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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
This is my favorite wolf story so far (and as you know, I love everything to do with wolves, so that's saying a lot). George is so good at weaving a fascinating story while at the same time educating you about the ways of animals and nature.
Update: I am a bit confused by the ending of this story. The author takes so much time to develop Miyax's resolve to staying in the wild, living the Eskimo way, only to throw all of that out on the very last page, and in the very last sentence of the story! It just rang so untrue to the rest of the story and felt like it was purely a "gussak" point of view, which is contrary to all the attention and respect paid to the traditions of the Eskimo's way of life through-out the rest of the story.
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I am reading this aloud to my 9 year-old. I am so squeamish when it comes to descriptions of animal slaughter, so at times this has been a bit difficult for me to read! However, Jean Craighead George gives magnificent descriptions of life on the tundra and of the wolf pack and their world. Julie (or Miyax, as is her Inuit name) is a completely engaging character and is the perfect storyteller.
I did read ahead a bit and was very saddened to read that the lead wolf Amiroq is shot and killed by hunters in an airplane...and even more saddened to find out that one of the hunters is Miyax's father, whom she idolizes but thinks is dead.
In addition, Miyax, is attacked by her arranged-marriage husband Daniel, who is described in the book as "dull". In a fit of rage over being teased for not being able to mate with his wife, Daniel attacks Miyax and attempts to rip off her clothes and kiss her. I skipped over much of this part in tonight's reading, reading only enough to explain why Miyax flees into the wilderness.
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I am reading this aloud to my 9 year-old. I am so squeamish when it comes to descriptions of animal slaughter, so at times this has been a bit difficult for me to read! However, Jean Craighead George gives magnificent descriptions of life on the tundra and of the wolf pack and their world. Julie (or Miyax, as is her Inuit name) is a completely engaging character and is the perfect storyteller.
I did read ahead a bit and was very saddened to read that the lead wolf Amiroq is shot and killed by hunters in an airplane...and even more saddened to find out that one of the hunters is Miyax's father, whom she idolizes but thinks is dead.
In addition, Miyax, is attacked by her arranged-marriage husband Daniel, who is described in the book as "dull". In a fit of rage over being teased for not being able to mate with his wife, Daniel attacks Miyax and attempts to rip off her clothes and kiss her. I skipped over much of this part in tonight's reading, reading only enough to explain why Miyax flees into the wilderness.
A true adventure tale about a girl with little options. Lots of topics that come up: women's rights, environment, Native culture, how the world is changing, etc. Worthwhile!
adventurous
emotional
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It's an interesting story and I'll definitely give it points for not being a run of the mill teen book!
You don't often read about girls living with wolves and eating their regurgitated meat to survive. (And if you do, I'd love to see your library!)
I didn't much like the character of Julie but I might also have skipped town if I was forced into an arrange marriage. (I'd probably pack a little better first but I'm fussy like that).
A story worth reading for its creativeness and originality!
You don't often read about girls living with wolves and eating their regurgitated meat to survive. (And if you do, I'd love to see your library!)
I didn't much like the character of Julie but I might also have skipped town if I was forced into an arrange marriage. (I'd probably pack a little better first but I'm fussy like that).
A story worth reading for its creativeness and originality!
This is the winner of the 1973 Newbery Medal, and I’m very torn about it. Julie of the Wolves, written by Jean Craighead George (winner of multiple Newbery awards), is the story of Julie, or Miyax, a young Eskimo girl who is making her way, alone, across the Alaskan tundra. (The book uses the word Eskimo instead of the more politically correct Inuit–it is from the 70’s, after all–so in this review, I’ll use the same language as the book.) Julie/Miyax makes friends with wolves and learns to care for herself in the wilderness, hunting, sewing, making tools, and avoiding predators by using the old Eskimo ways. Eventually she makes it back to civilization, but things turn out very differently from what she expected.
I am so torn about this book! Pros: Interesting insights into the old Eskimo ways. Actually fairly interesting for a survival/animal type book. Ambiguous ending that makes you think. Cons: I’m not a fan of survival or animal type books. The ambiguous ending is maybe a little too ambiguous. Why does Julie/Miyax swing so wildly from “I love the Eskimo ways” to “I’m going to San Francisco to get away from these Eskimos” to “I’ll desert even [spoilers!] in order to keep to the Eskimo ways, and to do so I’ll go to [more spoilers]!” Why, Julie/Miyax? Is it because you’re from two different cultures and you can’t reconcile them yet? Is it because you’re a prepubescent girl who overreacts to everything? Why?
