Marvelous Middle Grade Monday #MMGM Book Review: The Mad Wolf's Daughter by Diane Magras

Young Drest hears a sound one night, but her father and brothers don’t believe her. When their camp is invaded, war breaks out, and Drest is forced into hiding to stay safe. Unfortunately, the Mad Wolf and his band of sons are taken as prisoners, leaving Drest to fend for herself. Still hidden, she witnesses a scene between two men and she can’t believe it when one of them double crosses the other and tries to kill him. The wounded man is left behind and Drest takes him as her captive. He is a knight from the invading group and knows the way to the castle where her brothers and father have been locked up. She hopes she can trade the man she rescued for her family, and the man is desperate to get to the castle for his own reasons. Drest has never left the area where her family has their camp. The path to the castle is not easy and they encounter bad weather, people who steal from them and danger at every turn. Plus, she hears terrible stories about her father and brothers which she knows can’t be true. Drest’s captive may be her enemy, but she does her best to keep him alive though his health continues to fail. Enemies to the core they must work together to get what they both want; although only one can be the victor. What will happen when Drest makes it to the castle? Will she be able to save her father and her band of brothers? Is she truly the Mad Wolf’s daughter or is she her own person? You’ll have to read this tail and decide for yourself.

When I found out my class was Skyping with Diane Magras, author of The Mad Wolf’s Daughter, I knew I had to read the book. I was not disappointed! I liked the confidence Drest has and how she stood for what she believed was right. All her life she heard the stories from her father and brothers about what they did to protect women and children. Even when her belief faltered she still held true to what she knew was right. The story of friendship, struggle and fight will appeal to those who like adventure. I recommend this book to kids and adults from fourth grade up who like taking a trip back in time when people often took the law into their own hands and were at the mercy of those in the court and castle. I am already looking forward to reading the second book, The Hunt for The Mad Wolf’s Daughter, and I can’t wait to hear what that author has to say during our Skype.

Has anyone else read The Mad Wolf’s Daughter? Or have you read another book by Diane Magras? We’d love to hear your thoughts!

Happy Reading!

~L

PS- I just noticed that all of the times I wrote Drest, the main character's name, auto correct changed the name to Dress. Fixed now! 


For other MMGM posts, please visit Greg Pattridge's blog.