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50th out of 104 books
—
460 voters
Wild Girl
A contemporary and irresistible story from Patricia Reilly Giff
Lidie lives in Jales, Brazil, where she’s free to ride, to be a wild girl, and to dream of going to live with her father and older brother, Rafael, in New York City. Finally Lidie is 12—time to leave Brazil for New York.
Meanwhile, a filly is born and begins her journey to a new home. As Lidie’s story unfolds, s...more
Lidie lives in Jales, Brazil, where she’s free to ride, to be a wild girl, and to dream of going to live with her father and older brother, Rafael, in New York City. Finally Lidie is 12—time to leave Brazil for New York.
Meanwhile, a filly is born and begins her journey to a new home. As Lidie’s story unfolds, s...more
Hardcover, 160 pages
Published
August 11th 2009
by Wendy Lamb Books
(first published January 1st 1984)
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This was a nice book. I was never a girl to be very interested in horse stories, but I am a fan of the author's other works, so I decided to give Wild Girl a try. It is a simple story told in a not-very-original way, but I liked it nonetheless.
As a reading teacher for ELL students, I think a number of ELLs will relate to the emotions Lidie has when she comes to the US--the frustration of not being able to understand everything or say what is on your mind, and the irritation of being thought dum...more
As a reading teacher for ELL students, I think a number of ELLs will relate to the emotions Lidie has when she comes to the US--the frustration of not being able to understand everything or say what is on your mind, and the irritation of being thought dum...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Patricia Reilly Giff has a sweet writing style that is all her own, and I love the fact that through the years she has stayed so true to that personal and fulfilling way of writing.
This book tells the parallel stories of Lidie, a Brazilian girl who is sent to America to join her father and brother in New York, and a spirited South American horse named Wild Girl. Lidie's father has come to the new country with the aim of raising horses to compete in racing, and of making Lidie's brother, Rafael...more
This book tells the parallel stories of Lidie, a Brazilian girl who is sent to America to join her father and brother in New York, and a spirited South American horse named Wild Girl. Lidie's father has come to the new country with the aim of raising horses to compete in racing, and of making Lidie's brother, Rafael...more
Finally! A book with a horse on the cover that is actually about horses! I wanted to read this ever since I saw the cover.
The story is about a Brazilian girl, Lidie (aka "Wild Girl"), who is reunited with her father and brother on a horse racing farm in America. She last saw them when she was 7, and her memories of them and their memories of her don't exactly match up. To her dismay, they have painted her room pink with a mural of Snow White and the seven dwarves, even though she outgrew such th...more
The story is about a Brazilian girl, Lidie (aka "Wild Girl"), who is reunited with her father and brother on a horse racing farm in America. She last saw them when she was 7, and her memories of them and their memories of her don't exactly match up. To her dismay, they have painted her room pink with a mural of Snow White and the seven dwarves, even though she outgrew such th...more
From the ages of 10 until about 13 I was obsessed with horses. And no, that word is not too strong. I had tons of books about horses that I read over and over again, I'd read all of The Saddle Club and Thoroughbred something or other, I had posters all over my room, and my favorite day of the week was whatever day my riding lessons were on. My obsession was so deep, I was the subject of much ridicule among my older brother and his friends, but he also used to like Korn, so I'd say we're even.
Tod...more
Tod...more
I was hesitant to get this book. I dislike horse racing, and this is a book about the daughter of a racehorse trainer and a racehorse to-be. She wants to be a jockey. Her brother is a jockey. It takes place on a racing farm. They go to the races. Obviously, this book didn't really scream "take me!"
But I kept seeing good reviews. The book was cheap, and short, and minus the racing bit, the story really did sound interesting! So I gave it a shot. I'm so glad I did. The story is short and sweet, an...more
But I kept seeing good reviews. The book was cheap, and short, and minus the racing bit, the story really did sound interesting! So I gave it a shot. I'm so glad I did. The story is short and sweet, an...more
After her beloved mother died, Lidie was left behind in Brazil with Aunt and Uncle while her father and brother, Rafael moved to New York to start a new life. They would send for her when they were settled and employed. After some years, Lidie's pa becomes a trainer at famous horse track and Rafael hopes to be a jockey.
