THE WILD GIRLS

"It's a different world when you see it through some one else's eyes," says the mellow-voiced poet, Vera, as she teaches gifted students in a summer writing workshop. Sarah and Joan, nicknamed Fox and Newt, are 12-year-old students whose world is transformed by the class and by each other. Coleen Marlo's presentation of tomboy Fox, and her gruff-voiced motorcycle-riding, sci-fi writing father, is neatly juxtaposed with her portrayal of newcomer Joan, and her more conventional, yet troubled family. The girls write and explore woods and wildlife together, supporting each other amid parental conflicts, which threaten their serentiy. Marlo ratchets up family tensions while sustaining the sense of wonder evoked in the girls' moments of self-discovery. D.P.D. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB/ MAR 08]