Nature Girl

by Jane Kelley

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!

“First-time novelist Jane Kelley uses the light touch of humor to let in the sunlight. Bravo!”—Sid Fleischman, Newbery Award–winning author

Genres: Adventure, Realistic Fiction, Middle Grade, Fiction, Young Adult, Survival, Childrens

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Jane Kelley lives in Mequon, Wisconsin, with her husband at the edge of a magical woods. She is the author of many middle-grade novels and science books. She studied theater at Northwestern University, where she learned how to get inside a character. She is proud to have reconnected with the stage. Her most recent novel has been turned into a family musical. She looks forward to traveling and discovering new worlds for her novels.

Reviews

[Ula · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was the first book I finished in my whole life and it was the book that got me into reading. Believe me when I say this book changed me!! I loved it so much and now it is one of my favorite comfort reads!! This book is funny, sad, inspiring, adventurous, and just everything amazing! This is the only book that I will not take negative comments on...

Anyway if you plan on reading this i definitely recommend and hope you enjoy it as much as i did🤍

[Stephanie A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Despite a tragically neon cover that does not even slightly bring nature to mind, this is wonderful walking inspiration. Especially on the days when the weather is yucky and the bugs are out and you're like, "I HATE THIS, I HATE THIS, WHY DO HUMAN BODIES HAVE TO EXERCISE TO BE FIT." You just channel this book's premise and push yourself forward, either because you tell yourself you were forced into it and soon you will exact swift vengeance upon the person who did this to you, or because you've decided it is now a quest of personal honor and there is something wonderful waiting for you at the end of 30 miles. Either way, the result is you overcome your inertia enough to get yourself outside and eventually be glad you came.

I saved it specifically for a day I went on a long walk on a state trail, taking breaks to read this along the way so I wouldn't kill my feet entirely, and it was perfect. Even though I loved that walk, by the end I was definitely regretting my impulsive decision not to turn around when my watch told me I should. But unless I wanted to horsejack the next rider who went by, my own two feet were the only way out of this, so I kept plodding forward and saying to myself, "The shelter is only 5 miles ahead, and there are Double Stuf Oreos in it." (The shelter was actually my car, and there were no Oreos, but there could have been if I'd wanted to make it happen. It was also less than 5 miles, so that I would be pleasantly surprised by how soon I got there.)

But enough about me for a moment. I suspect she will rub a lot of people the wrong way, especially at the beginning, but I really loved Megan and followed her Indignant Child logic whenever she felt wronged by someone. I sympathized with her self-centered nature and my heart hurt at every mention of Lucy being lured away by other girls or being too mature and responsible to indulge her best friend's childish views. You already have a friend, why would you respond to the overtures of a popular girl. And listen, I realize this might say some things about me as an adult, but it DOES suck when you're barely 12, going somewhere tragically boring all summer*, and your friend refuses to come stay with you for even a few days despite the fact that her mom's prognosis is about as good as it gets in cancer. I can't fault her for feeling the way she does, even if she should express it more appropriately.

*Disclaimer: I do not agree that renting a farm in Vermont with no internet/cable sounds boring at all, but I definitely would have at most points from age 12-21, so even though I have turned into her parents and would inflict this same summer on my hypothetical kid without a second thought, I understand her pain.

I LOVED that she had her dog with her on the trail -- in spite of, or maybe even BECAUSE he's not the standard type of dog who would love nothing better than to walk for miles with you ("Loyal Dogs are big and brown. Their wide eyes look at you like you're the most wonderful person in the world and whatever you say is pure genius"), but a scruffy little 10-pound ball of fluff, normally her mom's baby, who sometimes has to be carried. He kept up impressively well for such a little dog, and he was adorable in his every scene. Side note: Poppleton would have been a way better name for him than Arp; boo Dad.

I also loved her descriptions of/complaints about My Side of the Mountain, because even though I loved that book, I could not argue about her calling it "the kind of book grown-ups think you should read just because they liked it when they were kids in the last century." It's sad but true, today's kids often have terrible taste. That said, her complaints that he kept going on about his "stupid rabbit fur underwear" made me laugh, because I do not remember that part and yeah, I can see where that would make you roll your eyes.