Now Lidie,12, is traveling to New York to meet up with her 'family' after a long absence. Her Pa and Rafael expect a little girl to get off the plane, but Lidie is strong, diffic...more
Now Lidie,12, is traveling to New York to meet up with her 'family' after a long absence. Her Pa and Rafael expect a little girl to get off the plane, but Lidie is strong, diffic...more
Lidie hasn’t cried since her father and brother left for America when she was seven. She has learned to be patient, living with her aunt and uncle in Brazil, waiting for the day her father would send for her. When he finally does, it’s not the reunion she expected. Her father and brother, who now work training racehorses, don’t know her like they used to. They think her favorite color is still pink and that she loves Snow White even though she’s now in sixth grade. Worst of all, they don’t reali...more
I thought Wild Girl was pretty good. It is about a girl, Lidie, who lives in Jales, Brazil who loves riding horses freeley, living with her uncle, Tio Paulo, and living like a wild girl. Her father and brother live in New York City in America. Lidie dreams of going to America to help her dad train and race horses. She is finally old enough. She gets to america, and it is nothing like she expected. No one speaks her language and her father and brother remember her as the little girl they left be...more
I am really enjoying reading this book. This book takes place in Brazil and in New York. I love how the author adds lots of details, like when the main character,Lidie, rides horses. I love how the book tells about her life before she moves to New York, just like when she tells about her farther moving first and how hard it was for her. I love when she finds out when she is moving too and is so exited. She is happy when she is taking down her horse posters and shoving them into her little backpa...more
Lidie is a not-so-average girl. She has lived with Tio Paulo and Titia Lusia in Jales,Brazil. When Her mother died her father, the horseman, and brother Rafael moved to NYC without her when she was seven. In NYC the horseman could train racehorses. Ever since that day Lidie has hoped and dreamed that one day, some day the horseman and Rafael will come get her and take her to their home in New York. Finally Lidie is twelve and the day has come for her to pack up and move to the horseman and Rafae...more
When Lidie arrives in New York to live with her father and brother, her life in Brazil is the only thing she can wish for. She feels like an outsider. Her father is not how she remembered him and she feels her brother and father were expecting a little girl instead of the teen she has become. The only thing she feels attached to is the your filly her father bought named Wild Girl.
Giff's book explains the difficulty of moving to a different country and how it feels to be an outsider. Most teens a...more
Giff's book explains the difficulty of moving to a different country and how it feels to be an outsider. Most teens a...more
Lyddie was left behind in Brazil when her brother and father moved to the U.S. to train horses. Her Tio Paulo knows she is a strong headed girl, a wild girl. When her father finally has saved enough money and has an appropriate home he sends for her and she goes to the U.S. She struggles with language, school, desire to be with her aunt and uncle again and the new family dynamics with her brother and father. She has grown in the five years since they left, but they still view her as a little gir...more
Lidie leaves her home and family in Brazil for a new life with her father and brother in New York. The adjustment to a new home and school is daunting. She does not speak English, and on her first day, she does not know how to ask for the bathroom and has an accident that is humiliating. Lidie's father is a horse trainer, and they both still think Lidie is a little girl rather than the competent twelve year old that she is. Lidie bonds with a horse they call Wild Girl because she remembers her m...more
A sweet story about a girl struggling to make a transition after moving from Brazil to New York, where she joins her father and brother on their horse farm after years of separation. Around the same time Lydie arrives at the farm, so does Wild Girl, a young filly who is also none too happy about her recent life changes.
It's a spare, slim little story - a quick read. The horse on the nice looking cover may be what leads girls to pick this book up, and while there's plenty of horse action here (L...more
It's a spare, slim little story - a quick read. The horse on the nice looking cover may be what leads girls to pick this book up, and while there's plenty of horse action here (L...more
Reviews & Awards
Parallel stories of Lidie, a Brazilian girl’s move to America and a foul born in South Carolina. Lidie and the foul are separated from their mothers and both in on a horse farm in New York. This audio book was gripping and held my attention. The reader’s voice displayed empathy and understanding for the characters. The scene which had me holding my breath was Lidie’s first day of school and she needed to use the bathroom. I felt so sorry for her and I was as embarrassed as sh...more
Parallel stories of Lidie, a Brazilian girl’s move to America and a foul born in South Carolina. Lidie and the foul are separated from their mothers and both in on a horse farm in New York. This audio book was gripping and held my attention. The reader’s voice displayed empathy and understanding for the characters. The scene which had me holding my breath was Lidie’s first day of school and she needed to use the bathroom. I felt so sorry for her and I was as embarrassed as sh...more
Imagine if you reunited with your father and brother in a new country, after years of aching for them, only to realize you don't fit together any more?
This is Lidie's experience. Her brother thinks she still loves pink and Snow White and needs to learn to ride on a gentle old horse. What does he know about her wild rides back home, and how she's grown? Lidie's father seems to have lost the warmth he had when her mother lived. Her classmates speak no Portuguese. Her house is too quiet.
Slowly, th...more
This is Lidie's experience. Her brother thinks she still loves pink and Snow White and needs to learn to ride on a gentle old horse. What does he know about her wild rides back home, and how she's grown? Lidie's father seems to have lost the warmth he had when her mother lived. Her classmates speak no Portuguese. Her house is too quiet.
