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Mom the Wolf Man and Me
An eleven-year-old girl describes her life and relationship with her mother who has never married.
156 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1972
3 people are currently reading
306 people want to read
About the author
Norma Klein
69 books112 followersNorma Klein was born in New York City and graduated cum laude and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa from Barnard College with a degree in Russian. She later received her master's degree in Slavic languages from Columbia University.
Ms. Klein began publishing short stories while attending Barnard and since then she had written novels for readers of all ages. The author got her ideas from everyday life and advised would-be writers to do the same -- to write about their experiences or things they really care about.
Ms. Klein died in 1989.
Ms. Klein began publishing short stories while attending Barnard and since then she had written novels for readers of all ages. The author got her ideas from everyday life and advised would-be writers to do the same -- to write about their experiences or things they really care about.
Ms. Klein died in 1989.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
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April 27, 2016This book tells the story of Brett, an eleven-year-old girl with a feisty unwed-and-single-by-choice mother who's brought her up on all varieties of granola liberal hogwash. The Wolf Man is her mother's new beau. He has a wolfhound, a pock-marked face and a great red beard. A pleasurable aspect of this book was that I kept imagining characters from the Mary Tyler Moore show while reading, probably because it was written in 1972 and takes place in various shag-rugged apartments. I imagined Brett's mother as a raunchier Rhoda, the misguided mantrap of a neighbor as Phyllis, Brett as Bess, etc. I even imagined the Grandfather as a smarter Ted Baxter!
This book is a fine exploration of marriage in the seventies and it's all the more interesting from a preteen's vantage point. Klein is able to really get into the preteen spirit; Brett's thoughts and observations of the "grown-up world" seem absolutely spot on. I will say (SPOILER ALERT) that it bummed me out when the mother sold out and married the Wolf Man in the end. I would've preferred a non-connubial set-up with lots of macrame and sacred crystals instead.
Norma Klein is every bit as PG-13 as Judy Blume, but a lot more forgotten. I loved her novels Sunshine and Breaking Up as a tween and I want to read more of her whenever I next feel the urge for a feel-good scandal of yesteryear.
This book is a fine exploration of marriage in the seventies and it's all the more interesting from a preteen's vantage point. Klein is able to really get into the preteen spirit; Brett's thoughts and observations of the "grown-up world" seem absolutely spot on. I will say (SPOILER ALERT) that it bummed me out when the mother sold out and married the Wolf Man in the end. I would've preferred a non-connubial set-up with lots of macrame and sacred crystals instead.
Norma Klein is every bit as PG-13 as Judy Blume, but a lot more forgotten. I loved her novels Sunshine and Breaking Up as a tween and I want to read more of her whenever I next feel the urge for a feel-good scandal of yesteryear.
March 2, 2020
I’m not sure if I actually read this as a child or if I just saw the cover repeatedly in the library. First published in 1972, Mom, the Wolf Man and Me is about 11 year old Brett who does not have a father and isn’t hung up about it at all. She loves her liberated mother, who works as a photographer and who isn’t like the mother of her friends. Brett’s mom wears jeans and no makeup, works crazy hours and takes Brett with her on protest marches, etc. In the 1970’s that was super cool. When Brett’s mom considers marrying, Brett worries that this will change her mother and their family situation in to something more conventional and strict.
I liked this blast from the past. Klein is frank about sex outside of marriage in this book. I am still shocked (and was as a child too) to read of children who were allowed to take city buses with no adult supervision, in NYC. I wasn’t allowed to leave my suburban block as a child unaccompanied, much less take public transport.
I liked this blast from the past. Klein is frank about sex outside of marriage in this book. I am still shocked (and was as a child too) to read of children who were allowed to take city buses with no adult supervision, in NYC. I wasn’t allowed to leave my suburban block as a child unaccompanied, much less take public transport.
November 17, 2022
Brett's mother has never been married, has a career as a photographer, wears jeans a lot, has a boyfriend who brings movies over for Brett to watch, gets another boyfriend who occasionally spends the night, and fixes steak tartar for dinner. With raw egg on top.
So many scandalous things, and thirty years later all we can think is "The mother let the girl eat RAW HAMBURGER???" It seems somewhat odd to me that in the 1970s, when relatively fewer parents were divorced and dating, that there were so many books about children dealing with those issues. Now, when it is more common, there are not as many. I really should pull this one, but the description of Brett and her mother at a peace march in Washington wearing dresses "so people don't think only hippies protest", puts this so squarely in the realm of historical fiction that I may keep it. I didn't realize that Norma Klein died back in 1989, at the age of 51. Most of her books included controversial topics, and she also wrote Sunshine, about a young mother dying of cancer. That was my speech for Prose and Poetry my sophomore year. This should go, but I'll probably keep it.
