The Wolf Wilder: Katherine Rundell

Product Information

A gorgeous flight of imagination set in a snowy Russian fantasy world, this has both the beauty and the fierce, funny and uncompromising storytelling style that sets Katherine Rundell's books apart. The Wolf Wilder is a Faberge egg of a novel - rich, bright and perfect Robin Stevens This is glorious. A haunting, fast-paced snowy adventure with another superb gutsy heroine told in Rundell's beautiful and witty style -- A Case for Books

My wolves?” Her mother’s face was steady, but her eyes were neither calm nor happy. “I do not own any wolves.”

Reviews

So let this story of a fierce, independent, stubborn, determined girl who runs with the wolves be all the motivation you need to go out there and make a change. Because if a half-wild girl can speak such eloquent words as those below, than there’s no reason your voice shouldn’t be heard either. ”Mikal Rakov started all this. Rakov came in the night and burned down our home. He took my mama away, because he was afraid of her. He was afraid that she wasn’t afraid. He’s taking our food and homes. And he’s taking the people we love. And he’s taking our future. And the future needs our protection: It’s a fragile thing. The future needs all the help it can get. Rakov seemed immune to her mother’s beauty. “I have been sent to collect compensation for the tsar, and I shall do that, immediately. Do not play games with me. You owe the tsar a hundred rubles.” What do we do now, Mama?” she asked. “Now they’ve said we have to kill the wolves? We won’t, will we? I won’t let you.” In this world, St. Petersburg aristocrats keep wolves as status-symbol house pets. But wolves can only be tamed to a point. The wolves are overfed and indulged until the day they rebel against their capricious masters and revert to their -- well, wolfish -- instincts. This is where Feo and her fierce mother Marina come in. They teach the wolves to be wild again; they return them to their rightful home and proud, fierce natures. While the adults in this world are terrified of harsh retribution -- with the exception of Marina, who has been jailed for her defiance -- the children are still wild and bold enough enough to fight against unfairness. Yes, the children show the adults the way . . . a time-honoured theme in children's literature.

The Wolf Wilder is the kind of novel that reminds you why books are worth reading and life is worth living Lauren St John My point is that you will keep your hands off my daughter if you value their current position at the ends of your arms.” I absolutely loved the characters. They were all so warm and charming in their own ways, from fierce, brave Feo, to her lovable friend Ilya and the bunch of children they encounter on their journey. The wolves as well were fantastic, each with their own personalities, and the bond they had with Feo was so lovely to read about. Whilst it was great to have a male character who loved ballet I wondered if it was needed to mention that this character was gay as this is a tiring stereotype of boys who do ballet I can't even choose which character I loved more, they were all so kind hearted and brave and everyone had something that just made you love them. But of course Feo was a great main character with her naive, but brave point of view and Ilya who became such a good friend to Feo, even if they didn't met in good circumstances.Marina seemed to jerk into life. “What? What insanity in your head makes you think you can threaten my child?” The Wolf Wilder was one of my most anticipated books of 2015. I refused to read my early copy as I wanted to wait to see Gelrev Ongbico's divine illustrations . And it was well worth the wait. I cannot decide which cover for The Wolf Wilder I love the most; it's a stunning book, inside and out. You bring them here,” said Rakov. His eyes had a coldness in them you do not expect to see in a living thing. “That makes them your responsibility.” His tongue was stained yellow by tobacco. This book is emotional, captivating and exiting. This is a book that had a huge emotional impact on me because I constantly had mixed emotion for every character, and I felt all the emotion they felt, such as a strong hate for General Raklov. Although there are hints of history, the book is more of an old-fashioned adventure story. Feo goes on a journey, which is both literal and figurative, making friends along the way. It ends with a triumphant storming of the city; although, inevitably, there are some sad losses along the way. Although it is probably a middle-grade book, according to the rules of judging these things, it has the ability to appeal to all ages. As C.S. Lewis so wisely said, "A children's story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children's story in the slightest."

The ending is a bit outlandish, but it’s done in such a way that I really want to believe in it. Certainly the kids are resourceful and clever. Plus, there’s a lot of incompetence in the system. That aside, I could not be more in love with Ilya’s dreams of becoming a ballet dancer. Rundell drops small hints that Ilya might be gay; so small, in fact, that I initially thought I was imagining things. For example, Ilya always seems to turn beet red in Alexei's presence, and manifests a strong desire to impress the older boy.

Full disclosure: I received a free electronic ARC for review through Edelweiss. Mild trigger warning for sexual harassment of a minor.) Of course they could, Feo thought that evening as she put on her skis. Humans, on the whole, Feo could take or leave; there was only one person she loved properly, with the sort of fierce pride that gets people into trouble, or prison, or history books. Her mother, she thought, could do anything. Even though it was written for children, the author keeps it real. She doesn't dumb it down for kids. In fact, there are even some pretty dark events that take place in this book. Expect to find a few drops of bright red blood in the pure white snowy landscape. Expect to love it even so. The general laughed, caught the ski, and wrenched it from her. “Sit down and behave, before you make me angry.” He’s blind in one eye because of me. But he’s always been blind: He doesn’t see the facts. The fact that there are more than us than there are of him. The fact that fire in your soul beats fire on the ground. The fact that love always beats fear. And the fact that it helps to have wolves on your side.

feo and her mother are scarred from their dealings with wolves, as all wild, unpampered things in nature are scarred. they have the same kind of intense and enviable relationship as charles and sophie in Rooftoppers - one made up of mutual respect, loyalty and love, awe and appreciation. The man had a face made of right angles: a jutting nose and wrinkles in angry places, deep enough to cast shadows in the dark. In both The Wolf Wilder and Rooftoppers the young male characters are very kind to the main female character. Did you set out to show young men in this way?

Katherine Rundell Press Reviews

Feodora Petrovich and her mother Marina live in the Russian wilderness, not too far from Saint Petersburg. Though they're the only humans for miles, they're hardly alone - not exactly. The Petrovich family has been wilding wolves for centuries - since the days of Peter the Great, in fact. Feo and her mother live in the isolated, barren, snowy woods of Russia. Feo is a wolf wilder – a calling that involves teaching tame wolves (no longer needed for entertainment by the shallow, dreadful, rich members of the upper class) how they can life again in the wild. Feo put down the skis she was oiling and listened. It was early, and she was still wearing her nightdress. She had no dressing gown, but she pulled on the sweater her mother had knit, which came down to the scar on her knee, and ran to the front door. I confess, I am not one for the kind of fairy tale sought of plot or genre but this book is so good I would put it as one of the best books I have read in my short life.