kater dar. W盲hrend die Katze sich immer mehr zu ihr traut und nach und nach die Nettigkeiten von Zoe annimmt, gew枚hnt sich auch sie immer mehr an das Leben mit Henry. W盲hrend sie am Anfang noch nach Alternativen sucht, wo sie wohnen k枚nnte, hat sie am Ende doch ein liebevolles Zuhause gefunden, genau wie der Kater der sich sogar ins Haus traut und sich voll auf die Menschen verl盲sst.
Der Schreibstil ist manchmal ein wenig 'springend', da Zoe zwar schon sehr reif ist, aber manchmal doch eben nur Kind sein will. Die Passagen aus der Sicht des Katers sind sehr sch枚n geschrieben, nicht nur um zu sehen, wie er langsam zutraulich wird, aber auch um Einblicke in die Vergangenheit zu geben. So hat man am Ende eigentlich ein ziemlich trauriges Familienleben von Zoe vorliegen und umso besser erscheint es, dass sie bei ihrem Onkel ein Zuhause mit einer Familie gefunden hat.
Zoe ist von Anfang an eine fesselnde und sehr andere Kinderpers枚nlichkeit. Zwar ist sie gerade mal 11, kommt einem aber dennoch die meiste Zeit viel 盲lter vor. Sie vertraut niemanden und will sich von niemanden helfen lassen, da sie sich nie auf Erwachsene verlassen konnte.
Auch hat sie viele Dinge gelernt, die Kinder in ihrem Alter noch nicht unbedingt k枚nnten sollten, sowie Rechnungen bezahlen oder Wetten setzen.
Ich denke Herr KommKomm stellt in dem Buch so ein bisschen Zoe als Kater dar. W盲hrend die Katze sich immer mehr zu ihr traut und nach und nach die Nettigkeiten von Zoe annimmt, gew枚hnt sich auch sie immer mehr an das Leben mit Henry. W盲hrend sie am Anfang noch nach Alternativen sucht, wo sie wohnen k枚nnte, hat sie am Ende doch ein liebevolles Zuhause gefunden, genau wie der Kater der sich sogar ins Haus traut und sich voll auf die Menschen verl盲sst.
Der Schreibstil ist manchmal ein wenig 'springend', da Zoe zwar schon sehr reif ist, aber manchmal doch eben nur Kind sein will. Die Passagen aus der Sicht des Katers sind sehr sch枚n geschrieben, nicht nur um zu sehen, wie er langsam zutraulich wird, aber auch um Einblicke in die Vergangenheit zu geben. So hat man am Ende eigentlich ein ziemlich trauriges Familienleben von Zoe vorliegen und umso besser erscheint es, dass sie bei ihrem Onkel ein Zuhause mit einer Familie gefunden hat.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 7, 2016
It took me forever to finish this book, not because it was boring or dense...in fact, it was so vibrant and lively and thrilling that really, I didn't want it to end.
Clay Carmichael did an amazing job with all of the characters in the book--from the minor characters (Padre, Harlan, the sheriff) to the major ones...she absolutely brought them all to life in an unforgettable way.
Wild Things is marketed as a children's book, but it's a really great read for adults as well. Zoe's voice is refreshing and blunt and a nice dose of honesty, while Mr. C'mere enlightens us with details of the backstory. It's a lovely balance of narrative voices. Carmichael kind of makes you wish you were brave like Zoe, brazen like Zoe, a fighter like Zoe. But at the same time you know that Zoe is entirely her own person, will never be duplicated, and that's part of what makes her so endearing.
The storyline is seamless, as well: it's brilliant, kindhearted; it reminds us of the beauty of being human--the little treasures in everyday happenings, the ability to make our own choices and break away from the expected path...my copy of Wild Things is all marked up with beloved passages and phrases underlined and notes scribbled in the margins...to me, this book is a masterpiece, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to readers of all ages, new and old.
Clay Carmichael did an amazing job with all of the characters in the book--from the minor characters (Padre, Harlan, the sheriff) to the major ones...she absolutely brought them all to life in an unforgettable way.
Wild Things is marketed as a children's book, but it's a really great read for adults as well. Zoe's voice is refreshing and blunt and a nice dose of honesty, while Mr. C'mere enlightens us with details of the backstory. It's a lovely balance of narrative voices. Carmichael kind of makes you wish you were brave like Zoe, brazen like Zoe, a fighter like Zoe. But at the same time you know that Zoe is entirely her own person, will never be duplicated, and that's part of what makes her so endearing.
The storyline is seamless, as well: it's brilliant, kindhearted; it reminds us of the beauty of being human--the little treasures in everyday happenings, the ability to make our own choices and break away from the expected path...my copy of Wild Things is all marked up with beloved passages and phrases underlined and notes scribbled in the margins...to me, this book is a masterpiece, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to readers of all ages, new and old.
January 23, 2011
Five stars so early in the year -- these things happen.