So many scandalous things, and thirty years later all we can think is "The mother let the girl eat RAW HAMBURGER???" It seems somewhat odd to me that in the 1970s, when relatively fewer parents were divorced and dating, that there were so many books about children dealing with those issues. Now, when it is more common, there are not as many. I really should pull this one, but the description of Brett and her mother at a peace march in Washington wearing dresses "so people don't think only hippies protest", puts this so squarely in the realm of historical fiction that I may keep it. I didn't realize that Norma Klein died back in 1989, at the age of 51. Most of her books included controversial topics, and she also wrote Sunshine, about a young mother dying of cancer. That was my speech for Prose and Poetry my sophomore year. This should go, but I'll probably keep it.
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July 27, 2019I think the single parent situation here -- one of choice, with no father in the picture at all -- was revolutionary at the time. But the relationship that develops with Theodore happens out of no where and if I'm being honest, he feels like a lonely, lost puppy, as opposed to a fully fleshed character. I enjoyed this quite a bit, thought the exploration of gender roles was good, and I remained unsurprised to see so much fat phobia throughout.
November 28, 2013
Well, as many of you know, I was all excited to find this old favorite of mine in the Friends of the Library book sale last month. It's about the daughter of a zany, unconventional single mother who eventually remarries without losing her zany, unconventional ways. I remembered it as wonderful and groundbreaking. It now seems a bit dated and optimistically "Free to Be You and Me," especially the fact that the main character is altogether unmoved by the fact that she has no father and totally tolerant of her mother's unconventional sleeping, eating and dressing habits. All the kids I know want their moms to be cartoon moms. (My own daughter would probably be ecstatic to come how and find me vacuuming in pearls like June Cleaver.) And they REALLY want dads. The narrator does have a best friend who is also in a single mother household but who does long for her father and is a neurotic mess; this character almost seems designed to make ordinary girls who want dads feel bad about themselves. The narrator is also pretty childish and clueless about sex for an 11-year-old these days; the mom's new boyfriend sleeps over and she doesn't realize they've had sex until her friend, the neurotic mess, says that's what happened. . Then she asks her mother, "Did you have sexual intercourse?" And the mother says "Yes." (!!) Let's leave aside the fact that the mother answers her child flatly, as if it's the child's business whether or not she's having sex. Because that was the '70s. But even in the 1970s an 11-year-old would know what it meant if an adult man slept in her mother's bedroom. And can you imagine any 11-year-old girl asking that question with a straight face? Most of them are so disgusted by sex, they're 2 steps from a nunnery. Then I didn't understand why the free-spirited mother would get married right away once she found a guy. You'd think they'd live together for a while or something. But maybe she wasn't so free spirited after all.
July 31, 2009
I read this when I was a kid, and was thinking that my daughter might like it. I wanted to read it again because I remembered that it was kind of clandestine and controversial when I was a kid. Well, things have certainly changed, nothing in this book would surprise my 9 year old. BUT...I was so deeply sucked in by Norma Klein's writing, once again. I read everything she ever wrote when I was younger and all I can say is that she died waaaaaaay too soon, she was a tremendously gifted writer and wrote, at the time, books that kids wanted to read and could relate to; she didn't talk down to kids, she respected them and realized that they were able to handle more than most people gave them credit for. If you have never read anything by her, do yourself a favor and pick up one of her books...this one or "It OK IF YOu Don't Love Me" or "You Just Don't Understand Me" or "Tomboy" or any of her books.
August 13, 2021
After back-to-back-to-back readings of Jackie Collins novels, I was a bit behind in my reading challenge count and was looking for something light hearted when I decided: “Why not re-read some of the Norma Klein young adult novels you have?” And here we are.
The first one I've re-read is Mom, the Wolfman, and Me. It’s the story of Brett Levin, an 11-year-old girl who lives a content, unorthodox life with her single, successful photographer mother. In a very brief aside we learn that Brett has never met her father and that her father has no idea she exists because Brett’s mother never told him she was pregnant. This fair more interesting storyline is never pursued beyond its brief mention, but everyone is pretty chill with it.
The meat of the novel is Brett coping with her perpetually single mother who is dating Theo—an ugly (by Brett’s standard), red haired, bearded teacher who owns a wolfdog (hence the nickname). She likes Theo but she’s afraid he’ll marry her mother, and everything will change like having to wear dresses and eating homemade dinners at 6pm.
