Parents' Guide to Wilder Girls

WILDER GIRLS begins 18 months after a mysterious virus called the Tox has killed or maimed all the humans and animals on a remote island off the coast of Maine. The island's sole occupant, the Raxter School for Girls, has been quarantined by the government and only a small group of girls, one teacher, and the headmistress are still alive. All of the survivors bear terrible scars from the Tox, and relapses (often fatal) are common. To protect themselves from dangers known and unknown, the girls learn how to shoot, and when on Gun Shift, stand guard on the school roof. Because of the quarantine, they've been forbidden to go outside of the fence surrounding the school. Only the Boat Shift, girls who pick up supplies left by the Navy, have permission to venture out. This is a dangerous task, as the woods around the school are now filled with animals the Tox has transformed into bloodthirsty beasts who've attacked and killed students. Like everyone at the school, 16-year-old best friends Hetty (a scholarship student) and Byatt (a rich kid from Boston) and their roommate, Reece (daughter of the school's groundskeeper), are waiting for the cure promised by the government. But that's never come and the food and supplies left by the Navy are barely enough to keep them alive. When Hetty is assigned to the Boat Shift, she discovers that all is not as it seems on the island. Then, Byatt falls ill and disappears from the school's infirmary.