When I realized the opening narration was by the cat (later named "Mr. C'mere by Zoe*), my eyes really began to roll. After that opening gambit, Zoe's "I've been abused (neglected) so don't trust adults" cynicism didn't promise much either, but ... the story gradually expands scope to imply there's more coming. And it does, so that by the end quite a lot has changed for several people, all of whom were strangers to Zoe at first. None of them are stock, cardboard either; I can't think of one that could've been done much differently, let alone cut or conflated with another. I suppose if I were to quibble, Zoe's a bit precocious for a kid who'd barely attended school by age twelve. Moreover, the whole thing has rather a magical fairy tale quality, but ... hey ... it's fiction!
Ms. Carmichael ended the story so that a sequel would work, or a spin-off of another character or two (sorry, spoiler avoidance). On the other hand, it'd be okay to let Zoe get on with things. Just not another 5 years - which was okay to get this first book just right, but I'm too interested to see what's next from the author!
* "Mr. C." serves as a sort of omniscient narrator, setting the stage for Zoe's arrival, and later observing things she cannot observe directly herself.
When I realized the opening narration was by the cat (later named "Mr. C'mere by Zoe*), my eyes really began to roll. After that opening gambit, Zoe's "I've been abused (neglected) so don't trust adults" cynicism didn't promise much either, but ... the story gradually expands scope to imply there's more coming. And it does, so that by the end quite a lot has changed for several people, all of whom were strangers to Zoe at first. None of them are stock, cardboard either; I can't think of one that could've been done much differently, let alone cut or conflated with another. I suppose if I were to quibble, Zoe's a bit precocious for a kid who'd barely attended school by age twelve. Moreover, the whole thing has rather a magical fairy tale quality, but ... hey ... it's fiction!
Ms. Carmichael ended the story so that a sequel would work, or a spin-off of another character or two (sorry, spoiler avoidance). On the other hand, it'd be okay to let Zoe get on with things. Just not another 5 years - which was okay to get this first book just right, but I'm too interested to see what's next from the author!
* "Mr. C." serves as a sort of omniscient narrator, setting the stage for Zoe's arrival, and later observing things she cannot observe directly herself.
July 29, 2011
How to write a review after reading Elizabeth Bird's and just wanting to point and say, "Yes, that." I'll start with this. I read Wild Things because it is one of our state award nominees this year. I always read these nominees over the summer and just hadn't gotten around to this one yet. I knew what it was about but, like others have pointed out, thought "Do I really need to read about another orphan?" Predictable, right? Then I saw a student at the pool and I am usually impressed with his reading choices. He told me he was already through 16 of the 20 nominated books. When I asked what his favorite was so far he immediately replied, "Wild Things." So with that, I began.
Somehow Carmichael takes many predictable elements to me and turns them around. Child raised pretty much on her own, check. Older relative hardened by the world but loving, check. Boy raised in the wild, check. Student in class who is a jerk, check. The thing I loved, though, was that all of these characters had so many layers. And their interactions with each other felt real.At it's heart this is a book about relationships. I devoured this book and cannot wait to recommend it to others. Thanks, Johnny, for recommending it to me.
Somehow Carmichael takes many predictable elements to me and turns them around. Child raised pretty much on her own, check. Older relative hardened by the world but loving, check. Boy raised in the wild, check. Student in class who is a jerk, check. The thing I loved, though, was that all of these characters had so many layers. And their interactions with each other felt real.At it's heart this is a book about relationships. I devoured this book and cannot wait to recommend it to others. Thanks, Johnny, for recommending it to me.
February 21, 2009
At least once or twice a year, I come across a book that is so engaging that I truly savor the reading experience, often reading slower than I normally do, to prolong my brief interaction with the characters; and for me, Wild Things just hit so many right notes. We follow two completely independent people, each battle scared and world weary, with set understandings of the world around them, and yet each of them meets the one person who locks in them the missing theme in their lives- which happens to be unchecked love. Cat, or Mr C'mere as he is later dubbed, is our narrator, dropping morsels of knowledge that outline the story without ever over stating the meaning or purpose. Zoe,who, with the passing of her mother, goes to live with her long lost uncle, has a fierce seen it all attitude that acts as her armor, and yet through the uncle's consistent presence, slowly warms and becomes whole again. Absolutely enchanting, and wonderfully written with just a hint of southern charm ala Clyde Edgerton or Nancy Peacock, Wild Things is to be enjoyed by all.
February 4, 2010
Extraordinary. I had to let it simmer overnight before I could come up with anything resembling a coherent review. This is a wonderful book, and I loved it enough that I wish I hadn't read it so I could read it again for the first time.
The characters are agreeably prickly, including the feral old cat who is deeply suspicious of people. The passages narrated by the cat are maybe just a little hokey, but I loved 'em anyway. In my opinion, the descriptions of what it's like to be an artist are dead on. The plot is taut, the coincidences and climaxes not so far out as to be surreal, the characters' growth is believable and heartwarming. And did I mention the cat? And the passing but suitably loving mention of favorite characters from classic kid-lit? (Which reminds me, I need to find out who Opal Buloni is- she's the only one I didn't recognize.)
I want to read it again, right away. I can't remember how long it's been since I had that reaction to a middle-grade book.
