Wild Girls Mother/Daughter Book Club

April 2010 Selection: Told in vignettes and set in 1970's Appalachia, this novel presents the story of Chilli Sue Mahoney, a girl who has never been outside of her small town. When a new world-traveling substitute teacher arrives, Chilli learns about the world and to appreciate where she lives.

February 2010 Selection: In the ancient stone tower of the Casa Rosa, in a tiny village high in the Swiss Alps, life for one angel has been the same, well, for as long as she (or he?) can remember. Until Zola arrives, a determined American girl who wears three skirts all at once. For neighbors who have been longtime enemies, children who have been lost, and villagers who have been sleepily living their lives: hold on. Zola and the angel are about to collide. Figs start flying, dogs start arfing, and the whole village begins to wake up. Zola is a girl with a mission. And our angel has been without one--till now.

September 2009 Selection: By sixth grade, Miranda and her best friend, Sal, know how to navigate their New York City neighborhood. They know where it's safe to go, like the local grocery store, and they know whom to avoid, like the crazy guy on the corner. But things start to unravel. Sal gets punched by a new kid for what seems like no reason, and he shuts Miranda out of his life. The apartment key that Miranda's mom keeps hidden for emergencies is stolen. And then Miranda finds a mysterious note scrawled on a tiny slip of paper: " I am coming to save your friend's life, and my own. I must ask two favors. First, you must write me a letter. "The notes keep coming, and Miranda slowly realizes that whoever is leaving them knows all about her, including things that have not even happened yet. Each message brings her closer to believing that only she can prevent a tragic death. Until the final note makes her think she's too late.

March 2009 Selection: A vibrant new voice . . . a modern classic. For generations, the Beaumont family has harbored a magical secret. They each possess a special supernatural power that strikes when they turn thirteen. Grandpa Bomba moves mountains, her older brothers create hurricanes and spark electricity . . . and now it's the eve of Mibsas big day. As if waiting were not hard enough, the family gets scary news two days before Mibsas birthday: Poppa has been in a terrible accident. Mibs develops the singular mission to get to the hospital and prove that her new power can save her dad. So she sneaks onto a bus only to find the bus heading in the opposite direction. Suddenly Mibs finds herself on an unforgettable odyssey that will force her to make sense of growing up and of other people, who might also have a few secrets hidden just beneath the skin.

2009 Selection: Horvath, winner of the National Book Award and a Newbery Honor, has written her richest, most spirited book yet. Jane is 12 years old, and she is "ready to move beyond the world of her siblings and single mother and their house by the sea, and step into the "know-not what."