The Boy Who Howled

by Timothy Power

As far back as Callum can really remember, he's been living in the Wild as the furless mascot of a wolf pack. But when his pack sends him back to live with his own kind―humans―fitting in is quite a challenge. He doesn't remember English very well, so he accidentally says his name is "Clam." He's spent most of his life eating fresh-killed elk, so dining with vegetarians is tricky. And when he tries to impress the Alpha student in the school cafeteria by stealing food, people seem offended!

A mix of wildness and humor, Timothy Power's inventive writing makes him a debut author to watch. And Callum's quest to find his place in a strange world will have readers rooting for him―when they're not howling with laughter.

Genres: Middle Grade, Humor, Juvenile, Childrens, Fiction, Wolves, Fantasy

272 pages, Hardcover

First published October 25, 2010

Reviews

[Cheryl]

Wow. How original, and creative. The closest previous works I can think of are Mowgli, of course, and some science fiction. But this is very much its own smart, funny, adventurous, wonderful story. I don't like the blue cover, but prefer the b&w that I read, as it gives, imo, just a hint of metaphysical gravitas, which the story deserves.

It's not perfect, and in fact, during the first third I had trouble becoming engaged, but I'm giving it the full five stars because it so totally deserves a place on the MG shelves compared to all the other same-old same-old stuff currently there. And there are nods to the adult readers here, too, references that kids won't necessarily get. And it's worth a reread (which is a star right there).

I'm thinking it's good for anyone who likes MG fiction, whether they prefer fantasy, or adventure, or realistic school & family stories. Probably especially good for fans of Gordon Korman.

[Jill]

Fast-paced with an off-the-cuff type of humor, I think kids will like this one.

Callum has been raised from the age of 3 by wolves. When we meet him, his wolf mother has decided it is time for him to go back to civilization and what follows is his attempt to fit back into society after so many years away. Through a series of outstanding coincidences, he eventually is reunited with his family.

Here's what I wrote for booktalks:

" What if you were raised by wolves? How do you think you'd act you returned to human society?

Find out how one boy navigated the perils of returning to civilization after years spent in the Wild with only wolves (some of whom wanted to eat him!) as companions in "The Boy Who Howled" by Timothy Power."

[Alice]

Delightful! I rooted for the main character from page 1. The imagery created the woods and the train station and the school in my mind immediately. The secondary characters each had their own personality--I especially liked the similarities between the wolves and the humans. Highly recommended.

[Stacy Mozer]

A great middle grade read about a boy who has been living in the woods and now must enter human society. Fun, witty, and enjoyable. I can't wait to pass it on to my 3rd grade students.

[Heather]

A wonderful children's book for any age. Very imaginitive and easy for young readers to follow along.

[Brenna Updike]

I liked the beginning, but then once we got to the first time it was Lila's perspective it was really easy to tell the rest of the book. I like how instead of it all being about her finding her sister he had other experiences. I like how they added some heavy topics even though it's a kid's book. I think they could have elaborated on the issues more then what they did. Otherwise, I really liked this book! It kept me on the edge of my seat. Would I recommend this book to someone else? I honestly didn't like this book that much. Sure I would read it again, but I don't think I would recommend this book to anyone older than 16 or anyone that doesn't like reading because they could easily tell the plot and leave the book.

[Cyndy Aleo]

I'm always on the lookout for books with boy protagonists that my own middle grade boys will read, and when Sassa tore through Timothy Power's The Boy Who Howled without taking a break to go back to his Star Wars books, I figured I'd better see what had him so riveted.

::: The Plot :::

The Boy Who Howled is a middle-grade romp that appears to be based on the cliche "He'd have been better off being raised by wolves." Callum is, indeed, raised by wolves after his parents leave him behind on a camping trip. Try as he might, however, he never quite fits in with the wolves, and his wolf mother determines it's time for him to leave the pack, sending Callum into the city to find his way in the human world.

Callum gets into all sorts of adventures as he stumbles his way about, and like most middle-grade novels, reality is suspended for a while for him to have his fun.

::: This Isn't Tarzan :::

Power gives Callum an adorable personality, that has you rooting for him even when he does things that make you want to scream, like when he befriends a bully because he thinks the bully is the "alpha" of the pack. Callum is quick on his feet and agreeable with whatever the people he meet come up with. Parents will see his reunion with his birth family coming from a mile away, but for kids, the little bit of mystery keeps them reading, as I found with my older son, who loved seeing what Callum would get into next and how he'd end up in the end.

The Boy Who Howled is a great read, especially if you are looking for books for this age group with boys as the main character.

[Chad]

I liked this Junior Library Guild Selection and believe that Timothy Power’s debut piece of work will be the foundation of several good readings to come. This book is not a difficult read and is perfect for those juvenile chapter book readers that are strengthening their reading skills. This book is just right for my 10 year old son, who does not particularly like to read, but put a book of his liking in front of him and he will fly through it. I enjoyed the clever writing with the misunderstanding and miscommunications that occurred when the main character is placed back into the human world after being with a wolf pack during several of his developmental years.

