Saturday, June 23, 2012

The Girls of No Return


Saldin, Erin      The Girls of No Return        Arthur Levine Bks see Scholastic Books    2012  345p  $17.99      978-0-545-31026-0           hs     VG     Realistic Fiction

Lida’s father and stepmother hope their daughter will find a path to emotional health and acceptance of her biological mother’s abandonment at a wilderness camp in the mountains of Idaho.  Although the title of this book leads the reader to think that something quite dramatic will happen by the climax, what actually transpires is more realistic.  The story concerns relationships between girls who have been hurt, girls who have not grown up on a lily pad, protected from life’s trauma by parents or friends. 

By the time Lida arrives at the Alice Marshall School for Girls, she knows that she can no longer function at home with her dad and stepmother and that this is her last recourse.  Other girls attend the school for various reasons, called their "Thing": drugs, alcohol, minor offenses against society, or major offenses such as those that have been perpetrated by Boone, one of Lida’s bunkmates.  As the author develops Lida's relationships with Boone, the lovely Gia, and her camp counselors, Saldin demonstrates that Lida is saddled with incredible feelings of inadequacy.  Boone offers her real friendship; instead, even though Lida senses that Boone is the real deal, Lida seeks out Gia with whom she has developed an infatuation.  The irony is that Lida is anything but inadequate.  She possesses an innate ability to navigate the woods and mountains of the Wilderness Area, she is sought out by her bunkmates as a confidante, and she is the "chosen one" for Gia, whose reasons for attendance at Alice Marshall remain a secret. 

The climax, which involves an inevitable struggle among the three girls, is bold and believable.  Saldin ably leads the reader through the story with a narrative style that is interesting and characters that are unique.  However, there are questions that will plague the reader who is looking for a seamless plot.  For example, why would parents send their daughters to a camp/school where there is the potential for violence?  How is Boone able to escape for periods of time into the mountains with no accountability?  What did Gia do that made her a candidate for the school?  Who would send girls with significant emotional problems out into the wilderness for a night alone?  How can a girl be an accessory to a crime and not experience serious consequences through the criminal justice system?  If the reader can get past these questions, she will find a book about troubled girls that feels authentic.           
Martha Squaresky     Friendship, School Stories

 

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