Synopses & Reviews
Julie of the Wolves meets
Hatchet in this middle grade novel that follows orphaned twelve-year-old Nika and her seven-year-old brother Randall as they leave a California foster home to visit a long-lost uncle in the wilderness lake country of Northern Minnesota. A phone call from their uncle sets them on a journey in a small floatplane over the thick green forest canopy, to spend the summer on a wilderness island. Nika, of all people, knows not to get her heart set on anything, but as she follows her uncle in his job studying wolves, Nika stumbles upon a relationship with an orphaned wolf pup that makes her feel — for the first time since her mother died — whole again. Here in these woods, with this wolf, none of the hard things in her past can reach her.
With vivid details about wolf behavior and a deep sense of interconnectedness with nature, this captivating first novel illuminates the intricacies of family while searching for the fine balance between caring for wild animals and leaving them alone.
Review
Praise for Buddy by M.H. Herlong: "A touching tale of hope, of holding on when you can, and of letting go when it's the right thing to do." —Kirkus
Review
Praise for Buddy by M.H. Herlong: "A touching tale of hope, of holding on when you can, and of letting go when it's the right thing to do." —Kirkus
“…more than just a dog story…” —School Library Journal
Review
"Debut novelist Carlson-Voiles renders Nika's emotional turmoil and moral dilemmas with gentle, compassionate strokes. Even the least wilderness-savvy readers will be drawn into the breathtaking landscapes, the human-to-animal relationships and the gradual evolution of Nika's new family. While evoking the girl-wolf-hunter triad of Jean Craighead George's 1973 Newbery Award-winning classic, Julie of the Wolves, the author brings enough of her own experiences with animals and troubled young people into the story that it feels like nonfiction. A little gem of a book for all wild-hearted lovers of the natural world."--
Kirkus, starred review
"Carlson-Voiles skillfully folds in generous quantities of information about wolf behavior and issues between wolves and humans . . . A tale with plenty of appeal for animal-rescue fans."--Booklist
"The wealth of information about wolf development and the rescue and care of wild creatures will appeal to budding naturalists, while the vivid, kid-accessible descriptions pack a strong emotional punch."--Bulletin
Synopsis
For fans of Old Yeller and Shiloh, Where the Red Fern Grows is a beloved classic that captures the powerful bond between man and man's best friend.
Billy has long dreamt of owning not one, but two, dogs. So when he's finally able to save up enough money for two pups to call his own--Old Dan and Little Ann--he's ecstatic. It doesn't matter that times are tough; together they'll roam the hills of the Ozarks.
Soon Billy and his hounds become the finest hunting team in the valley. Stories of their great achievements spread throughout the region, and the combination of Old Dan's brawn, Little Ann's brains, and Billy's sheer will seems unbeatable. But tragedy awaits these determined hunters--now friends--and Billy learns that hope can grow out of despair, and that the seeds of the future can come from the scars of the past.
Praise for Where the Red Fern Grows
A Top 100 Children's Novel, School Library Journal's A Fuse #8 Production
A Must-Read for Kids 9 to 14, NPR
Winner of Multiple State Awards
Over 7 million copies in print
-A rewarding book . . . with] careful, precise observation, all of it rightly phrased.- --The New York Times Book Review
-One of the great classics of children's literature . . . Any child who doesn't get to read this beloved and powerfully emotional book has missed out on an important piece of childhood for the last 40-plus years.- --Common Sense Media
-An exciting tale of love and adventure you'll never forget.- --School Library Journal
-A book of unadorned naturalness.- --Kirkus Reviews
-Written with so much feeling and sentiment that adults as well as children are drawn in] with a passion.- --Arizona Daily Star
-It's a story about a young boy and his two hunting dogs and . . . I can't even go on without getting a little misty.- --The Huffington Post
-A brilliant literary work.- --TeenInk.com
-We tear up just thinking about it.- --Time on the film adaptation
Synopsis
Billy, Old Dan and Little Ann -- a Boy and His Two Dogs...
A loving threesome, they ranged the dark hills and river bottoms of Cherokee country. Old Dan had the brawn, Little Ann had the brains -- and Billy had the will to train them to be the finest hunting team in the valley. Glory and victory were coming to them, but sadness waited too. And close by was the strange and wonderful power that's only found...