I won this book through Goodreads first reads giveaway program. Whatt a great giveaway program. Thank you for placing this book in the giveaway program! I would not have selected it otherwise to read and am glad that it was made available to me.

[Arthur Pengerbil]

Reading Level: Grades 4 - 6

Callum's father keeps looking at him like he wants to eat him, literally eat him. This isn't all that odd, since his father is a wolf and Callum is a soft furless salty-tasting definitely not wolf pup. Unfortunately he is also approaching adolescence which means that he MIGHT want to make a challenge for the Alpha or Beta male position, so to protect him his mother brings him a school uniform and leaves him at the edge of the woods so that he can go live with his own kind. This fun book is full of misunderstandings and coincidences and will appeal to anyone who enjoys fantastic realism novels like Hoot by Carl Hiaasen.




For more book reviews from the HPPL Youth Department, click here.

[David]

Ugh. Total about-face on this one. Through the first half dozen chapters or so, I really liked it - it kept me very engaged. Then, it got old. Fast. The writing is awful in a variety of ways, e.g., the dialogue is off-kilter and it tries too hard to capture modern sensibilities. The humor is tired and/or just not funny, like Captain Underpants books. There seems to be no rhyme or reason regarding the boy's assimilation back into human society: some (often seemingly relatively difficult) things are figured out with no effort, while he stumbles over (often seemingly relatively easy) others. And, the violence throughout most of the book is jarring and often unnecessary.

[Megan]

This is very much a book for a Jr. High aged boy. It's a cute story with a few parts that even made me laugh. I especially liked the names of the three homeless men: Tom, Dick and Harry. While I feel that the family reunion scene was anticlimactic, the continuation of the story thereafter it nice. Overall, it is a very easy read and a great book for leaning about foreshadowing. I already have 3 young men in mind to whom I will be recommending this book.

[Theo]

This was really good, although the ending was a little abrupt. My favorite part was while he was with the pack. It was really funny, specifically when they talked about bloody steamy guts, for some reason. Because it seemed so ordinary for them (the wolves). My least favorite part was that they forgot the baby on their camping trip. Who would forget a baby???? I didn't like Billy Bankson, but you weren't supposed to like him.

[Sandy Brehl]

This one earns its fourth star for updating an old premise (lost boy adopted by a family of wolves) with remarkable scientific twists of pack behaviors, endangered species references, and disgustingly specific goriness in descriptions of life in a pack. The point-of-view of a very bright boy who has to figure things out back in the "human" world, from language to hygiene to social patterns is captured well, and enough humor ensues to compensate for what is overall a weak premise.

[Sherry]

A very cute book! If I had a little boy or girl maybe in the 4th-7th grade range (give or take), I'd highly recommend it. I throughly enjoyed the book myself.

I bet you might even be able to get kids who don't like to read, read this book. Maybe a great addition to an elementary or middle school classroom for all of the teachers out there.

[Aiyana]

This is one of those rare chapter books that genuinely sees things from a child's perspective. The author's style falls somewhere between Roald Dahl and Lemony Snickett-- clever, gory, funny, and outright ridiculous by turns. Older readers will also appreciate the wordplay and the absurdity of how the protagonist understands his world.

[Colleen]

This is a clever and imaginative story about a boy who is raised by wolves from toddlerhood and his adventures adjusting to living with humans again. I highly recommend this story to young and old alike.

[Dawn Miller]

From my eight-year-old son:

I recommend this book to all my friends and family. Callum is a very nice loving boy who doesn't speak very good english.

My favorite part is when Callum finds his family.

Kids should read this book. Sometimes times it made me laugh and sometimes it was sad.

[Andrea]

My 6 year old daughter love, love, loves this book. She is now a wild thing, who goes scrabbling around the house on four "legs" and making fierce faces. She just wishes that the author had written more books.

Her mommy found it amusing too, though she remains consistently on two legs.

[Ruth]

I won this through good reads! Looking forward to reading this to my grandsons when I receive it.

[Moriah]

I'm giving it four stars because I really liked the first couple of wolfy chapters. I'll probably wait to read it to Seth since I think he'll get it more when he's a bit older.

[Vanessa]

Next read-aloud-with-son book?

[Jessica]

The boys and I read this one. The writing was entertaining. It was a slow start.

[Natalie]

I think that it was a fabulous story about a boy raised by wolfs and then have to fend for himself in the city

[Cole]

it was dull in the beginning of the book but got better and better

[Joy]

Very clever story of family and finding where you belong.

[Carterkempgmail.Com]

I really liked this odd and unique book at first, but the last 60 pages or so were a letdown. Still, till then the ending I was charmed.

[Austin Phadoungsyavong]

I like this book about Boy live in forest like wild animal but he just human and can eat flesh meat. I hearing all world his/her father and mother who left baby and any animals pick baby then grow up like animals and skill animals make me sad or shock.