Like my recent re-reads of Jackie Collins novels, you really can’t read Mom, the Wolfman, and Me through the lens of today. It would be incredibly frustrating. The idea of a single working mother was clearly a contentious issue back in 1972—even Brett’s grandmother expresses disdain for her mother’s little photography career, and I forgot how lax childcare was back then. Brett is 11 yet she’s free to roam New York City on her own.
The few common threads I’ve found with Norma Klein novels I’ve re-read so far is her protagonists are unusually worldly, astute, and self-aware. This is kind of jarring and unrealistic for an adult reader but, as I recall, it was remarkably relatable and empowering as a fellow 11-14 year pre-teen reader and one of the main reasons Klein’s novels resonated with me as a kid and still remain childhood favorites as an adult.
Also, her protagonists are all from upper class families which Klein tries to downplay with her breezy, relatable prose. For example, in Mom, the Wolfman, and Me Brett’s mother is a sort of Annie Leibovitz photographer type who works for a magazine. They just moved to a brand-new uptown high-rise apartment building. Her grandfather is a psychoanalyst. Her mother’s best friend trains animal for appearances in tv commercials and movies. She goes to a “very good school”.
And her protagonists are always the “ugly” girl to their drop-dead-gorgeous-but-doesn’t-know-it best friend. In this case, it’s Evelyn—Brett’s best friend who also has a single mother and lives in the twin tower of her apartment building. Except Evelyn’s mother is on the prowl for a new husband and tackles dating as a full-time job. All things the average pre-teen reader can’t relate to but makes for an interesting story.
Anyhow, this was a fun time capsule of a long gone era and a quick and breezy read—especially if you remember reading this as a kid.
The first one I've re-read is Mom, the Wolfman, and Me. It’s the story of Brett Levin, an 11-year-old girl who lives a content, unorthodox life with her single, successful photographer mother. In a very brief aside we learn that Brett has never met her father and that her father has no idea she exists because Brett’s mother never told him she was pregnant. This fair more interesting storyline is never pursued beyond its brief mention, but everyone is pretty chill with it.
The meat of the novel is Brett coping with her perpetually single mother who is dating Theo—an ugly (by Brett’s standard), red haired, bearded teacher who owns a wolfdog (hence the nickname). She likes Theo but she’s afraid he’ll marry her mother, and everything will change like having to wear dresses and eating homemade dinners at 6pm.
Like my recent re-reads of Jackie Collins novels, you really can’t read Mom, the Wolfman, and Me through the lens of today. It would be incredibly frustrating. The idea of a single working mother was clearly a contentious issue back in 1972—even Brett’s grandmother expresses disdain for her mother’s little photography career, and I forgot how lax childcare was back then. Brett is 11 yet she’s free to roam New York City on her own.
The few common threads I’ve found with Norma Klein novels I’ve re-read so far is her protagonists are unusually worldly, astute, and self-aware. This is kind of jarring and unrealistic for an adult reader but, as I recall, it was remarkably relatable and empowering as a fellow 11-14 year pre-teen reader and one of the main reasons Klein’s novels resonated with me as a kid and still remain childhood favorites as an adult.
Also, her protagonists are all from upper class families which Klein tries to downplay with her breezy, relatable prose. For example, in Mom, the Wolfman, and Me Brett’s mother is a sort of Annie Leibovitz photographer type who works for a magazine. They just moved to a brand-new uptown high-rise apartment building. Her grandfather is a psychoanalyst. Her mother’s best friend trains animal for appearances in tv commercials and movies. She goes to a “very good school”.
And her protagonists are always the “ugly” girl to their drop-dead-gorgeous-but-doesn’t-know-it best friend. In this case, it’s Evelyn—Brett’s best friend who also has a single mother and lives in the twin tower of her apartment building. Except Evelyn’s mother is on the prowl for a new husband and tackles dating as a full-time job. All things the average pre-teen reader can’t relate to but makes for an interesting story.
Anyhow, this was a fun time capsule of a long gone era and a quick and breezy read—especially if you remember reading this as a kid.
November 24, 2022
This was a pretty fun little book. It's told from the first-person perspective of Brett, an eleven-year-old girl living with her mom in New York. The book is largely about Brett's relationship with her mom, Deborah. It's a unique relationship, not just because Deborah never married Brett's father (Deborah says Brett's father doesn't even know Brett exists), but also because Deborah is fairly independent and has a light hand on Brett's life. Brett herself is is curious, tells it like it is, and lives in practicality instead of fantasy. She is friendly and funny. There are a bunch of fun little moments when she sounds more mature than her eleven years, no doubt also due to the fact that her mom and grandfather treat her more like an individual.
