MMGM Review: Wolf Hollow, by Lauren Wolk

Linking up with Shannon Messenger for Marvelous Middle Grade Monday!

Today's feature: Wolf Hollow, by Lauren Wolk. Here's what the publisher has to say about it:

"Growing up in the shadows cast by two world wars, Annabelle has lived a mostly quiet, steady life in her small Pennsylvania town. Until the day new student Betty Glengarry walks into her class. Betty quickly reveals herself to be cruel and manipulative, and while her bullying seems isolated at first, things quickly escalate, and reclusive World War I veteran Toby becomes a target of her attacks. While others have always seen Toby’s strangeness, Annabelle knows only kindness. She will soon need to find the courage to stand as a lone voice of justice as tensions mount."

As for me... Have you ever finished a book and thought, "Wow I need to recommend this to everyone!" and then a second later thought, "Oh, no, I can't--they'll never forgive me for the emotional wreck it's going to make of them." I think that way about The Yearling or Where the Red Fern Grows, in particular, and to this day I can't convince my husband to read the latter because he's still a little upset about the first (which at least was some teacher's fault, not mine).

So forgive me for being wary about Wolf Hollow, by Lauren Wolk. It may be one of the most heart-wrenching yet beautiful girl coming-of-age stories I've ever read. (Why are there so few of those?) The writing rivals Neil Gaiman's in its perfection of every line, though the style is more Harper Lee. The atmosphere and setting are so real you can smell the Pennsylvania woods. The tension is so carefully drawn that you would probably (like I did) stay up hours later than you should to finish, not to mention flip ahead to the end even though you never, ever do that kind of thing.

But.

You will cry like a toddler who needs a nap, which (as every mama knows) is the most desperate kind of crying.

If you're into crying like a two-year-old, though, you should probably go buy this right now. Also if you just want to read some incredible writing. (Especially if you're a writer looking for inspiration.) Or if you just can't resist that cover, which is even cooler in person. (Handwriting as a design element? Heck, yes.) Or if you like stories that make you feel and think and hope and pray and love. (But I mean, who likes those?)

A caveat: Though this book is marketed for ages 9-12, I don't think I'll hand my copy to Lu until she's 12. I have a feeling that kids who read this when they're ready for it will love it to pieces, and those who read it too early will end up hating it and eschewing Where the Red Fern Grows and The Yearling while they're at it.

(Note: I'm an Amazon affiliate, so if you click the cover image and make a purchase, I will get a small percentage of the sale.)

Comments

  1. I haven't heard of this one but you have me intrigued. Sounds like great writing will make the time to read well spent. Thanks for the review.

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  2. Sounds haunting and beautiful. I have put it on my list.

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  3. I really liked Where the Red Fern Grows (it still made me cry), so I'll look at this. Thanks for the review!
    - Vi

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  4. Glad to hear you felt the same way as I did about this book (I reviewed it in May). It's gorgeously-written, but not for 9-year-olds. Some might even find parts of it frightening. But oh, the writing! And the story. And the questions it raises.

    Happy Fourth of July, Faith!

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