The Girl and the Grove - Softcover

Eric Smith is a young adult author and literary agent who grew up in the wilds of New Jersey. When he isn't working on books (his and other peoples), he can be found writing about books for places like Book Riot and Paste Magazine. He lives with his wife, Nena, and their legion of small furry animals in Michigan. Find him online at ericsmithrocks.com or on Twitter at @ericsmithrocks.

Gr 7 Up—Leila has been in the foster care system since she was two years old. Now a teenager, she has finally been adopted by Jon and Lisabeth, a loving couple doing their best to make her feel welcome. Though she tries to accept her adoptive parents' warm gestures, she struggles to let down the wall that she has built around herself. Leila confides in her best friend, Sarika, whom she met in a group home, and reveals that she hears distracting voices at random times each day. Leila's passion for the environment leads her to join a summer volunteer group that raises awareness about conservation issues. When the voices increase in frequency, the teen follows their direction and finds herself in the midst of an endangered forest, where she comes across mythical creatures who shed light on her personal history and the story of the park in which they reside. Leila must integrate this new knowledge with her environmental activism in order to succeed in her quest for belonging. Smith's novel covers the important topics of adoption, identity, and environmental awareness, while also touching on teenage relationships and inserting beautiful images of nature into the text. While the themes are worthy ones, their advancement lacks sophistication and integrity. The characters, especially Leila's adoptive parents, are underdeveloped, and the details of Leila's psychological issues are never deeply explored. The language reverts to juvenile phrases and the plot is too often contrived. VERDICT A secondary purchase for middle school collections looking to add environmental fiction.—Karin Greenberg, Manhasset High School, Manhasset, NY