An exciting tale of love and adventure you'll never forget.
From the Paperback edition.
Synopsis
A classic boy-and-dog tale in the tradition of
Old YellerTyrone "Li'l T" Roberts meets Buddy when his family's car accidentally hits the stray dog on their way to church. Buddy turns out to be the dog Li'l T's always wished for--until Hurricane Katrina comes to New Orleans and he must leave Buddy behind. After the storm, Li'l T and his father return home to find a community struggling to rebuild their lives--and Buddy gone. But Li'l T refuses to give up his quest to find his best friend. From the author of the BBYA Top Ten selection The Great Wide Sea comes a powerful story of hope, courage, and knowing when to let go.
Synopsis
Hatchet meets Julie of the Wolves in this captivating middle-grade novel about the wilderness lake country of northern Minnesota and the rare bond between a 12-year-old foster girl and an 11-day-old wolf pup.
About the Author
Wilson Rawls grew up on a small farm in the Ozark Mountains of Oklahoma. There were no schools where he lived so his mother taught Rawls and his sisters how to read and write. He says that reading the book
The Call of the Wild changed his life and gave him the notion that he would like to grow up to write a book like it. He shared his dream with his father, and his father gave him the encouraging advice, "Son, a man can do anything he sets out to do, if he doesn't give up." Rawls never forgot his father's words, and went on to create two novels about his boyhood that have become modern classics.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
Teacher Guide
ABOUT THIS BOOK
Billy Coleman, the main character of Where the Red Fern Grows, works for two years to save enough money to buy two coon dogs. Listening to his grandfather's stories about the behavior of coons and how to train dogs to hunt, Billy and his dogs become the finest hunting team in the area. Old Dan and Little Ann lead Billy to his proudest moment when they win the gold cup in the annual coon hunting contest.But the joy of Billy's victory is quickly overshadowed by sadness. Old Dan dies in the claws of a savage bobcat, and Little Ann succumbs to grief for her companion. In his efforts to deal with the death of his beloved dogs, Billy digs the graves himself and buries them among the red ferns.
The following book is also discussed in this guide:
Summer of Monkeys
In Summer of the Monkeys, Jay Berry Lee embarks on a hilarious adventure to capture a bunch of monkeys that have escaped from a wrecked circus train. Though Jay Berry knows nothing about monkeys, he is determined to bring them in so that he can earn the big reward money offered by the circus. With his eyes on purchasing a pony and a rifle, Jay Berry spends the entire summer rounding up the monkeys. When he finally has the reward money clutched in his fist, Jay Berry learns how much happiness his money really can buy. Will it be his crippled sister's dream of or his dream of owning a rifle and a pony?
ABOUT THIS AUTHOR
Wilson Rawls grew up on a small farm in the Ozark Mountains of Oklahoma. There were no schools where he lived so his mother taught Rawls and his sisters how to read and write. He says that reading the book The Call of the Wild changed his life and gave him the notion that he would like to grow up to write a book like it. He shared his dream with his father, and his father gave him the encouraging advice, "Son, a man can do anything he sets out to do, if he doesn't give up." Rawls never forgot his father's words, and went on to create two novels about his boyhood that have become modern classics.
TEACHING IDEAS
In the Classroom
Where the Red Fern Grows and Summer of the Monkeys are excellent books to use for a classroom novel study and for reading aloud. Because the books share a common setting and deal with related themes, they are especially good for teaching children how to critically analyze two similar novels. Both novels are filled with humor, adventure, and a poignancy that will appeal to all middle-grade readers.
Pre-Reading Activity
Tell the class that Wilson Rawls' novels are reminiscent of his boyhood days in the Ozark Mountains of Oklahoma. Share with the students Jay Berry Lee's statement,
FURTHER READING
Big Red by Jim Kjelgaard[0-553-15434-6]
Irish Red by Jim Kjelgaard[0-553-15546-6]
Shane by Jack Schaefer[0-553-27110-5]
Snow Dog by Jim Kjelgaard[0-553-15560-1]
Snow Dog by Jim Kjelgaard[0-553-15560-1]