excellent - Ruthie

Worth a read. ( )

First of all I am a sucker for wolves and who cannot but help fall in love with this cute wolf pup on the cover? And yes I will say I fell for the cover thus ordering it without really knowing what the story was going to be about.

Anyway I cannot say I was disappointed with the story, which will truly capture the minds of any child as anyone can relate. Runt lives a troubled life as a wolf pup whose experiences conflict with the way that his pack lives so he is always fighting himself based upon those experiences as well as the attitudes of his family. Being so small he finds he cannot live up to what the others want of him so his desire to prove himself just keeps getting him in more and more trouble with his family, his environment and even family "friends".

The story will make you pause and think as well as to relate. What do we struggle with? How do we want others to see us? How do we react to all the problems with us? And do we listen when the voice of wisdom speaks to us?

The only main letdowns for me is the fact the story was dry in some parts and the author didn't put a lot of personality in the non-major wolf players. Furthermore while I was reading I was struck by the fact (it was emphasized with the two top book recommendations for young readers) that the main wolf players copy in appearance the wolves of Jean Craighead George's "Julie" series with the black Amaroq, his look-alike son Kapu, Silver (the mother of both black pups) and even the dastardly bully wolf who was named Raw Bones in the series. In a sense I wish the author had been a bit more creative with her own wolf characters. ( )

Seemingly rooted in a classic tale of triumph in the face of hardship for the runt of a litter, this middle level novel teems with a far-from-ordinary intricate interplay of fact and fiction. Though he enters his father’s pack as Runt, this determined young wolf perseveres to earn himself a new name. The artfully crafted plot engages readers in a balance of excitement, suspense, and emotion with realistic depictions of wildlife and an introspective protagonist. Extra wide margins frame the moderate text, which is broken into short paragraphs characterized by a blend of dialog and descriptive yet relatively simple language. Though more complex, likely unfamiliar words can be found interspersed throughout the 22 short chapters, ample context clues aid readers in extracting meaning. In a short “afterword,” the author elaborates upon factual information about wolves, drawing comparisons between natural elements and the events that unfold throughout the story. ( )

For animal lovers, fiction ( )