Common Sense Media Review
By Mary Eisenhart
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Exciting, vivid fictionalized autobiography of famed wolf.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 9+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 2 parent reviews
Based on 13 kid reviews
Kids say this book is an exceptional and gripping animal adventure, praised for its emotional depth, character development, and educational content, particularly resonating with young readers aged 10-14. However, it features violence and themes of loss that some reviewers caution may not be suitable for younger children, yet many consider it life-changing and recommend it to anyone who loves animals and nature.
- emotional depth
- age suitability
- violence noted
- educational content
- strong recommendations
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
Young wolf Swift lives happily with his family in the mountains until another pack kills his father and scatters them all to an unknown fate. Unable to go home, he becomes A WOLF CALLED WANDER as he struggles to survive and travels hundreds of miles from his birthplace, hoping to find others of his kind and a new home. As he makes his way through forest and flatland, over water and highways, he struggles to stay true to his family's values while seeing many new sights and facing dangers his mother never told him about.
Is It Any Good?
This vivid, fact-based narrative of orphaned yearling wolf OR-7's unusually wide travels strikes a chord in the hearts of animal-loving readers and delivers a lot of science in the process. As he roams in search of a new home and family, facing many dangers and seeing many new things from a wolf's-eye view, young Swift hunts and devours a lot of prey, loses many loved ones to humans and other wolves, and often struggles not to lose hope. The story will appeal mostly to kids who love animals, science, and nature. A lengthy appendix includes the OR-7 story, lots of scientific information about wolves, and suggestions for further reading.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about wolves and their lives in the wild, as seen in A Wolf Called Wander and other stories. Why do you think wolves (real ones, magical ones, cartoon ones) are such a popular subject for storytelling?
As we share young Swift's wanderings, we see through his eyes that many animals have a lot in common, but they may have different approaches to doing the same thing -- like hunting alone vs. in groups. What other examples do you see in the animals around you?
What do you think of stories where a human author speaks in the voice of an animal (or other nonhuman) character? Do you think it's all part of good storytelling, or just silly?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Mónica Armiño
- Genre : Animals
- Topics : Adventures , STEM , Animals ( Wild Animals )
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Greenwillow Books
- Publication date : May 7, 2019
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 8 - 12
- Number of pages : 25
- Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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