The characters are agreeably prickly, including the feral old cat who is deeply suspicious of people. The passages narrated by the cat are maybe just a little hokey, but I loved 'em anyway. In my opinion, the descriptions of what it's like to be an artist are dead on. The plot is taut, the coincidences and climaxes not so far out as to be surreal, the characters' growth is believable and heartwarming. And did I mention the cat? And the passing but suitably loving mention of favorite characters from classic kid-lit? (Which reminds me, I need to find out who Opal Buloni is- she's the only one I didn't recognize.)
I want to read it again, right away. I can't remember how long it's been since I had that reaction to a middle-grade book.
Read
January 23, 2013This book is excellent, so I bought it. Or rather, I spilled coffee all over a library book ... so I bought it. But it is good in multiple ways. While I wouldn't classify it as a suspense novel, it has a page turning quality featuring a mysterious person in the woods, lost/ill old woman, Mom's old boyfriends showing up unexpectedly, and more. Two aspects I particularly like: the girl from a thoroughly dysfunctional family still comes off as smart and responsible and talented; the other aspect is that the story doesn't make any bones about the fact that some kids are simply born to dysfunctional parents. Doesn't sugarcoat it. There are pointers to mental/physical health issues, suicide, and the value of art. Ultimately this is a tale of hope.
May 17, 2011
I loved all of the 鈥渨ild things,鈥� in this book but especially Zoe and Mr. C鈥橫ere, both of whom had been treated poorly by life and couldn鈥檛 imagine that they鈥檇 ever trust humans.
Generally, I dislike stories told from an animal鈥檚 point of view, but Mr. C sounded absolutely right to me鈥攋ust the way I imagine an old feral cat to think鈥攁nd I found myself looking forward to his observations more than I would have anticipated. Funny, sad, heartwarming鈥攁nd great story-telling, too. I was a little tempted to give this 4 stars because it didn鈥檛 move me to quite the same degree as several recent books by my new favorite kidlit author Deborah Wiles. But it鈥檚 a difference of just a sliver of a star, really.
It looks like there is a sequel on the way, which is great news.
Generally, I dislike stories told from an animal鈥檚 point of view, but Mr. C sounded absolutely right to me鈥攋ust the way I imagine an old feral cat to think鈥攁nd I found myself looking forward to his observations more than I would have anticipated. Funny, sad, heartwarming鈥攁nd great story-telling, too. I was a little tempted to give this 4 stars because it didn鈥檛 move me to quite the same degree as several recent books by my new favorite kidlit author Deborah Wiles. But it鈥檚 a difference of just a sliver of a star, really.
It looks like there is a sequel on the way, which is great news.
October 24, 2012
I love this book! When I first got it, I thought it might be a bit young for me...but I really got into the story line and loved how there were different characters coming in throughout the story and the connections were slowly revealed. The lead character, Zoe, is a mature young girl who doesn't trust adults and has been practically raising herself. When her mother passes, she goes to live with her uncle, the brother of a father she never knew. I don't want to give away any of the story, but definitely a good read and easy to get through. Carmichael's writing style flowed nicely and made you want to keep reading...I was sad when it ended!
March 20, 2013
Sadly, I didn't finish this book in time to get extra credit. But that's okay. I was reading this book and I realized it wasn't really my forte. I didn't really understand the characters and the narrator. A few parts of this book kept me reading, but overall, this was not one of my favorite books. I feel like the plot was slow and I kept zoning out while I was reading. Although, I did enjoy some parts of this book. For example, I liked hearing about the cat in this story and learning the lesson the author was trying to give the reader. If you can sit tight through some boring parts, then you can read this book without a problem!
November 19, 2009
Orphaned 11-year-old Zoe goes to live with her unknown half-uncle, who's a famous doctor and sculptor but who's often distant. Eventually fighting her survival insticts, Zoe soon learns to open herself up to people, and, in turn, develops a strong bond with her uncle and his circle of trusted friends.
This one's a bit unwieldy. Too many characters, plot points, and loose threads threaten to derail this. But the protagonist and writing are so good and its heart is in the right place, that all sins are forgiven.
This one's a bit unwieldy. Too many characters, plot points, and loose threads threaten to derail this. But the protagonist and writing are so good and its heart is in the right place, that all sins are forgiven.
December 14, 2009
I felt as if this book had some examples of really good writing, as well as some adorable drawings of Mr. C'mere in the cat chapters.
This may be an example of where my copious reading hinders my enjoyment, as I felt it compared unfavorably to "daugher of crazy Mom" books Waiting for Normal and What I Call Life.
And like many middle grade books, I occasionally felt that the writing did a disservice, as I was very aware I was reading a book rather than being immersed in a story. Does anyone know what I mean by this?
This may be an example of where my copious reading hinders my enjoyment, as I felt it compared unfavorably to "daugher of crazy Mom" books Waiting for Normal and What I Call Life.
And like many middle grade books, I occasionally felt that the writing did a disservice, as I was very aware I was reading a book rather than being immersed in a story. Does anyone know what I mean by this?
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