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Cartwheeling In Thunderstorms (2014)

by Katherine Rundell(Favorite Author)

3.92 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

1442490616 (ISBN13: 9781442490611)

languge

English

genre

Middle Grade & Children's

publisher

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

review 1: Will Silver lives an idyllic, carefree life on a farm in Zimbabwe, but all that changes with the unexpected death of her father and the marriage of her caretaker to a woman who takes an intense dislike for Will. Because the new Mrs. Browne doesn't want to be bothered with Will, she arranges to ship her to a boarding school in London. The girls there tease her because of her name, her clothing, her hair, and her ignorance of all the things that matter to them. Because the opening chapters in which Wildcat (her father's affectionate name for his daughter) thrives with the freedom and the lifestyle she has enjoyed since her birth, the stultifying conditions of life in the city are almost palpably painful to read, and readers will quickly recognize that things won't go well fo... morer Will. After a particularly cruel act by some of the school's ringleaders, Will bolts and tries to live on the streets and in the city zoo. Although I enjoyed the first one-third of the book more than the last portion, I still relished the story, and my heart ached for Will. Clearly, it will be a long stretch for her to fit into her new environment, but she has the skills to do so, if she chooses to make an effort.
review 2: After enjoying Rooftoppers so much, I was excited for KR's new book. The first 50 pages are full of the whimsy of her first: young white wild child Wilhemina (Will, Wildcat, Cartwheel), her great love of Zimbabwe, her black friend Simon, her foreman father and the ranch owner, Captain Browne. When her father dies of malaria, the young, evil manipulating wife ships Will off to boarding school in England, where she is miserable and abused by her classmates. The next 150 pages are difficult for her and the reader, including her running away. Will finally stumbles across some kindness, and they convince her to return to school, where she is no longer seen as a pariah. This happy ending seems woefully inconsistent with teenage girl behavior, particularly for the privileged. 2.5 stars. less

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