Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk is one of the seven books the HS Newbery Club is reading, discussing, and voting on during the month of September.
From the publisher:
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.
Brilliantly crafted, Wolf Hollow is a haunting tale of America at a crossroads and a time when one girl’s resilience and strength help to illuminate the darkest corners of our history.
Reviews...
- "The honesty of Wolf Hollow will just about shred your heart, but Annabelle's courage and compassion will restore it to you, fuller than before. This book matters." --Sara Pennypacker, New York Times bestselling author of Pax
- "An evocative setting, memorable characters, a searing story: Wolf Hollow has stayed with me long after I closed the book. It has the feel of an instant classic." --Linda Sue Park, Newbery Medalist and New York Times bestselling author
- "Readers are alerted from the outset that this is the story of how the narrator loses her childish naïveté in a life-altering way. The narrative is powerful, complex, and lifelike. There are pointlessly cruel people, courageously kind people, and those who simply pass the gossip. Despite the jaded feelings that come with witnessing unjust persecution, the heart of this story is ultimately one of hope and empathy. --School Library Journal
If you read Wolf Hollow, please comment on this post using the six listed criteria. Rate the author's success in each area out of 5 and include your rating in the comments. Also include the book's total score out of 30. Provide evidence from the book to support your comments and your ratings. We will use these scores to help us determine which books move on to our final selection round.
Character Traits/Development: This will cover the main characters and any supporting characters that seem important and/or interesting. What are the traits of these characters? What type of people are they? Do we see him/her change throughout the course of the story? If so, how and why?
Setting: Where and when does the story take place? Why do you think the author chose this setting? How does it lend itself to helping the development of the story?
Plot: What are the main events in the story? What are the events that take place that cause a change to happen in the main character(s)?
Theme: What are the big ideas? What lesson does the author want us to learn from this story?
Word Choice/Language: Describe the word choice used by the author. How does this help the reader to understand and visualize the events, characters, and message of the story?
Voice: How does the author develop the distinct voice of the characters in the story? Why do you think the author did that? Does it make the reader respond in a certain way to the different characters? How?
Finally...
What is your opinion? Do you think this should be considered for a final vote for our Mock Newbery Award? Why or why not?
Setting: Where and when does the story take place? Why do you think the author chose this setting? How does it lend itself to helping the development of the story?
Plot: What are the main events in the story? What are the events that take place that cause a change to happen in the main character(s)?
Theme: What are the big ideas? What lesson does the author want us to learn from this story?
Word Choice/Language: Describe the word choice used by the author. How does this help the reader to understand and visualize the events, characters, and message of the story?
Voice: How does the author develop the distinct voice of the characters in the story? Why do you think the author did that? Does it make the reader respond in a certain way to the different characters? How?
Finally...
What is your opinion? Do you think this should be considered for a final vote for our Mock Newbery Award? Why or why not?
Character Traits and Development - 5/5
ReplyDeletePlot - 4/5
Theme - 3/5
Setting - 5/5
Word Choice and Language - 5/5
Voice - 5/5
My Opinion - I thought this book was really good. The problem was that you would think the book should end, but it didn't, and it kept going, which was good, but I think there could have been a better transition between all of the different events that occurred. Also, the theme is a little unclear in my opinion, however, you can see that she learned multiple things, like the fact that her life is nothing but a flicker in the ongoing existence of humanity, and the fact that she must make it count. Then, there was also that some people will never change, but that does not mean that you can wish bad things upon them, or that you cannot forgive them; eventually. The problem was that although these points were mentioned, they were not shown consistently throughout the book, and did not have much relation to the many conflict. However, I would very much suggest this book to any one looking for a historic fiction mentally binding book.
Overall Score - 27/30