Finally, while I was skeptical about her ugly doodles at the beginning, I found that eventually they did actually help me visualize certain things (like Arp's rescue). And I have to say that I just really enjoyed her voice. She's snarky but in a cute kid way, and she's so HUFFY and EASILY ANNOYED by things that my own hair-trigger temper was very much nodding along in recognition and/or a general sense of "you know what, that's fair." You whack those trees with your walking stick, Nature Girl!

The bear encounter seemed a little far-fetched and unnecessary -- as did her claims that her shorts were getting loose and her leg muscles were getting super strong after...2-3 days -- but otherwise I loved every second of this. It will also seriously make you appreciate planning a single-day hike, on which you bring along plenty of water and appropriate foodstuffs, and go home to a decent meal, bathroom and bed at the end of the day.

Someone else compared this to Halfway to the Sky, but not as good, and they're half right. Both are about a 12-year-old girl hiking the Appalachian Trail without parental supervision or permission, but while the former is an intense, serious drama with high quality writing and serious, heavy stuff at its center, this is a much easier read, fluffy and casual and light. The thing is, I love them both equally, depending on mood. And part of the reason I took so instantly to this one is because honestly, which kind of hiker are you more like: the one who trains endurance and knows how to pack a trail backpack full of nutritionally balanced food and rough camping supplies, or the one who just impulsively goes out and is like, "Guess we're gonna walk today until our legs fall off"?

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

At the beginning I did not like 11 year old Megan. She was whiny, only thought about herself, and had a raging persecution complex. However, when Megan becomes lost on the Appalachian Trail she decides it will only take her a couple days to hike the 30 miles to Mt. Greylock to see her best friend Lucy. Finally we begin to get to the root of Megan’s misery. It is a heartwarming tale that will make you want to take your son or daughter on a hike near you. It turns out Megan is brave, loyal, and definitely not a quitter!

[Jennifer Feliz]

From my personal experience, Nature Girl by Jane Kelley has been a great book so far. The main character Megan is a bit selfish. Megan doesn't want her bestfriend Lucy to go visit her mother in Massachusetts for the summer. The only reason why Lucy is going to Massachusetts is because her mother is sick with the good cancer. Meanwhile, Megan is spending her summer in Vermont with her evil sister Ginna and her dog Arp. Megan didn't want to go to Vermont, but the only reason why she went was because Lucy was over there and now Lucy is spending the summer in Massachusetts. Megan basically supplanted Lucy with Arp her dog for the summer. I can connect to Megan reaction of her not wanting Lucy to go to Massachusetts because I know I would react the same way if my bestfriend Paola left over the summer and left me alone.

Although Megan is not my favorite character in the book, I would characterize her as selfish and determined, as I mention in my first paragraph. Megan is selfish because she doesn't want Lucy to go to Massachusetts to visit her sick mother. But she also determined because when she got lost in the Appalachian Trail with her dog Arp, there was a negative voice incessantly saying she was lazy and that she can't do anything right. But when Megan heard that voice it motivated her to keep on going instead of giving up! But toward the middle of the book, Megan realizes she hasn't been a good friend to Lucy, so she dedicates the hike she was doing to Lucy mother.

One of my favorites characters in the book is Lucy. You can tell she very attentive with her mother. She goes all the way to Massachusetts to visit her mother. I can connect with Lucy situation because my mom is also sick (but not with cancer) something else, and as her only daughter it is my job to take care of her when she wakes up sick. The only difference is that my bestfriend understands my situation and she cooperative and she helps me out. Unlike Megan who toward the beginning of book didn't understand Lucy situations.

The way I would describe Megan's and Lucy relationship is as if Megan is hampering Lucy from going to Massachusetts. Megan tells Lucy that she doesn't want her to go to Massachusetts, but its mandatory for Lucy to go because her mother is sick. Megan's behavior was intricated to understand because she didn't want Lucy to go away. But then toward the middle their relationship is way better because Megan understood the reason why Lucy went to Massachusetts and if it were to be her mother, Lucy would understand her position.

