The Wolf Wilder

By Katherine Rundell and Gelrev Ongbico

Go on an adventure with Katherine Rundell...
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From the winner of the Costa Children's Book Prize

'A writer with an utterly distinctive voice and a wild imagination' - Philip Pullman
'A truly compelling read... totally original' - Jacqueline Wilson
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Feodora and her mother live in the snowbound woods of Russia, in a house full of food and fireplaces. Ten minutes away, in a ruined chapel, lives a pack of wolves. Feodora's mother is a wolf wilder, and Feo is a wolf wilder in training. A wolf wilder is the opposite of an animal tamer: it is a person who teaches tamed animals to fend for themselves, and to fight and to run, and to be wary of humans.

When the murderous hostility of the Russian Army threatens her very existence, Feo is left with no option but to go on the run. What follows is a story of revolution and adventure, about standing up for the things you love and fighting back. And, of course, wolves.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
• Release date: Sep 10, 2015
• ISBN: 9781408854860

Katherine Rundell

Katherine Rundell is the author of Rooftoppers, Cartwheeling in Thunderstorms (a Boston Globe–Horn Book Award winner), The Wolf Wilder, The Explorer, The Good Thieves, and The Zebra’s Great Escape. She grew up in Zimbabwe, Brussels, and London, and is currently a Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford. She begins each day with a cartwheel and believes that reading is almost exactly the same as cartwheeling: it turns the world upside down and leaves you breathless. In her spare time, she enjoys walking on tightropes and trespassing on the rooftops of Oxford colleges.

Reviews for The Wolf Wilder

[atreic · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this. It wasn't quite the book I expected it to be though - I think I wanted more wolves, and less Russian Revolution and Cruel Soldiers. Feo's life is turned upside down when soldiers burn her home and capture her mother (because they release wolves back into the wild) and so she fights at the head of her own children's revolution to kill the bad guy and free her mum. Probably one to be careful of at the bottom of the age range, what with the houses being burned down, and wolves being killed, and (ok, the bad guy!) being torn to pieces by wolves.

[ambermcwilliams · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A fairly ordinary young adult fiction novel, uneven in pacing and without any huge literary merit. The setting (rural Russia) and premise (wolf wilders release 'captive pet' wolves into the wild and are persecuted for it) are interesting, but.... overall the book feels thin and basic, with no thematic heft beneath its narrative.

[laurochka-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I loved this book! Feo lives in the woods of Russia with her mother, re-training domesticated wolves to be wild again. When the Tsar's soldiers threaten their way of life Feo fights back. A fairytalesque tale of wolves, snow and revolution.

[bookwren · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Feo has a strong voice in this fairy-tale like novel by Katherine Rundell set during the early years of the Russian Revolution. Beauty abounds in the relationships - between Feo and the wolves she rehabilitates and Feo and the other children she meets in her travels - and in the spare descriptions of the Russian landscape in winter. Humor and pathos are juxtaposed as in real life. Much is lost, which may be difficult for sensitive readers, but more is gained. One of my favorite parts is the transformation of a young soldier who never wanted to be a soldier. The cover image brings the story to life.

[foggidawn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

To the wealthy elite of St. Petersburg, wolves are good luck. To General Rakov, commander of the Tsar's armies, wolves are vermin. To Feo and her mother, however, wolves are family. And when the wolves of the wealthy turn on their owners, those wolves are sent to Feo and her mother, who return them to the wild. When General Rakov imprisons Feo's mother, Feo determines to break her mother out of prison. She and her wolves make their way to the city, but along the way, they pick up Ilya, a former child soldier who dreams of being a dancer, Alexei, a teenage revolutionary, and a band of children, all of whom have seen first-hand the devastation wrought by Rakov. Feo's rescue attempt is starting to look more like a revolution!This is a lovely and atmospheric tale. The writing style will be immediately recognizable to readers who have enjoyed Rundell's other works. I had a little trouble staying engaged in the story, but I think I was just not in the mood; I don't think the book was at fault. The characters and setting are exceptionally strong, and the emotions run deep in this book. Readers who love Russia, wolves, or good writing should pick this one up.

[heatherlinc · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This book had so much promise - it was set in the wilds of Russia and it had wolves. Unfortunately, it didn't really deliver. Written for middle primary students, I was hoping to learn about wolf wilding, but there was very little about wolves, and what there was was unrealistic. "The Wolf Wilder" started strongly but quickly went downhill once the mother was imprisoned. Feo was quite a spunky protagonist, however, at times, in fact more often than not, she was incredibly naive and stupid. I also didn't like the idea of kid gangs, imperial soldiers hunting a young girl and freedom speeches. Overall, a disappointing read.