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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
A sweet coming of age story. It's hard making the choices we have to make to grow up.
The writing style matched the style of the protagonist. Although I wanted more at times in regards to the writing, it may not have worked within this plot line.
The writing style matched the style of the protagonist. Although I wanted more at times in regards to the writing, it may not have worked within this plot line.
Y'all I did not like this story. I understand it's a widely-loved book, but it was not for me. There are three parts to the story, so I am going to split the review into portions.
STORY:
PART 1-
In Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead (pg 170), I did not care about Miyax naming all those wolves. "I will name you Jello, and you Silver, and you this, and you that..." Girl, please stop talking. The entire beginning of the book Miyax/Julie learns from wolves. Now, I like wolves a lot (they are beautiful and dangerous) but it got boring to read about their antics. Miyax's father, Kapugen, is missing and presumed dead but his words stay with Miyax always. She finds an adoptive father figure in a wolf named Amaroq.
Personally, I just could not find any excitement in this book. Miyax being a child bride was vaguely interesting.
PART 2-
I knew Daniel, the child groom of Miyax, was creepy when he was first introduced. A certain scene when he tried to force himself onto Miyax solidified that. Thankfully nothing happened but, gosh I was just as disturbed as her. Also, I'm not sure if the book was hinting that Daniel had a mental disability or just extreme paranoia.
PART 3-
"He walked you out all the way to seal camp," Martha told her. "And he never did anything after that" (pg 76).
A close friend of Miyax's dies and she discovers her father's aftermath. Needless to say, I was not impressed. To be honest, I mean Miyax did not have much of a reaction either just, "okay, I'm going to San Franciso."
OVERALL:
I was excited to read some diverse fiction, but Julie of the Wolves disappointed me. I want to say it's because I am not in the intended age range, but I have read countless kids' books that I enjoyed. Concerning the art, I liked the wolf illustrations but not the human ones. The artwork is made up of quick pen hatch lines, so when it comes to human eyes, they look like full black ovals. ¡No está bien!
Yeah, I don't really recommend this, but it is a fast read.
"Somewhere in this cosmos was Miyax; and the very life in her body, its spark and warmth, depended upon these wolves for survival. And she was not sure they would help" (pg 6).
STORY:
PART 1-
In Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead (pg 170), I did not care about Miyax naming all those wolves. "I will name you Jello, and you Silver, and you this, and you that..." Girl, please stop talking. The entire beginning of the book Miyax/Julie learns from wolves. Now, I like wolves a lot (they are beautiful and dangerous) but it got boring to read about their antics. Miyax's father, Kapugen, is missing and presumed dead but his words stay with Miyax always. She finds an adoptive father figure in a wolf named Amaroq.
Personally, I just could not find any excitement in this book. Miyax being a child bride was vaguely interesting.
PART 2-
I knew Daniel, the child groom of Miyax, was creepy when he was first introduced. A certain scene when he tried to force himself onto Miyax solidified that. Thankfully nothing happened but, gosh I was just as disturbed as her. Also, I'm not sure if the book was hinting that Daniel had a mental disability or just extreme paranoia.
PART 3-
"He walked you out all the way to seal camp," Martha told her. "And he never did anything after that" (pg 76).
A close friend of Miyax's dies and she discovers her father's aftermath. Needless to say, I was not impressed. To be honest, I mean Miyax did not have much of a reaction either just, "okay, I'm going to San Franciso."
OVERALL:
I was excited to read some diverse fiction, but Julie of the Wolves disappointed me. I want to say it's because I am not in the intended age range, but I have read countless kids' books that I enjoyed. Concerning the art, I liked the wolf illustrations but not the human ones. The artwork is made up of quick pen hatch lines, so when it comes to human eyes, they look like full black ovals. ¡No está bien!
Yeah, I don't really recommend this, but it is a fast read.
I HAD TO READ THIS BOOK FOR UNDERGRAD AND IT WAS DUMB AND I HATED IT!!!!
My memories of this childhood book were dim -- I remembered the wolves, but had forgotten that the creepy Daniel actually tries to rape Julie, and had also forgotten the dad goes modern. But Julie felt very real and emotionally vivid, even as I doubted she was a good representative of her supposed tribe -- she was more a child for George to depict her love of wolves and the wild through than someone part of a living culture.