Futhermore, my prediction for whats going to happen next in the book is that Megan is going to find her way out of the Appalachian Trail and her and Lucy relationship is going to improve a whole lot.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Megan is pretty self-centered at the start of the book. As we find out later, she was actually aware of most of the things that were happening around her, but she didn't know how to deal with them, and didn't think she would be able to do anything helpful, so she did nothing much.

When she accidently starts a solo hike down the Appalachian Trail, with her mother's spoiled dog, it gives her a new perspective on her own abilities, and she learns from the experience.

The book is a lot more fun and a lot less diadactic than the above synopsis makes it sound. I think you'll enjoy it.

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

OK, I have to tell on myself...my great niece, Emma, left this signed-by-the-author chapter book on my coffee table on Christmas day!!! Hummmm! Well it kept sitting there, calling to me, day in and day out. Finally I just had to take a look and, you guessed the rest, now Emma's brand new book has been READ!!! I thought it was a sweet children's book, with a few "lessons to learn" tucked away inside. Shhh! Don't tell Emma...

[Vanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite books of all time!

I love it so much! Even though it's an easy read, it's something I can read over and over. I don't know how many times I've read this book.

Nature Girl was the book that inspired me to write, and I will forever remember it because of that. It will always have a place in my heart.

[Kim Zwart · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars.
I love reading about hiking and the Appalachian trail. This book was a bit... strange to me though... An eleven year old, hiking, alone? She seemed much wiser, yet more dumb than an eleven year old. I felt like the character (the thoughts, actions etc. that would be suitable for her age) wasn’t very well thought out.. But I loved reading about the AT & about hiking.

[Maura · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found Nature Girl through a library catalog search, looking for chapter books about the Appalachian Trail for my 6 year old son who has a sudden passion for books about hiking the AT. I am glad I decided to read it first before reading it to him, as it was a disappointment that I won't rush to read out loud to him.

We had recently finished Halfway to the Sky by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, another middle grade book that sounds, on its surface, strikingly similar to Nature Girl: a tween girl, disaffected from her parents, runs away and hikes the Appalachian Trail by herself. But that's where the similarities end. Where Dani from Halfway to the Sky is deeply traumatized by her brother's death, her father's abandonment, and her mother's emotional rigidity, Megan from Nature Girl is simply peeved at her well-meaning parents for restricting her television and cell phone use, and (even knowing plenty of moody tweens in real life) Megan is self-centered in an astonishing, cartoonishly obnoxious way that makes her character nearly intolerable to spend time with in each chapter. Whereas Brubaker Bradley's book has a finely drawn, vivid sense of place and very realistic details about surviving each day's hike on the AT, Nature Girl has only vague descriptions of entire days on the trail, and it is utterly unbelievable that a completely unprepared girl with no hiking experience, no equipment, and little water could survive as long as she did, even considering the trail angels who helped her along the way.

Given my son's enthusiasm for hiking books - which are surprisingly rare - I probably would have read it to him if the ending weren't so bad. Had Megan's character shown any kind of genuine development, but she was nearly as astonishingly selfish at the end of the book as she was in the beginning. Yes, she did become surprisingly more determined to finish the hike, but I couldn't see that as admirable dedication as much as jaw-dropping, inexcusably selfish stupidity, especially knowing that helicopters, dogs, and volunteers were looking for her. Worse, when she finished the hike, everyone around her was accommodating and apologetic to her, as if they bore any responsibility for her irresponsible decision, and then she was rewarded with what she wanted so peevishly in the first place, her suffering friend's companionship. And her parents' half-hearted effort at assigning her a consequence was simply ridiculous - the cost of the helicopter and rescue squads was going to come out of her allowance? Realistically, it would be the cost of a college education, never attainable by an 11 year old. I wanted to throw my book at the wall.

