From the Bookshelf of Mock Newbery 2026…

Wolf Hollow (Wolf Hollow, #1)

Lauren Wolk

Start date: January 18, 2017

Finish date: January 31, 2017

Discussion: Newbery 2017

Why we're reading this: Winner of our Mock Newbery
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Showing 2 of 7 topics — 418 comments total

Newbery 2017

* Mock Awards and More
By Kristen · 40 posts · 337 views

last updated Mar 13, 2017 05:17PM

November read?
By Barb · 10 posts · 187 views

last updated Oct 29, 2017 04:52PM

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What Members Thought

May 20, 2016 Dest rated it it was amazing

Shelves: teen, historical-fiction, families, book-group-worthy, tween, bullies, individuality, sad, war, grown-up-books

I really loved this book. It's gorgeously written, full of wisdom, and hard to put down. The thing is, I'm not entirely convinced it's a children's book. Someone told me the author originally imagined it being marketed to adults but she was persuaded to turn it into a middle grade novel. Even if that's not true, it seems true. Like The Catcher in the Rye and To Kill a Mockingbird, this book is complex enough for any adult, but happens to follow the experiences of a young person. Does that in its I really loved this book. It's gorgeously written, full of wisdom, and hard to put down. The thing is, I'm not entirely convinced it's a children's book. Someone told me the author originally imagined it being marketed to adults but she was persuaded to turn it into a middle grade novel. Even if that's not true, it seems true. Like The Catcher in the Rye and To Kill a Mockingbird, this book is complex enough for any adult, but happens to follow the experiences of a young person. Does that in itself make it a YA or middle grade book? As I was reading I noted many places where the meaning was so subtle, I had to re-read it and then put the book down for a minute to ponder. It was also so heart-wrenching at times, so real, that tears sprang to my eyes. I'm not saying this book is "inappropriate" for children. I'm saying most children are probably not mature enough to really sink their teeth into it. The voice of the narration is that of an older Annabelle looking back on the year before she turned 12. It's not fully an 11-year-old's voice, though the narration accounts for what she perceived at the time, versus what she understands in retrospect.

Literature is literature, no matter who it's marketed to, but I feel like this will present a challenge to award committees. This is, without a doubt, one of the finest books I've ever read. But I can't imagine recommending it to many children. Teens, yes. Adults, definitely. It is my sincere hope that it finds a wide readership despite being sold as middle grade fiction. It explores prejudice against people who are perceived as "odd" and the difficult balance between doing what is right and what is expected. Annabelle's mother has some wonderfully powerful lines - the one about numbness and hurt comes to mind. Toby is a character that reminds me (and a lot of readers) of Boo Radley, but he also made me thing of The Things They Carried, especially because he carries those heavy guns on his back. Annabelle as a narrator reminded me a little of Briony in Atonement because of her perspicacity and also her unusual position of power as a child in an adult world. Betty, though a villain, still inspires traces of sympathy. But, I have to admit, I thought mostly of Macaulay Culkin's character in the movie The Good Son (which I just googled and learned was written by Ian McEwan! Who knew?)

If you've made it this far and haven't read the book, I hope you do. ...more

29 likes · Like · see review

Jul 19, 2016 Mary Lee rated it it was amazing

Shelves: knock-my-socks-off, agriculture-farm, middle-grade, death, war, 2016, characters, historical-fiction, bully, setting

I almost couldn't read this book. The tension and conflict from the very beginning nearly did me in. But the language and the characters kept me going. I was not at all surprised to find that Lauren Wolk is a poet.

Maybe this could be a read aloud in 5th grade. It's a hard story, but the stories on the news aren't much better. Perhaps it would give us a safe way to talk about the wolves out there, about honesty, about the choices we make, about how we can't control what happens...but we can try.

W ...more

8 likes · Like · see review

May 19, 2016 Maria Caplin rated it really liked it

Cliffhanger is an understatement. The character development was gripping. I was pulled in by the setting. I believe this is a middle grade text however it will make my list for Newberry Club.

3 likes · Like · see review

Aug 06, 2016 Cat rated it really liked it

Shelves: children-s-chapter-books

This is the first book that I've read this year that is a Newbery contender. A beautiful, sorrowful book about the choices we make. ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Jul 31, 2016 Monica Edinger added it

Has such a mournful sensibility, but beautifully done.

3 likes · Like · see review

Jun 04, 2016 Shari (Shira) rated it really liked it

Shelves: childrensbooks, historical-fiction

Annabelle's sweet and simple life is disrupted by a new girl in school, Betty Glengarry. Betty is beyond your classic mean girl. She is evil, manipulative, diabolical, torturing innocent animals mean. She has singled out Annabelle to bully, identified her weakness, and is willing to do whatever it takes to get Annabelle to comply with her demands. This book is all-consuming, heart-racing, breath-taking compelling. I gobbled it up in one sitting. I am concerned that it might be too harsh for chil ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Aug 29, 2016 Janice rated it it was amazing

Shelves: audiobooks

Well worth re-listening. Lauren Wolk weaves magic spells with characters and gorgeous language.

2 likes · Like · see review

Oct 03, 2016 Michelle rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction, children, chapter-books

If this doesn't win the Newbery Award, I don't know what's what! ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Jun 17, 2016 Kristy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical-fiction, realistic-fiction, middle-school, coming-of-age, family-drama

This is a really beautiful book with gorgeous prose. I like how the author treated the young narrator with such respect and took her points of view as seriously as an adult's. The events in the book are sad and scary and she doesn't pull any punches. Things are not fixed or wrapped up in a pretty package by the end. I think it's a fitting book for the times we live in. And unlike some books that are so sad that I hesitate to recommend them to young kids (Pax, I'm looking at you), I would whole h ...more

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Sep 13, 2016 Jenny rated it it was amazing

Shelves: juvenile-fiction, ya, realistic-fiction, dark, favorites, audio, sad, mock_newbery_2017

Wolf Hollow is a sadly beautiful and haunting story. Annabelle lives in a small town during WWII and begins to be bullied by a girl named Betty. Soon right and wrong and lies and truth wrap Annabelle up and make her see that the world is much more complex than she thought it was. While Betty torments Annabelle, a gentle WWI veteran, Toby, bears witness with horrible consequences. Lauren Wolk reveals her characters through their actions, so that we really get a feel for who they are. Assumptions, ...more

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