Ah the arctic... My favorite setting. with wolves my fav animals...
Kids enjoyed this, but they like most adventure wilderness books (e.g., Hatchet series). This was similar to hatchet in many ways and if you liked that series you may like this one. What I'm conflicted about is the attempted marital rape scene, which was a but surprising, and may catch some readers off guard (for better or worse). Also, I'm not sure in this modern PC society whether the term Eskimo is really acceptable. It seems many find the term derogatory, so perhaps this aspect is worth some parental discussion. Seems the author is not "Eskimo" herself, so I leave it to others to debate whether she has the moral authority to use it (but also note that this is almost 50 years old now, so some historical context is appropriate). One negative reviewer harped on the impossibility of Miyax's story, well true or not, I don't know if that need be a sole reason to dislike it. While some aspects may be a bit of a stretch, its not so magical as Harry Potter's wizarding relm.
Reading this for an art project with Nigel Poor.
I'm really surprised I didn't read this book as a child. I was totally into the "kids living on their own" theme when I was in junior high. I actually wrote a book in eighth grade about a girl named Kia who escapes from her large family into a secret room in her house and then gets scurvy.
Okay, so maybe my book wasn't exactly like this one, which is about a girl who escapes an arranged marriage by heading out onto the tundra and living on her own (with the help of a pack of wolves). But the themes of escape and self-sufficiency are in both. Well, except that my heroine wasn't exactly self-sufficient.
Fine, my book wasn't at all like this one, but I still think I would have liked Julie of the Wolves had I read it as a kid. My eight-year-old sure loves it, but I think she loves it more for the communicating-with-animals part (the same reason she loves Michelle Paver's Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series).
I guess I'm not sure if it would really be so easy in real life to win the trust of a wolf pack, but then I've not tried. It didn't seem so far-fetched to me that it detracted from the story, though. It was all a part of Julie/Miyax's set-apartness. I loved how everything that others saw as backward and a result of poor decision-making, Julie saw as wonderful. She was almost magical in her specialness and her self-confidence. Naturally, she chafed in the life of the city, even as she tried so hard to belong there. But then, I think Jean Craighead George painted a scene in which Eskimo culture itself was chafing in the life of the city where the compromises of the old ways proved too much to maintain a sense of self.
This story left me feeling nostalgic for the time when magical things seemed possible to me, before grown-up pragmatism and self-consciousness boxed in and tamed that sense of possibility.
Will Julie's magic make it through her adolescence, or will she be forced to compromise it? I'm almost too afraid to read the next books to find out.
Okay, so maybe my book wasn't exactly like this one, which is about a girl who escapes an arranged marriage by heading out onto the tundra and living on her own (with the help of a pack of wolves). But the themes of escape and self-sufficiency are in both. Well, except that my heroine wasn't exactly self-sufficient.
Fine, my book wasn't at all like this one, but I still think I would have liked Julie of the Wolves had I read it as a kid. My eight-year-old sure loves it, but I think she loves it more for the communicating-with-animals part (the same reason she loves Michelle Paver's Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series).
I guess I'm not sure if it would really be so easy in real life to win the trust of a wolf pack, but then I've not tried. It didn't seem so far-fetched to me that it detracted from the story, though. It was all a part of Julie/Miyax's set-apartness. I loved how everything that others saw as backward and a result of poor decision-making, Julie saw as wonderful. She was almost magical in her specialness and her self-confidence. Naturally, she chafed in the life of the city, even as she tried so hard to belong there. But then, I think Jean Craighead George painted a scene in which Eskimo culture itself was chafing in the life of the city where the compromises of the old ways proved too much to maintain a sense of self.
This story left me feeling nostalgic for the time when magical things seemed possible to me, before grown-up pragmatism and self-consciousness boxed in and tamed that sense of possibility.
Will Julie's magic make it through her adolescence, or will she be forced to compromise it? I'm almost too afraid to read the next books to find out.
I loved the parts about wolves. The rest, no so much: http://newberryproject.blogspot.com/2007/10/julie-of-wolves.html
Faktiskt första gången jag läst den på engelska. Det kändes ändå bra. Tycker fortfarande det är en underbar bok.