Normally, I would not sit in judgment of an 11 year old's character flaws...11 year olds are allowed to be obnoxious occasionally, as developmentally appropriate. But I've never known a kid of any age to be so astonishingly horrible to a friend whose mother had cancer, and usually an adult author will allow a character to grow in maturity in a "coming of age" story, so there is some redeemable aspect to a journey like a solo hike on the AT. But lacking the realistic details of the hike plus lacking any true character development, I just couldn't have my 6 year old spend any time with this unenjoyable character, so I'm returning Nature Girl to the library.

[Liralen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting take on the Appalachian Trail. Megan's 11 and stuck in Vermont for the summer, but all she wants is to see her best friend, Lucy, whose mother is battling cancer. Make no mistake: it's not that Megan wants to be there to support her best friend: it's more than she wants Lucy around to alleviate Megan's boredom. (She's worried about Lucy's mother but doesn't really know what to think of it and would rather worry about herself.) So when Megan gets lost in the woods and stumbles across the AT, she decides to follow it down to Massachusetts, near where Lucy is spending the summer.

Megan only covers about thirty miles of the AT here, or a tiny fraction—something like 1.4%—of the total distance. Because she's eleven and not outdoorsy and prone to getting lost and so on, this takes her the better part of a week. She does some growth over the course of it, but it comes so suddenly and so late in the book that I'm not sure it felt earned. And...good golly there are a lot of secondary/tertiary characters who figure out what she's doing (i.e., that she's the missing girl whose parents think she might be dead) and are just, like, 'welp, seems important to her, so guess we'd better let her parents go on believing she's dead for another couple days'.

I trust there will eventually be more light/YA Appalachian Trail fiction, because I've made it through the books (all three of them) that I know of, and...they're fun.

[Sophia · Rating 5 out of 5]

To contrast the mediocre reviews from underwhelmed parents, I a 16-year-old girl decided to write this review after randomly remembering this book seven years after I read it and actually got my copy signed by the author. While it's been quite a while since I've read through the whole book, I vividly remember reading this book in one night and rereading it multiple times after that. Something about the narrative of a young girl going on a solo adventure sparked what I consider to be the beginning of my love for reading. Along with a few other books such as the hate you give and the evolution of Calpurnia Tate, nature girl has managed to sit in my mind as one of my most core childhood memories. With that said, if you have an 8-11 year old daughter, id say it is worth getting for her to read.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premise of this book is fun and fairly unusual, and it promotes hiking and the Appalachian Trail, two things I love. I also liked how the main character matured as her hike progressed, and the way she and her best friend finally worked out their miscommunications and conflicts.

I didn't like that it seems written for older elementary aged readers, but the older sister has make-out sessions with her boyfriend that involve loud moaning. This felt inappropriate and ill-suited for the rest of the book. The book also describes some bad hiking practices (burying trash incorrectly, for example, drinking from a spring without filtering - unavoidable in the circumstances, but without correction in the narrative).

[Gail Gauthier · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I totally bought in to Megan's experience. The pieces of the Long Trail I've been on were similar to what Megan was seeing. (That shelter!) The people she ran into were similar to people I've read about in hiking articles. Yes, it does push the envelope to think this kid could make it and didn't throw in the towel and seek help. But we believe kids in books catch criminals and fight magical monsters, so why not this?

Also, this book actually is funny. Lots of times with middle grade books we're told they are funny, and I get the feeling that at various points something is supposed to be funny, but it isn't. In this one the humor works. "

Excerpt from Original Content.

[Kamila Gomez-Campbell]

Megan starts to feel sad then runs away. She ends up hiking the Appalachian Trail. The only company she has is her tiny dog. She doesn't have enough food and water. Will she make it or not? No idea man.

I recommend this book to someone who likes books that are more realistic. This book is less fantasy. Its a great book with fewer monsters and wars. It also has real places in this book. It's not places like Narnia.

I really like this book. It's less then what I usually read. It's more real than imaginary. Like most books the charters are fake. Wich still lets you use your imagination. I like how this book is told from her perspective and we can see her thoughts.

[Anneke Alnatour · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first co-read with the eldest. She picked it, or she said it was the first book she had laying around from the library, so this is what we read.