The book isn't super plot-driven, although you get from the title that the inclusion of The Wolf Man, aka Theodore, is significant, and it very much is. I really enjoyed the interaction between Brett and Theodore, Brett's grandparents, Andrew and his family, Evelyn and her mother, and Wally. The exchanges between Brett and her grandfather were delightful and so warm.
The inclusion of some unique themes (I mean, I don't know how much I'd qualify Brett's family situation qualifies, but everyone else finds it unique and keeps bringing it up; Evelyn's mother taking pills and possibly trying to commit suicide counts) was done in a way that feels legit for how an eleven-year-old describes and understands it.
I read this within a few hours, and the rating relates to just how easy it was for me to shift from one chapter to the next. Not entirely a page-turner, but I really enjoyed it.
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This book is actually from my mom's bookcase, and it's been on my temporary bookcase for a little bit. I wanted a short read for the holiday weekend but didn't expect to finish it in one day! Still, I really enjoyed this book.
The book isn't super plot-driven, although you get from the title that the inclusion of The Wolf Man, aka Theodore, is significant, and it very much is. I really enjoyed the interaction between Brett and Theodore, Brett's grandparents, Andrew and his family, Evelyn and her mother, and Wally. The exchanges between Brett and her grandfather were delightful and so warm.
The inclusion of some unique themes (I mean, I don't know how much I'd qualify Brett's family situation qualifies, but everyone else finds it unique and keeps bringing it up; Evelyn's mother taking pills and possibly trying to commit suicide counts) was done in a way that feels legit for how an eleven-year-old describes and understands it.
I read this within a few hours, and the rating relates to just how easy it was for me to shift from one chapter to the next. Not entirely a page-turner, but I really enjoyed it.
--
This book is actually from my mom's bookcase, and it's been on my temporary bookcase for a little bit. I wanted a short read for the holiday weekend but didn't expect to finish it in one day! Still, I really enjoyed this book.
October 18, 2008
I remember buying this book from the Scholastic catalog (remember those?) thinking it was about a werewolf. I was maybe 9 years old at the time so cut me some slack on this. When I got over being put out that it wasn't about lycanthropy in any way, I loved it. The idea of a girl with an unwed mother and a boyfriend that slept over was so shocking, exotic and cool to me that Brett was my idol-and I felt for her having to share her Mom all of a sudden with this new hirsute boyfriend even as I delighted in the aforementioned shocking exotic coolness. Were all of Klein's books so provocative for the YA crowd? Must investigate....
September 12, 2014
Growing up, Klein's teen novels were a little too much for me, but sensible, going-on-12 Brett always felt like a friend. Her mom and Theo are a great Free to Be...You and Me couple.
Klein isn't preachy but she matter-of-factly shows girls the dangers of aspiring to be like Evelyn's mother.
With this reading, I wondered how all the kids in the story would turn out, and I thought a lot more about Brett's mom situation, back when she was single and pregnant circa 1960.
Love that the wolfhound is named Norma, and most interesting of all (seriously - I stayed awake thinking about it) is Klein's choice to end the story with Wally.
Klein isn't preachy but she matter-of-factly shows girls the dangers of aspiring to be like Evelyn's mother.
With this reading, I wondered how all the kids in the story would turn out, and I thought a lot more about Brett's mom situation, back when she was single and pregnant circa 1960.
Love that the wolfhound is named Norma, and most interesting of all (seriously - I stayed awake thinking about it) is Klein's choice to end the story with Wally.
August 9, 2021
This is a keeper. Brett is fatherless, with a mother who doesn’t seem motherly (she always wears jeans, works as a photographer, acts like a free spirit, and does other things many early 1970s mothers wouldn’t do). This is more character-driven than plot-driven. I loved being in Brett’s head with her thought processes as she ruminates about her mom, grandparents, friends, and her mom’s love interest. She’s an original and authentic character. I purchased a yellowing paperback that I plan on preserving since I’d like to read this again and again.
October 9, 2014
Even Norma Klein's books for middle grade readers have depth and honesty. I would have loved this story when I was 10, 11, 12, and I appreciate it now as an adult as well. Even beyond its fun and frank protagonist, it's fun to read about NYC in 1972.
20/60 tbr box.
