Wild Girl

Patricia Reilly Giff's new novel, Wild Girl, is a must read for horse-lovers. This novel alternates between the story of a filly in Aiken, South Carolina, and the story of a girl in Jales, Brazil. Soon, these two stories become intertwined.

Lidie lives in Jules, Brazil, with Tio Paulo and Titia Luisa. Her father, Pai, and brother, Rafael, left her to go to America soon after her mother, Mamae, passed away. Lidie was seven years old.

Now, five years later, Lidie is on her way to America to join her father and brother who work at a horse farm. Her father trains horses while her brother is an aspiring jockey. Lidie speaks Portuguese and very little English. She finds it difficult to fit in at her new school in America. Lidie also finds it difficult to fit into her new 'family'. Her father and brother expect the seven year-old Lidie to arrive in America. not the older twelve year-old who comes with her own love of horses and riding.

The filly comes to the horse farm where she, with her own story of loneliness and heartbreak, befriends Lidie. Will the two of them be able to make it through the rough times? Will the filly find the family she needs? Will Lidie find the family she desires?

This is another good story from Patricia Reilly Giff. It is not only a horse story but also a story of family...a story that captures the feelings of immigrants coming to a new world...of adventure...of dreams.

Happy Reading!

Mrs. T :)

P.S. Reading is like breathing chocolate air!