Guardians of the Taiga: Wild Rescuers, Book 1

Book review by Mary Eisenhart, Common Sense Media
Guardians of the Taiga: Wild Rescuers, Book 1 Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 8+

Minecraft wolf-girl heroine shines in exciting book debut.

StacyPlays Fantasy 2018
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Parents say

age 5+

Based on 1 review

Kids say

age 6+

Based on 5 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this book.

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What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Guardians of the Taiga is the first volume of a new book series based on the popular Minecraft-inspired Dogcraft adventures and YouTube videos of StacyPlays, aka Stacy Hinojosa, and featuring characters based on the author and her own dogs. You need to suspend disbelief a bit here -- the story involves a girl raised by wolves in a world strongly resembling our own, who manages a pretty high level of education and standard of living while rescuing forest critters from hair-raising perils -- but the story hits a lot of sweet spots, especially for animal-loving kids and their parents. As the title suggests, there's a lot of information about nature and how ecosystems work, as well as a brainy narrator who doesn't talk down to her readers, includes a lot of vocabulary (such as "taiga") that might be new to them, and thoughtfully provides a glossary to explain it all at the end.

Community Reviews

AlchemyMom
AlchemyMom Adult
November 22, 2020
age 5+

Excellent book for kids and adults

The Wild Rescuers series is an excellent, wholesome and thought provoking series. We found it first as an audiobook through our library and quickly fell in love with Stacy and her wolf pack and went on to read all the books. My kiddo, 5 at the time, was thrilled with the content and eager to listen to me read the stories over and over again. He likes to create stories of his own with the wolves and they spark lots of creativity in him. The stories are free from the often irritating sassy language so many kids’ chapter books seem to have lately. As the primary focus is only Stacy and her wolves communication, there’s no name calling/foul words etc that happen when kids speak with their peers. There’s lots of adventure, empathy, courage and passion for the environment and solid family values (in this case the family is Stacy & her wolf pack). These books should please any kid who loves adventure and animals and be a sophisticated enough storyline to appeal to parents who liked Hatchet and the Gary Paulson books, and other stories of kids surviving without parental supervision.

This title has:

Educational value
Great messages
Great role models
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What's the Story?

GUARDIANS OF THE TAIGA takes readers to the "biome" (a world in Minecraft, where this story originated) where Stacy, who figures she's about 12 now, lives with a pack of wolves she considers her family, ever since the day a few years earlier when she woke up with a splitting headache in the middle of the forest with them hovering protectively over her. About her earlier life she remembers nothing (though she does remember how to read, write, and speak English). After a life-changing incident, she and the wolves make it their mission to save their fellow forest residents when they wind up in danger -- whether from hunters and irate villagers or rushing rivers and molten lava. They don't trust humans and prefer to stay far away, but another wolf pack that's moved into the area may force the issue.

Is It Any Good?

Main character Stacy and her wolf family are fun, appealing, and determined as they go from one hair-raising adventure to another in this action-packed leap from Minecraft to the book world. As Guardians of the Taiga, the interspecies pack puts all its members' talents to work trying to keep their forest neighbors -- and themselves -- safe and happy. StacyPlays opens up a whole new world for her Minecraft following, and between her exciting, science-packed narrative and Vivienne To's lively illustrations, the Wild Rescuers series is off to a great start.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about stories involving kids being raised by animals, and what happens when other humans find out about it. Do you know any other examples? How do you think Stacy and her pack compare?

  • Guardians of the Taiga is the first book based on a long-running series of adventures in Minecraft. Why do you think the storyteller might want to expand into books? What can you do in books that you can't do in Minecraft to tell your story -- and vice versa?

  • Author StacyPlays (Stacy Hinojosa) based her stories on an imaginary version of herself and her dogs in a fantasy world. If you and your animal companions were to star in your own stories, what would they be like?

Book Details

Our Editors Recommend

For kids who love animal stories and adventures

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