Skip to main content

Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk: A Book Review

Wolf Hollow
Author: Lauren Wolk
Genre: Children, Historical Fiction
Publisher:  Dutton Books for Young Readers
Release Date: May 3, 2016
Pages: 304
Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis: Growing up in the shadows cast by two world wars, Annabelle has lived a mostly quiet, steady life in her small Pennsylvania town. Until the day new student Betty Glengarry walks into her class. Betty quickly reveals herself to be cruel and manipulative, and while her bullying seems isolated at first, things quickly escalate, and reclusive World War I veteran Toby becomes a target of her attacks. While others have always seen Toby’s strangeness, Annabelle knows only kindness. She will soon need to find the courage to stand as a lone voice of justice as tensions mount.

      Brilliantly crafted, Wolf Hollow is a haunting tale of America at a crossroads and a time when one girl’s resilience and strength help to illuminate the darkest corners of our history.

      My Review: In a small Pennsylvania town, a tragic event has occurred. Annabelle is a young girl who has been bullied by an older girl named Betty. When Betty suddenly disappears, the suspicion falls on an outsider, Toby, whom Annabelle has befriended. Annabelle must master her courage to fight for the injustice of her friend. Can Annabelle save her friend or is it too late?

     Annabelle is a strong protagonist that audiences will root for. She is very fierce and loving. She will do anything to protect her family and also the first to befriend a stranger. She is also a young woman who must conquer her fear. Because she has been bullied by Betty, she becomes afraid of her. Yet, she must stand up to Betty and her lies to not only help herself but for her friend. Annabelle is also very brilliant. She is observant and is able figure out the mystery before anyone else. There were many times that Annabelle came off more like an adult than an eleven year old child, yet I liked this character that I was able to ignore her mature voice.

     Overall, this story is about family, friendship, injustice, and courage. The message of the book is to stand up for what is right. Wolf Hollow is a fast-paced mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end. I really did like the characters. I do wish that Betty’s character was developed a bit more. I would have liked to understand her motives rather than her just being a mean girl to further the plot. While this is a children’s story, I believe that due to the story elements and the writing style that this book is more for mature teens and adults. Nevertheless, it would be good source material for teachers to read aloud in the classroom alongside The Watsons Went to Birmingham. Still, I recommend that parents read this novel first and discuss the themes with their children. I recommend this novel for fans of Bud, Not Buddy, Sounder, and Where the Red Fern Grows.

 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post by Allison Pataki: A Book Review

The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post Author: Allison Pataki Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: Ballantine Release Date: February 15, 2022 Pages: 381 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Mrs. Post, the President and First Lady are here to see you. . . . So begins another average evening for Marjorie Merriweather Post. Presidents have come and gone, but she has hosted them all. Growing up in the modest farmlands of Battle Creek, Michigan, Marjorie was inspired by a few simple rules: always think for yourself, never take success for granted, and work hard—even when deemed American royalty, even while covered in imperial diamonds. Marjorie had an insatiable drive to live and love and to give more than she got. From crawling through Moscow warehouses to rescue the Tsar’s treasures to outrunning the Nazis in London, from serving the homeless of the Great Depression to entertaining Roosevelts, Kennedys, and Hollywood’s biggest stars, Marjorie Merriweath
Post a Comment
Read more

The Rose Code by Kate Quinn: A Book Review

The Rose Code Author: Kate Quinn Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: Harper Collins Release Date: 2021 Pages: 635 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: 1940, Bletchley Park, Buckinghamshire.        Three very different women are recruited to the mysterious Bletchley Park, where the best minds in Britain train to break German military codes.       Vivacious debutante Osla has the dashing Prince Philip of Greece sending her roses – but she burns to prove herself as more than a society girl, working to translate decoded enemy secrets. Self-made Mab masters the legendary codebreaking machines as she conceals old wounds and the poverty of her East-End London upbringing. And shy local girl Beth is the outsider who trains as one of the Park’s few female cryptanalysts.       1947, London.        Seven years after they first meet, on the eve of the royal wedding between Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip, disaster threatens. Osla, Mab and Beth are estranged,
Post a Comment
Read more

The Seven Sisters (The Seven Sisters #1) by Lucinda Riley: A Book Review

The Seven Sisters (The Seven Sisters #1) Author: Lucinda Riley Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance Publisher: Atria Release Date: 2015 Pages: 463 Source: My State Public Library Synopsis: Maia D’Apliese and her five sisters gather together at their childhood home, “Atlantis”—a fabulous, secluded castle situated on the shores of Lake Geneva—having been told that their beloved father, who adopted them all as babies, has died. Each of them is handed a tantalizing clue to her true heritage—a clue which takes Maia across the world to a crumbling mansion in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Once there, she begins to put together the pieces of her story and its beginnings. Eighty years earlier in Rio’s Belle Epoque of the 1920s, Izabela Bonifacio’s father has aspirations for his daughter to marry into the aristocracy. Meanwhile, architect Heitor da Silva Costa is devising plans for an enormous statue, to be called Christ the Redeemer, and will soon travel to Paris to find the right sculptor to
1 comment
Read more