The Wolf Wilder by Katherine Rundell (review)

Twelve-year-old Feo has literally been raised among wolves; her mother is a trainer, who, when the wolves bought by the nobility of czarist Russia “bite off and eat a little piece of someone who was not expecting to be eaten,” readies the animals to return to the wild. The czar, however, has decided that the wolves should simply be killed, and Feo’s mother’s defiance results in her being dragged off to St. Petersburg’s prison by the sadistic General Rakov. Feo and her three wolves—Black, White, and Gray—narrowly escape his solders. Feo attempts to make it to St. Petersburg with her wolves but soon is forced to find refuge and assistance from strangers—an awkward effort for a girl largely raised in the wild. This is an excellent blend of historical fiction and heroic quest, and Feo is an endearing and lovable protagonist. She suffers considerable heartbreak along her journey to save her mother, but her dogged determination inspires others who have suffered under Rakov’s hand; together they turn him from predator to prey. A nice dose of levity is provided by the the book’s dry wit (“Toddlers, like wolves, are unpredictable”) and Feo’s sometimes bungled attempts to interact with humans (“Sorry. I’m used to wolves. They hug with their teeth”). Subtle nods to folklore (Feo disguises herself in a brilliant red cloak to get into St. Petersburg) and vivid descriptions of Russia’s icy wilderness give a sense of place that is both wondrous and dangerous. Feo’s triumph over Rakov, set against the background of Russia’s 1917 February Revolution, is entirely satisfying and will have readers cheering—or perhaps howling—their approval.