Valley Girls

Gr 10 Up—Rilla is sent to Yosemite to live with her park ranger older sister after running into some trouble back home in West Virginia. Looking to overcome her party girl reputation but struggling to find herself, Rilla turns to climbing. She makes friends with a bonded group of climbers and begins adventuring through the park. She sets her sights on climbing El Capitan, a 3,000-foot trek. With the help of her new friends, she trains, climbs, and begins to grow up. Readers follow as Rilla experiences her first climb, fall, and love. There is relationship and friend drama as the novel confronts issues of sexism, racism, and abusive relationships. The narrative is occasionally bogged down by too much technical climbing lingo, but an appended glossary will help clarify the terms for the uninitiated. There is also a resource list of further media, such as books and films, on Yosemite and climbing for those interested in learning more. The recreational drug use and profanity makes this more appropriate for older readers. This YA is reminiscent of Cheryl Strayed's Wild and will resonate with fans of coming-of-age and survival stories.