Wild

June 1, 2014
Overcoming a slow start and a cacophony of voices, this novel combines adventure and romance into an engaging read.While their fellow seniors head to Orlando for spring break, Dara and her boyfriend, Josh, decide to camp in the Daniel Boone National Forest. The forest is home to trees, animals-and a teenager named Cade, who has lived there since his parents fled from society 15 years before. When he sees Dara, Cade is entranced, and the feeling is mutual once they meet. A bear attack forces Dara and Josh to bring an injured Cade out of the forest and into society. Dubbed the Primitive Boy once the story breaks, Cade is left reeling by this strange new world. Only Dara can help him...and that's what Dara wants, too. The connection between them is undeniable, but it's a struggle to nurture a romance under such conditions. To be together, will they choose to live in the woods or in the world? The story doesn't really start until the bear attack occurs. Mallory tells her story in multiple voices; the choice to go beyond Cade and Dara to include other characters' perspectives facilitates the sharing of information with readers yet dilutes the emotional impact.Nevertheless, that impact is still made, and Cade and Dara's struggle to be together shines. (Adventure/romance. 14-18)

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May 1, 2014

Gr 7 Up-Cade grew up among the trees and caves of Daniel Boone National Forest. Dara grew up in the Kentucky town of Makwa. When a Spring Break camping trip Dara takes with her boyfriend, Josh, turns terrifying, the world of the forest and the world of modern-day Kentucky are thrust together. Cade is forced out of the wilderness and must contend with the media circus forming around him. It may be more than he and Dara can bear. The plotting of this retelling of Edgar Rice Burroughs's Tarzan of the Apes is smart and will keep readers interested in how Cade came to be in the woods by dropping clues about his mother's past throughout the narrative. The novel features some romance, but it is not overwrought nor does it override the mystery element. Some mentions of modern technologies such as Tumblr, Skype, and iPhones will date the novel, but they add to Cade's overwhelming lack of knowledge about the world he is suddenly a part of. A fine addition to any YA collection.-Paige Garrison, Aurora Central Public Library, CO

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2014
Grades 8-11 High in the trees of the Daniel Boone National Forest, Cade believes he is among the only survivors of a deadly pandemic. However, when two healthy teens blunder through the woodshis woodshe is no longer sure what to think, except that the girl is the most beautiful creature he has ever seen. Originally planned as a photographic adventure to bring them closer together, Dara and Josh's secret camping trip derails fast, both emotionally and logistically. When the campers' ineptitude gets them into trouble, Cade risks his life to save them and ends up in the hospitaland in civilizationfor the first time in his life. Mystery surrounds the Primitive Boy, generating a media frenzy and police investigation to uncover his past. As Dara tries to help Cade transition to modern life, the two teens find themselves inexplicably drawn to each other. Told from multiple perspectives, Malloy's contemporary spin on Tarzan is wrought with emotion and intrigue, making this an unlikely but enjoyable romance.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)