Julie of the Wolves, by Jean Craighead George, 3.5 stars

[NancyJ]

I've heard the term "raised by wolves" enough in my life to know that it must have happened somewhere, at some time in history, in some limited way. Otherwise I would think this story is pure fantasy. (Maybe it is fantasy, idk.) Julie wasn't raised by wolves, however she does figure out how to get them to help feed her when she is lost alone on the tundra. This was by far my favorite part of the book. Her father once told her how to interact with wolves, and how to survive away from civilization. She learned how to act by carefully observing (and copying) how the young wolves acted with the adults. There is a movie in development and I'm curious how they will show this part (without endangering the life of the actress).

The rest of the book was uneven for me. Julie grew up in a seal camp in Alaska until she was forced to go to the English school. She gets a pen pan from San Francisco, and considers going there. She is torn between two worlds, a life close to nature as an Eskimo, or a life in civilization, speaking English. I felt at times like pieces of the story were missing, perhaps because the book starts in the middle of the story. The ending seemed too abrupt. I'm glad I read this book, but I'm not sure I want to read the next book in the series to find out what happens next.