Friday, August 25, 2017

Is There is a Wolf in the Hollow?

World War II is going on, but in rural Pennsylvania things are pretty peaceful for eleven-year-old Annabelle and her family. She lives on a large farm in Wolf Hollow with her grandparents, parents, and two little brothers. She spends her weekdays in school sitting next to her best friend, Ruth, and weekends are spent doing chores on the farm and going to church. There is a vagabond named Toby who wanders the town and did make Annabelle uneasy, but she came to see that he was harmless and mostly kept to himself. Plus, her mom explained that Toby had gone through a lot during the first world war and he might be a little sad. When Betty Glengarry comes to stay with her grandparents, things change for Annabelle. Betty turns out to be mean. She wants Annabelle to give her money and other objects. Betty bullies kids in class- both boys and girls. With a cruel glint in her eye she harms an innocent animal in front of Annabelle, only to later deny it. Things with Betty continue to escalate until the day she goes missing. The people in town believe Toby must’ve taken her. After all, Betty had just blamed Toby for two terrible deeds that had hurt children in the town. Annabelle believes Betty is the culprit and her heart tells her Toby is innocent. She vows to help him if she can. When the police and neighbors are out searching for Betty, Annabelle goes looking for Toby. What will happen if she finds him? Is he safe to be around? What happened to Betty? Will the townspeople ever believe that Toby is innocent or will they continue to presume he is guilty because he has strange ways about him. You will have to read this book to find out! 

I had heard a lot of wonderful things about Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk, but I had no idea what the book was about. It did not disappoint! I really enjoyed the main character, Annabelle, because I could easily relate to her. She wanted to do the right thing, and she has a very big heart. Every time she told a lie I could tell she wanted to tell the truth, but the lie was necessary. I was so worried when Betty came to town and started bullying Annabelle. I was proud of her when she did the best she could to stand up to Betty. I liked the way the author describes the farm and the woods in the book because I felt like I was there. Also, giving the reader the background that the name Wolf Hollow came from a time when there was an over abundance of wolves in the area and bad things came because of it helped set the stage for the book (don’t want to spoil anything).  I recommend this to people ages 9 and up who enjoy historical fiction and for those who root for what is right. I know underdogs pull at my heart and if they tugs at yours then you will turn the pages just as quickly as I did. This book makes readers think about how we treat people and the judgments that are made based on the way someone looks. I look forward to reading another book by this author soon.

Has anyone else read Wolf Hollow? Or have you read another book by Lauren Wolk? We’d love to hear your thoughts.

Happy Reading!
~L

44 comments:

  1. Sounds great. Glad it's suitable for people aged 9 and up o I'm sure I will enjoy it! Hugs, Valerie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Valerie- This is a book that will resonate with a lot of adults too. Beautiful storytelling. :) ~L

      Delete
  2. Replies
    1. Gloria- It is a great book! One that really makes you think. :) ~L

      Delete
  3. Sounds like a good read, I just don't like that the bullying person is named Betty.

    Betty

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Betty- I know! I don't like when mean characters have my name either! The book is very well-written. :) ~L

      Delete
  4. Underdogs sure make for great stories indeed. Sounds like a good one.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Its new to me, but I can see myself enjoying the book. Annabelle sounds great.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sophia Rose- I really liked Annabelle and her kind heart. Someone I would definitely want to be friends with. :) ~L

      Delete
  6. It sounds wonderful. And hooray for people who stand up for the underdogs.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. EC- I agree! More people need to stand up for underdogs. It is a wonderful book. :) ~L

      Delete
  7. This sounds great, and I'm sure the older grandchildren would enjoy it.

    All the best Jan

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jan- I bet they would enjoy it! A book that makes you think! :) ~L

      Delete
  8. Historical fiction is one of my favorite topics to read. Will have to take a look at this one. Thanks for telling us about it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Beverly- I think you will love this story! :) ~L

      Delete
  9. Awesome review :D This one seems a bit sad, ack, but pretty awesome too. You have made me curious. Glad you liked it a bunch sweetie :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Carina- It is definitely a bit sad- but the main character is lovely. :) ~L

      Delete
  10. I LOVE this book. I am looking forward to reading more by this author. She is wonderful.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rosi- Glad to hear you loved this one as well. Such a beautifully written story. :) ~L

      Delete
  11. That's a great book review for children from 10.
    Have a nice Sunday!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Replies
    1. Misha- I really enjoyed it. A very deep story. :) ~L

      Delete
  13. Replies
    1. Sibartismos de Inma- It is a beautiful book! :) ~L

      Delete
  14. Thanks for the review. I'm putting on list for the niece.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Replies
    1. Patty- Yeah! Glad to hear you loved it too. Beautiful storytelling! :) ~L

      Delete
  16. Sounds like a wonderful book!! Thank you!!

    ReplyDelete
  17. This sounds like a wonderful work.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sandra- I'm still thinking about it. :) ~L

      Delete
  18. Oh this sounds so good! Reminds me of To Kill a Mockingbird a little for some reason :) Great review!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Meradeth- It has been compared to To Kill a Mockingbird! :) ~L

      Delete
  19. Sounds really magical and nice of you to share indeed.

    ReplyDelete
  20. The book souds good thanks for the review!

    ReplyDelete
  21. It's always fun to find books set in my state.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for stopping by and commenting. We love to hear your thoughts! We had to turn on comment moderation due to a high volume of spam. Fairday's Blog is no longer accepting awards. We appreciate all the nominations that we have received and are honored to have been mentioned! Happy Reading!

Twitter Bird Gadget Twitter Bird Gadget