Narrator Kirby Heyborne enhances this beautiful story inspired by a real Oregon wolf. Swift, the fastest pup in his litter, is later called Wander, after he flees from his family during a vicious attack. As Wander matures, Heyborne skillfully alters his delivery of this first-person account. Listeners will travel with Wander through countless challenges, including crossing the black river (the highway) as he desperately seeks his family. Heyborne’s vivid observations are atmospheric—it’s enchanting when Wander befriends a raven who guides him. The best characterizations occur during a forest fire, when animals who are usually adversaries help each other escape. Also, the birth of a colt is deeply affecting. Wander’s loneliness and longing for a mate are realistic, while the story’s conclusion is believable and satisfying. S.G.B. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

…evokes the Pacific Northwest with lilting, sensory-driven ambient details…Parry's choice to have Swift narrate his own perilous journey brings an on-the-ground intimacy to the story as the wolf describes unfamiliar things through his own lupine filter…Parry has written about being far from home before, recently in Last of the Name…and The Turn of the Tide…It's a terrain she captures expertly in A Wolf Called Wander.

04/08/2019

Parry (The Turn of the Tide) offers a wolf’s-eye view of the Pacific Northwest’s forests, mountains, and prairies in this harrowing survival tale based on the story of OR-7, a wolf electronically tracked by scientists. As a pup, quick learner Swift was taught that there are perils in the world (“you are tender and tasty, my wolfling”), but he doesn’t encounter danger firsthand until he and his siblings are old enough to learn how to hunt. When a rival wolf pack attacks, many of Swift’s clan, including his father, are killed and their territory usurped. Eager to flee the enemy, Swift begins an arduous solo journey, renaming himself “Wander.” Along the way, he encounters such threats as a human with a “lightning stick,” a busy highway, a cougar, and a forest fire, all the while yearning for the companionship of another wolf. A straightforward, relatable narrative mixes facts about wolves’ habits with sensory explorations of nature (flowers nod, hunger awakens, scents reveal), and Armiño’s realistic art illustrates key moments throughout. An action-packed novel perfect for reluctant readers as well as animal lovers. Ages 8–12. (May)

Riveting and lyrical, A WOLF CALLED WANDER is a vibrantly imagined celebration of the natural world. Don’t miss this dazzling tour de force.” — —Katherine Applegate, Newbery Medal-winning author of The One and Only Ivan

“Inspired by the story of OR-7, a real wolf naturalists tracked in the wild, Parry perfectly conveys her character’s curious, alert, and social nature.. . .a page-turning narrative. . . .deserving of a place alongside Sheila Burnford’s The Incredible Journey, Jack London’s White Fang, and other classic animal adventure novels.”
— School Library Journal (starred review)

“Rife with details of the myriad scents, sounds, tastes, touches, and sights in Swift/Wander’s primal existence, the immediacy of his intimate, first-person, present-tense narration proves deeply moving. . . .A sympathetic, compelling introduction to wolves from the perspective of one wolf and his memorable journey.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Wander’s first-person narration...lends a unique perspective and immediacy to the story. . .Armiño’s realistic black-and-white illustrations fill in gaps, making this memorable adventure a beautiful one as well.” — ALA Booklist

“Parry doesn’t pull any punches in her portrayal of the brutal reality of the natural world. . .Readers who liked the Hunters series for the gritty authenticity of its natural world will feel right at home.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“Parry offers a wolf’s-eye view of the Pacific Northwest’s forests, mountains, and prairies in this harrowing survival tale based on the story of OR-7, a wolf electronically tracked by scientists. . . .An action-packed novel perfect for reluctant readers as well as animal lovers.” — Publishers Weekly

“Inspired by a true story, Rosanne Parry evokes the Pacific Northwest with lilting, sensory-driven ambient details. . . . Parry’s choice to have Swift narrate his own perilous journey brings an on-the-ground intimacy to the story. . . . Parry has written about being far from home before . . . it’s a terrain she captures expertly.” — The New York Times Book Review

Wander’s first-person narration...lends a unique perspective and immediacy to the story. . .Armiño’s realistic black-and-white illustrations fill in gaps, making this memorable adventure a beautiful one as well.

