The Wild Girls

Joan doesn't like living in California, until she meets Sarah, a "girl dressed in ragged jeans and a dirty T-shirt. . . . Her face was methodically streaked with red-brown clay." While Joan lives with her image-conscious, controlling parents, Sarah leads a free-wheeling life with her artistic father. The girls share common ground, though: Joan is afraid her parents may divorce, and Sarah worries that her absent mother will never return. Both girls also love writing, which they find helps them escape-and eventually, confront-their fears. Winner of the 2008 Christopher Award.