Kristen Chandler wrote Wolves, Boys and Other Things That Might Kill Me, which was--hands down--one of my favorite YA reads back in 2010. But then I forgot to keep tabs on her career and much to my surprise, found Girls Don't Fly tucked into a stack of free books at my local library. And while Girls Don't Fly doesn't quite match up to the greatness of Wolves..., I'm pleased to report that I will happily follow Kristen Chandler for as long as she releases nature-themed YA lit. 
 Two things that Girls Don't Fly does really well: 
 1. I learned SO MUCH about the cormorants on the Galapagos Islands. See, Myra is applying for a scholarship to travel to the Galapagos Islands (competing against her ex-boyfriend) and she studies cormorants for her personal research project. The biology is deftly weaved in with the teenage drama, often finding parallels between the two. 
 2. While there's a budding romance for Myra, the book begins with her being unceremoniously dumped by her jerk of a boyfriend. I demand more realistic breakup books for teenagers to read because you know what? The odds that they'll find their true love in high school are pretty slim, while the chance that they'll break up with somebody that's not quite right for them is much greater. I appreciated that the story detailed Myra's journey of figuring out who she was post-breakup. That's some useful stuff right there. (I can say this with some degree of authority, given my recent experience with the subject.) 
 The rest of the story--ranging from Myra's family to the struggles of high school--are fairly typical and don't stand out. 
 Oh, this book is also a fun read if you have ties to Utah, as Myra lives north of Salt Lake City and works at a marina by the lake. (You guys, I lived in Utah for NINE YEARS and I've never once been to the Great Salt Lake. What's wrong with me?)