Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Bloomsbury Childrens (2015), 336 pages
Description
In the days before the Russian Revolution, twelve-year-old Feodora sets out to rescue her mother when the Tsar's Imperial Army imprisons her for teaching tamed wolves to fend for themselves.
User reviews
LibraryThing member bookwren
Feo has a strong voice in this fairy-tale like novel by Katherine Rundell set during the early years of the Russian Revolution. Beauty abounds in the relationships - between Feo and the wolves she rehabilitates and Feo and the other children she meets in her travels - and in the spare descriptions
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of the Russian landscape in winter. Humor and pathos are juxtaposed as in real life. Much is lost, which may be difficult for sensitive readers, but more is gained. One of my favorite parts is the transformation of a young soldier who never wanted to be a soldier. The cover image brings the story to life. Show Less
LibraryThing member foggidawn
To the wealthy elite of St. Petersburg, wolves are good luck. To General Rakov, commander of the Tsar's armies, wolves are vermin. To Feo and her mother, however, wolves are family. And when the wolves of the wealthy turn on their owners, those wolves are sent to Feo and her mother, who return them
This is a lovely and atmospheric tale. The writing style will be immediately recognizable to readers who have enjoyed Rundell's other works. I had a little trouble staying engaged in the story, but I think I was just not in the mood; I don't think the book was at fault. The characters and setting are exceptionally strong, and the emotions run deep in this book. Readers who love Russia, wolves, or good writing should pick this one up.
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to the wild. When General Rakov imprisons Feo's mother, Feo determines to break her mother out of prison. She and her wolves make their way to the city, but along the way, they pick up Ilya, a former child soldier who dreams of being a dancer, Alexei, a teenage revolutionary, and a band of children, all of whom have seen first-hand the devastation wrought by Rakov. Feo's rescue attempt is starting to look more like a revolution!This is a lovely and atmospheric tale. The writing style will be immediately recognizable to readers who have enjoyed Rundell's other works. I had a little trouble staying engaged in the story, but I think I was just not in the mood; I don't think the book was at fault. The characters and setting are exceptionally strong, and the emotions run deep in this book. Readers who love Russia, wolves, or good writing should pick this one up.
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LibraryThing member flying_monkeys
DNF. After reading about 30 pages, I had to stop. Already I was deeply connected to Feo and the wolves. Having read some pretty heavy books recently I simply did not have the head space for anything else (potentially) sad right now. By this point in the book I was really worried that one (or all)
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of the wolves might die, so I stopped... for now. Maybe another time when I'm in a less sensitive mood. Show Less
LibraryThing member AmberMcWilliams
A fairly ordinary young adult fiction novel, uneven in pacing and without any huge literary merit. The setting (rural Russia) and premise (wolf wilders release 'captive pet' wolves into the wild and are persecuted for it) are interesting, but.... overall the book feels thin and basic, with no
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thematic heft beneath its narrative. Show Less
LibraryThing member atreic
I enjoyed this. It wasn't quite the book I expected it to be though - I think I wanted more wolves, and less Russian Revolution and Cruel Soldiers. Feo's life is turned upside down when soldiers burn her home and capture her mother (because they release wolves back into the wild) and so she fights
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at the head of her own children's revolution to kill the bad guy and free her mum. Probably one to be careful of at the bottom of the age range, what with the houses being burned down, and wolves being killed, and (ok, the bad guy!) being torn to pieces by wolves. Show Less
LibraryThing member HeatherLINC
This book had so much promise - it was set in the wilds of Russia and it had wolves. Unfortunately, it didn't really deliver. Written for middle primary students, I was hoping to learn about wolf wilding, but there was very little about wolves, and what there was was unrealistic. "The Wolf Wilder"
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started strongly but quickly went downhill once the mother was imprisoned. Feo was quite a spunky protagonist, however, at times, in fact more often than not, she was incredibly naive and stupid. I also didn't like the idea of kid gangs, imperial soldiers hunting a young girl and freedom speeches. Overall, a disappointing read. Show Less
Awards
BCCB Blue Ribbon Book (Fiction — 2015)
Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing (Nominee — 2017)
UKLA Book Award (Shortlist — 2017)
Kansas NEA Reading Circle Recommended Book (Intermediate — 2016)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2015
Physical description
336 p.; 7.28 inches
ISBN
1408862581 / 9781408862582
Local notes
Feodora and her mother live in the snowbound woods of Russia, in a house full of food and fireplaces. Ten minutes away, in a ruined chapel, lives a pack of wolves. Feodora’s mother is a wolf wilder, and Feo is a wolf wilder in training. A wolf wilder is the opposite of an animal tamer: it is a person who teaches tamed animals to fend for themselves, and to fight and to run, and to be wary of humans. When the murderous hostility of the Russian Army threatens her very existence, Feo is left with no option but to go on the run.