Slowly, th...more
Okay, my rating is probably a little harsh, but it drives me nuts when writers choose characters from other countries and seemingly do no more research than look up a few foreign words and foods. Aside from that complaint, (or perhaps as a part of that) the main character seems through most of the book to be more bratty than wild, and the outcome is too pat. But hey, I'm not the target audience, and although I haven't anything against horses, stories about them wouldn't necessarily be more first...more
I love everything I've ever read by this author. This is a sweet story about a girl immigrating to NY from Brazil to be with her brother and father. Lidie loves horses and has been riding in Jales with her Aunt and Uncle. When she moves in with her father (the horseman) and brother (a jockey) it seems they can only think of her as the little girl they left behind. Lidie has difficulty in school and misses her home. She finds comfort in the horse "Wild Girl" who arrives in NY at the Horseman's st...more
Jan 16, 2010
Erin Sterling
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Shelves:
psc,
read-in-2010,
character,
story,
teen-fiction,
teen-realistic,
youth-fiction,
youth-realistic
Lidie loves riding horses in Brazil with her aunt and uncle, but she misses her father and brother who moved to the United States five years ago. When she finally goes to live with them in the United States at age 12 where her brother is training to be a jockey at the famous race track her father runs, she realizes they think she is still the little girl they left behind. Each chapter also begins with the viewpoint of a wild filly that Lidie eventually learns to ride, which was one of the weaker...more
For the second time, acclaimed author Patricia Reilly Giff changes out her usual historical settings for the books she writes for high middle grade readers for a current setting, & a story about a girl figuring out who she is & how she fits in a place that seems like it could never be home.
Lidie hasn't seen her father & older brother since they left their home in Brazil to find work in America when she was seven. Now twelve, Lidie has spent the intervening years living with her aunt...more
Lidie hasn't seen her father & older brother since they left their home in Brazil to find work in America when she was seven. Now twelve, Lidie has spent the intervening years living with her aunt...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I enjoyed this story of a family learning to overcome (unintentioned) hurts and learning to live together after several years apart. Since her mother died, Lidie has been living with her aunt and uncle in Brazil. Her dad and brother moved almost immediately after the funeral to the US, saying they would send for her when they could. The time has now come. They are remembering the little girl they left behind, while Lidie remembers her feelings of abandonment. After a number of false starts, thei...more
I liked this story of a girl from Brazil adjusting to a new life in the area surrounding New York City, despite a lack of action to drive the plot. Certainly her story and struggle to adjust to her new life, and to an older brother and father who remember her as a little girl they left 4 years ago is engaging. The story ends up neat and clean and she has a solid personality. The subplot with horses will captivate some readers. My only qualm seems to be that in general there was a lot more reflec...more
12-year-old Lidie leaves her native Brazil to come to New York, where her father and older brother have been living and saving to bring her for the last five years. Full of confidence at first, Lidie has a terrible first day at school when her English isn't good enough for her to communicate. And at home, her father and brother still think of her as a little girl who loves Snow White and bunnies. At the same time, a filly named Wild Girl is being purchased and brought to the farm where Lidie and...more
For girls who love books about horses, this one is sure to appeal. Lidie is a twelve year old immigrant from Brazil. Her father and brother have been saving money to bring her to the States to live with them. Her father is a race horse trainer and her brother is a jockey in training. She loves horses and misses the life she had when her mother was alive and her family was whole. Despite some bumps along the way, Lidie finds her place in her new home. Slim volume with a slim story. Sweet and upli...more
not too excting but real good
1 like · like · see review
For girls who love books about horses, this one is sure to appeal. Lidie is a twelve year old immigrant from Brazil. Her father and brother have been saving money to bring her to the States to live with them. Her father is a race horse trainer and her brother is a jockey in training. She loves horses and misses the life she had when her mother was alive and her family was whole. Despite some bumps along the way, Lidie finds her place in her new home. Slim volume with a slim story. Sweet and upli...more
Do you like horses? Do you like a short and fun read? Well if you do, then Wild Girl by Patricia Reilly Giff is the book for you! I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes horses and a short read. This is a fun book that lets the reader have a different insight on life. When a young girl Lidie moves from her home of Jales, Brazil with her aunt and uncle to the United States of America to her father and brother, Lidie feels very different. It was hard for her to leave the place w...more
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| Love it? Hate it? | 7 | 9 | Apr 11, 2013 03:01am |
PATRICIA REILLY GIFF is the author of many beloved books for children, including the Kids of the Polk Street School books, the Friends and Amigos books, and the Polka Dot Private Eye books. Several of her novels for older readers have been chosen as ALA-ALSC Notable Books and ALA-YALSA Best Books for Young Adults. They include The Gift of the Pirate Queen; All the Way Home; Water Street; Nory Ryan...more
More about Patricia Reilly Giff...
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Nov 05, 2012 11:15am