Nature Girl

NATURE GIRL

By:  Jane Kelley

FIRST SENTENCE

“Can you hear me now?”

SUMMARY

From goodreads

Eleven-year-old Megan is stuck in the wilds of Vermont for the summer with no TV, no Internet, no cell phone, and worst of all, no best friend.  So when Megan gets lost on the Appalachian Trail with only her little dog, Arp, for company, she decides she might as well hike all the way to Massachusetts where her best friend, Lucy, is spending her summer.  Life on the trail isn’t easy, and Megan faces everything from wild animals and raging rivers to tofu jerky and life without bathrooms.  Most of all, though, Megan gets to know herself—both who she’s been in the past and who she wants to be in the future—and the journey goes from a spur-of-the-moment lark to a quest to prove herself to Lucy, her family, and the world!

REVIEW

I am so glad that Kristi, The Story Siren, suggested that I read this book.  At first, Nature Girl seems like it is just a simple story about living in the wild.  In the end, however, it is so much more.

Megan starts out as a very bored and lazy pre-teen.  She is depressed and doesn’t think she has much to live for.  Megan’s parents force her to take a hike with her dog, Arp.  While hiking, Megan and Arp get lost and they rely on each other for comfort and protection.  It seems that Arp is the only one who really understands Megan and I liked reading about their friendship.  

The pair ignore the helicopters that fly overhead searching for them.  Instead, they make their way to Massachusetts, where Megan’s friend, Lucy, is on vacation.  Just like me, Megan is not much of an outdoorsy girl, so it is funny to read about her reactions to being out in the wild.

Eventually, Megan and Arp achieve their goal of reaching Lucy.  Megan has proven to everyone that she is more than a lazy pre-teen.  Mostly though, she proves to herself that she CAN do something if she sets her mind to it.  What a great life lesson!

RATING

5        Plot

5        Characters

5        Attention Grabbing

4        Girlie Meter

4        Ending

23      TOTAL

5        STARS

Melina