Hear her howl

After she's caught kissing another girl, 16-year-old Rue is sent to an all-girls Catholic boarding school, Sacred Heart. Rue knows it's another of her mother's attempts to avoid admitting that Rue isn't the kind of daughter she wanted. Sacred Heart's gorgeous, forested campus feels like prison at first, but Rue is captivated by another student, Charlotte, an outcast who speaks out in class and sneaks into the woods. Following Charlotte one night, Rue learns that Charlotte is a werewolf who can transform at will. She teaches Rue to unleash her own inner wolf, and as they're joined by more girls, their secret threatens Sacred Heart's status quo. DeRose cleverly, though overtly, uses werewolf lore as a metaphor for the ways "wild" girls are tamed into accepting society's unrealistic standards for women. Rue is relatable as she agonizes between being herself and conforming to expectations, a struggle mirrored in all of the girls. Though the ending is too neatly tied up, its triumphant feminist message is one to remember.

Following her arrival at an all-girls Catholic boarding school, a queer teen discovers a hidden ability to transform into a wolf in this alluring fantasy from DeRose (For Girls Who Walk Through Fire). After 16-year-old Rue Holloway is caught kissing a girl, her mother sends her to Sacred Heart in rural New Hampshire. Rue instantly falls for her troublemaker classmate Charlotte Savage, who takes the blame for Rue's production of a rebellious zine questioning the school's dress code, reasoning that Charlotte's wealthy senator father's large donations to the school cushion her from severe consequences. When students begin hearing howling from the off-limits woods surrounding the school, Charlotte settles Rue's anxiety with a secret: all women who hear "the call" can change into wolves. Now capable of transforming, Rue--accompanied by Charlotte and others--frolics through the woods as a wolf. But soon the school ramps up its efforts to hunt them down, sowing panic among the shifters; simultaneously, Rue's own family strain sets the stage for a tense climax that emphasizes the novel's focus on control vs. freedom. The 1990s-leaning setting lacks detail and leads to a somewhat unmoored narrative. DeRose's fresh reframing of familiar werewolf mythology alongside artfully wrought characters buttresses charged messaging about religious dominion and patriarchal attitudes. Rue and Charlotte read as white. Ages 14--up. Agent: Kathy Green, Kathryn Green Literary. (Nov.)

Teens at a girls' Catholic boarding school embrace their wild nature. After Rue Holloway was caught kissing a girl, her mom enrolled her at Sacred Heart Academy, "in the middle of East Jesus Nowheresville," where students are instilled with values of purity and deference. Rue, who's labeled "too much," has no desire to be a "good girl," so she's intrigued by her classmate Charlotte Savage--the rule-breaking, social outcast senator's daughter, who sneaks off into the forest at night. When Rue befriends Charlotte and learns her secret--she can transform into a wolf--Rue is inspired to rebel and discover the wild wolf within herself. As the girls' relationship deepens beyond friendship, other classmates who are fighting against societal and parental expectations join their pack. The more they embrace their truest selves, though, the closer danger lurks; there are those who would prefer to keep wild girls caged. The strict, stifling school setting heightens the feeling of confinement, while the power and ferocity of the girls in their wolf form is vivid and awe-inspiring. This boldly feminist story highlights varied experiences and obstacles while resolutely asserting that every woman and girl deserves to thrive and feel free. The themes are timeless; the mid-1990s era is cued through some pop-culture references and an absence of cellphones and social media. Rue and Charlotte are white, and there's racial diversity among the other students. A passionate rallying howl for indomitable girls.(Paranormal. 14-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.