WOLF
HOLLOW BY LAUREN WOLK
2016 • 304
pages • Corgi Childrens
Whilst
the Second World War rages throughout Europe, eleven-year-old Annabelle McBride
lives a quiet life on her family farm in the small Pennsylvanian town of Wolf
Hollow. But peace is disrupted when new student Betty Glengarry arrives and
Annabelle quickly learns just how manipulative and cruel Betty really is.
Things soon grow worse when reclusive war veteran Toby becomes a target for
Betty’s scheming ways, and before long the whole town is involved in a man hunt
fed entirely by rumour and fear. Annabelle however knows the truth, and she
must somehow find the courage to be the only voice of justice as tensions
throughout Wolf Hollow begin to rise.
This
novel is simply delightful. Its poignant story and effortless writing style
make for a memorable reading experience and I didn’t want it to end. Wolf
Hollow has been compared with To Kill a Mockingbird and
I can certainly see where the similarities lie – Annabelle, like Scout Finch,
is a young country girl who explores the fight for justice and witnesses the
consequences of false accusations. Whilst I don’t know the true inspiration
behind the story there are parallels that can definitely be felt throughout,
especially with Toby who acts as a Boo Radley figure. Despite this the novel
works wonderfully and the story stuck with me long after I’d turned the final
page.
Child
narrators can sometimes be difficult to master but Annabelle is a brilliant
heroine, with Wolk managing to evoke just enough childlike innocence in to her
character to be believable. Annabelle is strong and brave and rather than
simply watch the events that are unfolding in her town, she actively becomes
involved in trying to create a solution. Whether her actions always prevail or
not, it was pleasing to read about a young female character who is active and
who is aware of what’s happening around her. I also liked how the book
highlighted the importance of relationships between adults and children. Toby
is a shy, nomadic figure haunted by war but Annabelle has only ever seen
kindness from him and the friendship they grow to have is lovely. Annabelle
learns from her parents, like most children, how to behave and treat others and
I loved how this family relationship ran continuously throughout. The novel
explores how adults lay the foundation for who their children become and the
positive experience gained from reading this was really touching.
The
writing flows easily and the tone of the story is so atmospheric that I flew
through the pages quicker than I anticipated. I loved the rural Pennsylvanian
setting and the details behind the name of Wolf Hollow are a nice touch –
everything just worked so well and the end result is simply charming. I think
what I loved about Wolf Hollow so much is that I was surprised
by it – I wasn’t expecting to read a story that was so haunting and
captivating. The book is marketed for middle grade readers but this is well
worth a read for those of us past our school days, because I absolutely loved
it. One of my favourite reads of the year so far.
Overall rating: 4.5 stars
My proof copy Wolf Hollow was sent to me by The Bookbag and my review was
originally published on their website.
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