When 17-year-old Rilla is busted for partying 24 hours into arriving in Yosemite National Park to live with her park ranger sister, it’s a come-to-Jesus moment.

Determined to make up for her screw-up and create a stable new home for herself, Rilla charms her way into a tight-knit group of climbers. But Rilla can’t help but be seduced by experiences she couldn’t have imagined back home. She sets her sights on climbing El Capitan, one of the most challenging routes in Yosemite, and her summer becomes one harrowing and ecstatic experience after another: first climb, first fall two thousand feet in the air, first love. But becoming the person Rilla feels she was meant to be jeopardizes the reasons why she came to Yosemite—a bright new future and a second chance at sisterhood. When her family and her future are at odds, what will Rilla choose?

praise for valley girls

  • Thoughtful, nuanced, and awe-inspiring! Valley Girls is the missing gospel for everyone with a messy heart and infinite dreams. This book will heal you, I swear.

    JULIE MURPHY, #1 New York Times bestselling author

  • Lemon deftly navigates one girl’s growing self-awareness, and pairs it with a frank discussion of economic diversity. As for the mountain climbing? That’s enough to hook any adventure junkie.

    Booklist

  • This tale of resilience and girl power is a great addition to libraries serving teens.

    School Library Journal

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