Amarok

Gr 9–11—Far from her home in California, and alone with her abusive stepfather since her mother's death, Emma is not happy. She steals his Mercedes and hits the icy roads of Alaska in a desperate need to escape. She slides off the road and crashes, losing consciousness. She wakes in the arms of a trapper who has carried her into the wild and frozen forest, intent upon keeping her. With the man is a black wolf. Emma finds its behavior curious, and she soon forges a tentative bond with the animal that she calls Amarok. Amarok is a century-old teen who was cursed to be a wolf by an immortal and evil ice-age man. Through a series of events, Emma learns that Amarok is human and that many of the forest animals have been likewise cursed. She escapes her captor and sets out to save Amarok. Plot driven, this adventurous love story unfolds quickly with the use of simple language and occasional profanity. Amarok and Emma tell their stories in short chapters. This novel should appeal to both male and female readers looking for a fast read.—Mindy Whipple, West Jordan Library, UT