  | Full Text Reviews: School Library Journal - 05/01/2016 Gr 4–7—Kai was born with a club foot and should not have lived. His mother left him with the yellow wolf mother, who had two cubs of her own, believing this was certain death for her young baby. Instead, the wolf mother nurtured Kai, and one day his human mother returned to the den to reclaim the baby she left for dead. Now, Kai is ridiculed and tormented by the other boys, including his older brother Sen. They call him "Wolfboy." He longs to join the hunt, but tradition forbids him from even touching any of the weapons. Kai often finds himself back in the company of the yellow wolves, the only place he feels truly at home. When he happens upon a cub in need, Kai decides to take the tiny creature back to his takka and nurse her back to health. With his father's approval, Kai keeps the cub and names her Uff. The two become instant companions. But as Uff grows, she becomes more threatening. When a terrible accident leaves Sen scarred, Kai knows that he must leave for good, embarking on a dangerous journey into the North. Beckhorn weaves together a striking account of survival and an engaging look into how the wolf became such an integral part of human life. Set in prehistoric times, Kai's story is based on modern discoveries in France, where fossilized footprints of a boy and a canine were found walking side by side. - Copyright 2016 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Bulletin for the Center... - 07/01/2016 Born with a clubfoot, Kai is considered cursed; he was left to die by his father, according to the customs of their Paleolithic tribe, but a female wolf saved his life. He therefore has an affinity for the yellow wolf pack that lives nearby, adopting an orphaned pup and naming her Uff. She and Kai learn to hunt together, but the unprecedented bond between the boy and his wolf, along with a few unfortunate accidents, increases suspicion among the tribe, and Kai must leave to protect Uff from being killed as a dangerous wild animal. Their journey involves both danger and triumph for Kai, as he is able to complete his rites of passage and become a blood hunter in ways that would have been denied him had he stayed. While the events in this imaginative reconstruction of prehistory, including Kai’s older brother’s recovery from an attack by a big cat and Kai’s taking down a fully grown cave bear, are sometimes more wish-fulfilling than strictly realistic, this first-dog, coming-of-age, and survival story hits all the right psychological notes for the middle-school reader. Kai is an appealing underdog while Uff is just an appealing early dog (an author’s note clarifies that while Kai calls Uff a wolf, she’s really a dog). Beckhorn creates her prehistoric setting with a light touch, providing just enough details tied to what we do know about the period without overburdening the plot and giving Kai period-appropriate gifts of art and music to compensate for his disability. Give this to readers who enjoy animal stories and wilderness survival tales. KC - Copyright 2016 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. Loading...
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