Summer of the Wolves

Gr 5–8—When Nika was 10, she and her younger brother Randall became orphans. Since then they have lived in several foster homes, but after the authorities locate their Uncle Ian in Minnesota, the 12-year-old and her brother leave California to visit him. Ian, a wildlife researcher who lives in a remote area and studies wolves, had never been a part of their lives when their parents were alive. On their second day, Nika and Ian discover an orphaned wolf pup still in its den. Against his better judgment, Ian takes the pup home to hand raise. Nika learns to take care of him and becomes attached to the pup she names Kahn. However, because Kahn has been raised by humans, he doesn't have the skills to become part of a wild pack. To give him a taste of the freedom he will never know, Nika takes him on runs in the woods without permission—sometimes with disastrous results. A second story, interspersed throughout the book in short passages, is told through the eyes of a wolf whose life eventually intersects with Kahn's, Nika's, and her friend Thomas's. Although the main characters are well developed, and there are several interesting elements, this thick novel reads largely like a manual for raising wolf pups. Only the most diligent readers and animal lovers will slog through it.—Nancy P. Reeder, Heathwood Hall Episcopal School, Columbia, SC