✨A Wolf Called Wander (2019)

By Rosanne Parry

238 pages

Amazon rating: 4.8/5, grades 3-7

Good Reads: 4.16/5

Common Sense Media: 5/5, age 9+

4Rbooks: 5+/6, Grades 3+ - 8

Synopsis:

Swift is a young wolf, the fastest of his pack. He competes with his brother Sharp who is bigger and stronger, and takes care of his brother Warm, the runt of the litter. He also has two sisters. They all learn the ways of being a wolf from their mother and father, aunt and uncle.

One day a rival pack invades their territory and fights to establish dominance. In the aftermath, Swift becomes separated from his family and starts a long, sometimes dangerous journey to find a new home, and a new pack. On his journey he renames himself Wander. He learns that his favorite food, elk, can be vicious, that ravens can be friends, that fire and humans are dangerous enemies, and that finding a new friend can bring more joy than he could have imagined.

This story was inspired by the true-life tale of a wolf known as OR-7 and later given the name Journey by school children from around the world. The wolf made a journey of over 1000 miles through Oregon and into parts of California.

Parental Guidance: Low

There are realistic descriptions of life in the wild, including the hunting and

eating of prey.

There are realistic descriptions of dangers in the wild including predator

animals, fires, and humans.

Recommendation: High

The story was written by the same author as A Whale il in the Wild. This story came first. There are many similar elements to each story, but they stand alone and are equally excellent reads. The story is interesting and exciting, and has definite “can’t put it down” qualities.

I think boys and girls would enjoy this story, but boys might enjoy it even more. As with the other book, there is an excellent non-fiction section at the end with information about wolf OR-7, wolves, and animals and plants mentioned in the book. This would be a good read for gifted students who like to do research on their own, and would be an excellent class read-aloud with opportunities for further research.