Such an interesting story about wolves! I read this one as an e-book
from my local library, but a print copy would be better to fully appreciate the
lovely black and white drawings by illustrator Mónica Armiño.
Description from the publisher
This gripping novel about survival and family is based on the real story
of one wolf’s incredible journey to find a safe place to call home. Illustrated
throughout, this irresistible tale by award-winning author Rosanne Parry is for
fans of Sara Pennypacker’s Pax and
Katherine Applegate’s The One and Only
Ivan.
Swift, a young wolf cub, lives with his pack in the mountains learning
to hunt, competing with his brothers and sisters for hierarchy, and watching
over a new litter of cubs. Then a rival pack attacks, and Swift and his family
scatter.
Alone and scared, Swift must flee and find a new home. His journey takes
him a remarkable one thousand miles across the Pacific Northwest. The trip is
full of peril, and Swift encounters forest fires, hunters, highways, and hunger
before he finds his new home.
A Wolf Called Wander by Rosanne Parry was published by Greenwillow
Books in 2019.
Why you want to read this book:
It’s an exciting survival story, told from an animal’s perspective. It
was hard to put down this story as I followed Swift through childhood, tragedy
and survival without his pack. It was super interested to learn about wolf
behaviour as I was reading. Keep in mind
that this story includes realistic details about wolf hunting their prey, for
anyone who is squeamish. The wolves are portrayed as living, wild animals—hunting,
fighting, sustaining injuries.
I spring to my feet
and run. The fire is on my heels, scorching my paws. Fire is above my head,
singing my fur.
Opening:
I begin in
darkness, and my nose tells me everything I know.
If you’re a writer…
You might want to study this book to see how to use
description and action to create an animal perspective. It’s especially
interesting to look at all the sensory details from a wolf point of view! I
liked the way the author created a complete world for the wolves by developing their
beliefs and thoughts about family and their own culture.
Our voices bounce off
the mountains. They reach for the wolf star.
If you’re an educator…
This book will satisfy the curiosity of anyone
interested in wolves! At the back of the book, there’s lots of information
about wolves and their habitats, as well as details about how research
information on wolves is collected. I was really interested to learn that the
story was inspired by the life of a real wolf in Oregon.
Check out another review of this book from a family perspective at Some the Wiser.
If you’re looking for another great list of middle
grade books to read, check out Marvelous Middle Grade Monday on Greg Pattridge's blog.
