Parents' Guide to

Wolf Hollow

By Andrea Beach, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Tween's search for justice is intense and beautiful.

Book Lauren Wolk Literary Fiction 2016
Wolf Hollow Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

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age 12+

Based on 5 parent reviews

PDelMom
PDelMom Parent of 11, 14 and 17-year-old
September 27, 2023
age 11+

A valuable novel with life lessons of compassion

The book is beautifully written and takes great care to create a protagonist who is multi-faceted and compassionate. It deals with the heart and learning how to navigate the truth without assumptions and appearances. A great read for older kids and middle school through high school. There is sadness, but also kindness and compassion. It feels like it is destined to become a classic and read in classrooms across the states - inspirational and honest.

This title has:

Educational value
Great messages
dbranley
dbranley Parent of 9-year-old
May 12, 2022
age 12+

Dark read

The book is too dark and the ending is sad. I made the mistake of reading this for my 9 year-old son. We'd already read Beyond the Bright Sea by the same author so I never thought this book would be unsuitable for him. I was disappointed overall.

This title has:

Too much violence
See all 5 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Annabelle, age 11, has a pretty good life on her family's farm in rural Pennsylvania, despite growing up between the shadows of two world wars. A neighboring couple take in their granddaughter from the city, Betty, who has a reputation as being "incorrigible." In the shade of WOLF HOLLOW, Annabelle quickly learns that Betty is much worse than that when she threatens to beat Annabelle and hurt her friends and family. The homeless World War I vet Toby comes to Annabelle's rescue, but by doing so he pits Betty against him. Betty lies, manipulates, and worse to turn the community against Toby. Annabelle tries to prove Toby is not the monster everyone thinks he is and to make sure that he's treated fairly. How can she prove that he didn't do something when it's his word against Betty's?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (5 ):
Kids say (11 ):

Lauren Wolk will invite comparison to Harper Lee thanks to this beautifully written middle grade novel. There are many similarities to To Kill a Mockingbird, including the time period, the mysterious man considered “odd” who befriends Annabelle, and a perfectly conjured and even more gothic sense of dread. The authors diverge in their handling of the larger social issues, and in that Wolf Hollow skews to a slightly younger reader. There’s nothing going on like the big trial, and no issues that the adults understand but the children do not. Some minor characters, good and bad, are more archetypes than fully developed, and in that regard Wolf Hollow doesn’t quite measure up to Lee’s gold standard.

Wolk's rhythmic prose conveys Annabelle’s childlike understanding of people and events with simplicity, honesty, and depth. Preteens and older readers alike will find a lot to think about Annabelle’s experiences with how we judge people, how we treat them, and how and when we can speak out when we see injustice. Have a hankie nearby and be ready to talk especially with younger readers about injustice and life's frustrations.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about bullies. Does Annabelle deal with her bully Betty effectively? Should she have done anything differently? What kinds of bullying behavior have you seen, and how did you handle it?

  • What makes Annabelle a good role model? Are there ways you can be more like her? Is there anything about her you don't like?

  • Do you agree that it's best to judge people by their actions and not by what they or anyone else says? Do you know anyone who turned out to be different from what you thought he or she would be?

Book Details

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