20/60 tbr box.
November 30, 2007
This is a book that I read many, many years ago when I was a young adult. Now I am an old adult and I don't remember it very clearly, just that I enjoyed it and may have read it more than once.
May 28, 2012
I finished this ages ago. It took only 10 seconds. It's an interesting insight into the 70s. We don't even blink when it comes to single mothers.
April 22, 2023
Haven’t read this book though I’m giving it 4 stars nonetheless as it certainly doesn’t seem right to critique it having not read it.
But I’m bothering to write because all these years for some strange reason I thought this book was related to the novel “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore” as well as the movie of the same name & the tv show. So I thought the mother in this was Alice & that it was all tied in to each other.
Remember seeing the commercial for the movie on TV one time & hearing them mention “Based on Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore”. So I always thought it had to do with that plus I did think the title was pretty cool.
I’m sorry if this doesn’t make any sense but imagine how I feel having been under that impression all this time.
But I’m bothering to write because all these years for some strange reason I thought this book was related to the novel “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore” as well as the movie of the same name & the tv show. So I thought the mother in this was Alice & that it was all tied in to each other.
Remember seeing the commercial for the movie on TV one time & hearing them mention “Based on Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore”. So I always thought it had to do with that plus I did think the title was pretty cool.
I’m sorry if this doesn’t make any sense but imagine how I feel having been under that impression all this time.
February 16, 2021
[4.5 stars] I read this as a kid, have little memory of my reaction to it, and I can't imagine appreciating it then as much as I love it now. This was Norma Klein's first novel, and it must have been both all the rage and a scandal when it was published in 1972. I enjoy how, in a first-person narrative, she folds so exactingly into the voice of an 11-year-old. Definitely worth going to the extra effort to find a used copy of this out-of-print title.
June 27, 2020
Is a child of the 70s I was obsessed with monsters, especially the ones in Universal movies, and would read anything that name dropped a monster in the title.
I found this book to be disappointing because it did not have an actual Wolf Man in it.
Should have come with an advisory sticker: Warning: Contains no actual werewolf.
I found this book to be disappointing because it did not have an actual Wolf Man in it.
Should have come with an advisory sticker: Warning: Contains no actual werewolf.
March 20, 2025
This is my first time reading this book after watching the TV movie numerous times.
It’s a delightful blend of humor, heartwarming moments, and witty dialogue. Klein’s engaging protagonist and authentic conversations draw you into the story.
For any fan of Norma Klein, this book is a must-read.
It’s a delightful blend of humor, heartwarming moments, and witty dialogue. Klein’s engaging protagonist and authentic conversations draw you into the story.
For any fan of Norma Klein, this book is a must-read.
April 16, 2025
This book reminds me of a slightly younger Judy Blume book- something like Fudge or Sheila the Great. The main character is only 11 or 12, and I love the fresh situations and the relationship she has with her mom. Of course the setting is Manhattan, which I love.
July 2, 2017
Young adult fiction. Fast read. Cute story. Note to self: bring lots of books when visiting Bella Coola OR make sure to visit their Red Bookshelf!!
November 23, 2018
Revisited this favorite from my childhood and it's still as wonderful as ever. Norma Klein's characters have always been beautifully relatable to me.
July 16, 2019
Love this book..Told so we'll. Very funny and innocent.
October 16, 2019
A fun read that looks into the mind of a preteen going through changes in personal life.
October 21, 2024
3.75 stars
December 7, 2025
Cute and short read.
July 24, 2013
After all of these years, I still really like this book. It was weird how it seemed so familiar even though I haven't read it in probably 30+ years. Strangely, though, the parts when Brett is talking about "the Wolf Man" spending the night with her mom and talking to her mom about "sexual intercourse" was not familiar which makes me think I blocked that out of my mind as a tween! It was interesting to see the different issues that were brought up in a kids' book written in the early '70's: single parent families, divorce, spousal abuse, war protests, attempted suicide... Anyway, after all this time, I still think Brett's mom and the Wolf Man were a cool couple (and steak tartar is still gross).
September 21, 2007
This is a Norma Klein book that I don't own, but that I remember reading very clearly. Focuses on the relationship between a girl and her divorced mom.
December 1, 2009
Great story of pre teen divorce angst by Norma Klein. Likable, precocious protagonist
June 18, 2010
I read this a couple of times as a teen and really liked it. No idea how I would feel about it now.
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June 22, 2010I honestly can't remember if I liked this book or not. I read it as a kid but I've never re-read it. I probably thought it was okay.
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