Parry doesn’t pull any punches in her portrayal of the brutal reality of the natural world. . .Readers who liked the Hunters series for the gritty authenticity of its natural world will feel right at home.

Inspired by a true story, Rosanne Parry evokes the Pacific Northwest with lilting, sensory-driven ambient details. . . . Parry’s choice to have Swift narrate his own perilous journey brings an on-the-ground intimacy to the story. . . . Parry has written about being far from home before . . . it’s a terrain she captures expertly.

Riveting and lyrical, A WOLF CALLED WANDER is a vibrantly imagined celebration of the natural world. Don’t miss this dazzling tour de force.

Parry doesn’t pull any punches in her portrayal of the brutal reality of the natural world. . .Readers who liked the Hunters series for the gritty authenticity of its natural world will feel right at home.

Parry doesn’t pull any punches in her portrayal of the brutal reality of the natural world. . .Readers who liked the Hunters series for the gritty authenticity of its natural world will feel right at home.

★ 04/01/2019

Gr 4–6—Swift, a yearling wolf, is separated from his family after a rival wolf pack attacks and claims his family's territory as their own. His thousand-mile journey across the Pacific Northwest to find a new home brings danger, hunger, and desperate loneliness. Inspired by the story of OR-7, a real wolf naturalists tracked in the wild, Parry perfectly conveys her character's curious, alert, and social nature. Swift's successes and failures throughout his travels shape a relatable bildungsroman theme. His symbiotic relationship with a raven will delight and intrigue readers, just one example of the abundant information about wolves Parry seamlessly incorporates into this page-turning narrative. Generously illustrated, Armiño's spot and full-page black-and-white drawings capture the landscape's stark beauty from the fragility of a bumblebee in flight to the ferocity of an animal attack. The novel's grim yet blunted depiction of life and death in nature, along with an upbeat ending in which Swift gives himself a new name, make it an ideal middle grade read. The novel would also function well as the fictional component in a classroom lesson about wolves, as the gripping story—and extensive back matter—will inspire students to learn more about the real OR-7. VERDICT A first purchase for all libraries; deserving of a place alongside Sheila Burnford's The Incredible Journey, Jack London's White Fang, and other classic animal adventure novels.—Marybeth Kozikowski, Sachem Public Library, Holbrook, NY

Narrator Kirby Heyborne enhances this beautiful story inspired by a real Oregon wolf. Swift, the fastest pup in his litter, is later called Wander, after he flees from his family during a vicious attack. As Wander matures, Heyborne skillfully alters his delivery of this first-person account. Listeners will travel with Wander through countless challenges, including crossing the black river (the highway) as he desperately seeks his family. Heyborne’s vivid observations are atmospheric—it’s enchanting when Wander befriends a raven who guides him. The best characterizations occur during a forest fire, when animals who are usually adversaries help each other escape. Also, the birth of a colt is deeply affecting. Wander’s loneliness and longing for a mate are realistic, while the story’s conclusion is believable and satisfying. S.G.B. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

2019-02-06

Separated from his pack, Swift, a young wolf, embarks on a perilous search for a new home.

Swift's mother impresses on him early that his "pack belongs to the mountains and the mountains belong to the pack." His father teaches him to hunt elk, avoid skunks and porcupines, revere the life that gives them life, and "carry on" when their pack is devastated in an attack by enemy wolves. Alone and grieving, Swift reluctantly leaves his mountain home. Crossing into unfamiliar territory, he's injured and nearly dies, but the need to run, hunt, and live drives him on. Following a routine of "walk-trot-eat-rest," Swift traverses prairies, canyons, and deserts, encountering men with rifles, hunger, thirst, highways, wild horses, a cougar, and a forest fire. Never imagining the "world could be so big or that I could be so alone in it," Swift renames himself Wander as he reaches new mountains and finds a new home. Rife with details of the myriad scents, sounds, tastes, touches, and sights in Swift/Wander's primal existence, the immediacy of his intimate, first-person, present-tense narration proves deeply moving, especially his longing for companionship. Realistic black-and-white illustrations trace key events in this unique survival story, and extensive backmatter fills in further factual information about wolves and their habitat.

A sympathetic, compelling introduction to wolves from the perspective of one wolf and his memorable journey. (additional resources, map) (Fiction. 8-12)