Read more on my blog: http://newberyandbeyond.com/newbery-review-julie-of-the-wolves/
I am so torn about this book! Pros: Interesting insights into the old Eskimo ways. Actually fairly interesting for a survival/animal type book. Ambiguous ending that makes you think. Cons: I’m not a fan of survival or animal type books. The ambiguous ending is maybe a little too ambiguous. Why does Julie/Miyax swing so wildly from “I love the Eskimo ways” to “I’m going to San Francisco to get away from these Eskimos” to “I’ll desert even [spoilers!] in order to keep to the Eskimo ways, and to do so I’ll go to [more spoilers]!” Why, Julie/Miyax? Is it because you’re from two different cultures and you can’t reconcile them yet? Is it because you’re a prepubescent girl who overreacts to everything? Why?
Read more on my blog: http://newberyandbeyond.com/newbery-review-julie-of-the-wolves/
Jean Craighead George’s Julie of the Wolves is about a young Eskimo girl who must face hunger, isolation, and the risk of death in order to find her way back home. Out in the Arctic Circle with nothing but a sleeping skin, clothes, needles, and a few other tools, Miyax seeks the help of a wolf pack. She quickly becomes part of the pack, and is fed and cared for by them all: Amoroq, the leader, Silver, his mate, Jello, the lone wolf who sort of just straggles behind, Nails, and the pups Zit, Zang, and Kapu. Miyax learns the ways of the wolf pack, fitting in with their society, and also learning their language from the biting of each other’s jaws to show power and their different howls and barks to signify location or distress, maybe even prey. With the help if the pack, Miyax must survive the harsh Arctic climate in order to get back to some town. Why did she leave in the first place, though? How does she know the ways of the Arctic so well, even though the Eskimos in most areas are being converted to more American ways, with all of the new technology and English-speaking going on? Find out about this and more when you read Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys survival stories or outdoor adventures. At first I found it hard to get into the book because it was a little slow and I’m used to longer, more involved story lines like the kinds of books that I read and write, but this book still had an ending that most people would not see coming. I would actually recommend ANY of George’s books to anybody who likes stories of survival, animal and human bonds, and facts about nature. I actually had the privilege of meeting Ms. George through a Skype call just a few months before she died. I remember very little of it, but I do remember a story about a crow... I also remember something that she told me about writing. She said something close to, "If you want to become a writer, start with short stories." She then went on to talk about how trying to write novels is too hard to do before starting small, and that you can easily get bored with them. She is probably my biggest influence on my writing along with J. K. Rowling, Roald Dahl, and Eva Ibbotson. In fact, some of the first stories I ever wrote were about survival or human-animal bonds. Her books also helped me gain a new understanding of animals and an even greater love of them. In the books that I'm writing now, I even have some characters with close animal bonds, sort of based upon what I read in Jean George's books.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys survival stories or outdoor adventures. At first I found it hard to get into the book because it was a little slow and I’m used to longer, more involved story lines like the kinds of books that I read and write, but this book still had an ending that most people would not see coming. I would actually recommend ANY of George’s books to anybody who likes stories of survival, animal and human bonds, and facts about nature. I actually had the privilege of meeting Ms. George through a Skype call just a few months before she died. I remember very little of it, but I do remember a story about a crow... I also remember something that she told me about writing. She said something close to, "If you want to become a writer, start with short stories." She then went on to talk about how trying to write novels is too hard to do before starting small, and that you can easily get bored with them. She is probably my biggest influence on my writing along with J. K. Rowling, Roald Dahl, and Eva Ibbotson. In fact, some of the first stories I ever wrote were about survival or human-animal bonds. Her books also helped me gain a new understanding of animals and an even greater love of them. In the books that I'm writing now, I even have some characters with close animal bonds, sort of based upon what I read in Jean George's books.
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A great middle grades book that I enjoyed. This one is on the Mensa reading list for 7-8th grades.