An update from our thirty-fourth Book Club meeting!
This month we read and discussed The Wolf Wilder, an enchanting and suspenseful novel set in tsarist Russia, which follows Feo, a young girl who works with her mother to help re-wild wolves who have been kept in captivity by aristocrats. When the evil General Rakov arrests her mother, Feo sets off to rescue her, along with her new friend Ilya, who has deserted the army, and her fierce wolf companions.
It was a very small group today, but we still had a lively discussion. We talked about our favorite parts of the book, including Feo and Ilya’s developing friendship, the clever way that the children sneak into Saint Petersburg, and the inspiring moment when all the children band together to storm the jail. We agreed that the writing was beautiful throughout, and, although the settings had a fairytale-like quality, the characters felt real!
We also talked about themes and questions that the novel poses, including the difference between fear and cowardice; how Feo learns to trust and rely on other people; the right of children to fight for the world they want to live in; and the ways in which the book is similar to and different from a fairytale.
For our writing prompt, we took a page out of The Wolf Wilder and had the chance to write a scene where a character interacts with an animal, preferably one that isn’t very tame! One student read aloud a fun scene about a girl who plans to try to ride on a bull in her family’s farm. The Wolf Wilder was a great read, and I look forward to seeing more folks on Zoom next month for our next book club meeting. Make sure to sign up for the spring session!
Our Next Book: April 30th
A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat
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