Overall, I found the book to be okay. Very timely for us, as she is close to age to Moody Megan (she really gets on your nerves) and has quite some similar thoughts. We both came with different conclusions on what was important about the book and the story, so that was interesting.

It was okay, good for reading together and we had an interesting discussion after.

[Anne Newgarden · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I'm an adult, but I often enjoy reading children's books, and my young niece told me it was her favorite book, and read it so many times I had to read it too. Jane Kelley has such a gift for getting inside the mind of a young girl. The book is funny, adventuresome, thoughtful, and most of all, empowering. Vicariously hiking the Appalachian Trail, ALONE? Of course my niece loved it! Bravo, Jane Kelley! Now I can't wait to read your other books!

[marcus Garza · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Book teaches you Not to give up my opinion is when I first read it it was not my taste but about a year later i came back to it and it is Know my berry Favorite book i swear my mum had to pull the book out of my hands. #Naturegirl!🌈

[Kate Bradley · Rating 3 out of 5]

The reviews with three stars resonated with me-she didn’t make sense most of the time but I enjoyed the description of hiking the AT. My younger daughter described May-gun as a “brat.” Definitely made me want to hike and get a dog, however!

[Laura H · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book for middle elementary school readers.

[Bec Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read for 9 - 12 year olds - learning a little about taking responsibility for what you put into relationships...

[Polly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book while hiking the AT

[Eric Henderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this with my 9 year old. She rated it 4 stars, and I concur. Good adventure, heavy-duty emotional content. A good one.

[Assortedtrashprincess · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF

[Ella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

[Erin Tierney-Butler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story about a young teenager figuring out some things about life on her epic hike.

[Samantha Cuff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this with my daughter, we both really liked it. We live near Appalachian Trail, so it was really interesting to be able to picture it in that way.

[Maggie May · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my all time favourite book! So sweet and loved reading this book even as I was young!

[Chloe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for middle school and up! I loved it when I read it

[Melanie Terry · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the character arc of Megan in this book. She started out sullen and whiney and really gained some perspective. I would have given it 3 stars if it weren’t for the glaring error. Anyone who has researched the Appalachian Trail for more than 5 minutes knows that the blazes are white, not blue. Blue blazes are connector trails and off shoots and are not a part of the AT.

[Kate Puleo Unger · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I heard Jane Kelley describe Nature Girl at my library's Local Author Fair, I knew I had to read it. I hiked part of the Appalachian Trail with camp when I was in high school. In Nature Girl, Megan is dragged to Vermont with her family and forced to participate in mandatory art time each day. She's not at all artistic, unlike her parents and sister. Megan just wants to watch TV, and most of all, she wants to talk to her best friend on the phone. Neither activity is allowed by her parents. They want her to spend time outside, which is why they force her to accompany her sister and her boyfriend on a hike. When Megan gets lost in the woods and overhears a couple talking about hiking from Mount Greylock, Massachusetts, where her best friend is staying, Megan decides that if they can do it, why can't she. Thus begins her grand adventure.

This book was very well done. Megan was pretty obnoxious in the beginning, but I knew she was hurting. Her best friend was supposed to spend the summer with her in Vermont, but she had to cancel because her mother got cancer. Megan didn't understand, but I did. Also, I knew she was ripe from some serious character development, so I decided to give her a chance. I think kids would identify with Megan right away. She's from the city, and she has little experience with nature. Yet, she and her dog embrace the woods (over time). They even take on a bear!

Megan spends a lot of time alone during this book, but because she has her little dog, Arp, with her, she is able to talk aloud to him without it being weird. We get some dialog (albeit one way) in addition to the thoughts inside Megan's head. She also encounters some other characters along the way that add to the story. My favorite was Trail Blaze Betty whose brownies and sage advice keep Megan going when things are rough.

I enjoyed reading the story of Megan's growth while also reminiscing about my own time on the trail. Jane's writing was compelling and fun. She was able to get inside the mind of an 11 year-old girl in a way that works for adults as well as kids. I look forward to reading more of her writing.

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