When Theo went off to fight in the war, Charlie promised that he would take care of their mother and aging grandfather. He has been counting the days till Theo comes home from the war. But when he arrives home, injured and traumatized, he's not the big brother Charlie remembered. His warmth and love are missing.
And Charlie, troubled by his own nightmares and the horror of the blitz, which claimed his father's life, is determined to fix things.
But it's not easy. Theo has fallen victim to the war wolves, fell creatures who have eaten the hearts of humans since time began; he now has only a hollow where his heart should be. The wolves are prowling the streets of London, where the returning soldiers and war damaged civilians are easy prey. With the help of his brave cat, a strange, raggedy old lady and her pigeon flock, and his own determination not to give in, Charlie confronts the wolves, and finds out what they really are....
Just to be clear, these are real magical wolves (albeit allegorical wolves as well), and Charlie's journey through London to find them is a magical adventure. Both are very effective--it's gripping to see Charlie's understanding of the wolves grow along with his own maturity and insight, and the wolves are fierce and scary enough to provide enough tension and momentum to the story to keep things moving. And also just to be clear--there no magical healing of anybody's trauma at the end, though Charlie's bravery does give hope that healing will happen.
It's a great pick for kids who love emotional weight resting on real-world fantasy frameworks! The wolves, with names like Remorse, Hunger, and Anguish, will roam in the imagination long after the book is finished, and Charlie's hard-won understanding of the cost of war will also off much food for thought. The cat (a lovely cat!) and the pigeons (brave pigeons!) provide some light relief, while intermittent somber illustrations add haunting atmosphere. The fairy-tale feel of the story is further heightened by stories told by the characters, not long or intrusive enough to disrupt the flow, but serving to beautifully highlight emotional beats of Charlie's journey.
I personally had a slightly rocky start with the book, because it begins with Charlie lighting the family's woodstove, and woodstoves were not a thing in WW II London; it would have been a coal stove (possibly they would have burned salvaged wood from bombed building in it too, but still it wouldn't have been a "woodstove"). I was afraid that the American author would continue to get UK details wrong, but fortunately this was the only thing that really jumped out at me...
That aside, this is a really impressive, well-written debut by an author I'll be sure to watch out for!
Here are the other blog tour stops:
June 7 Nerdy Book Club @nerdybookclub
June 8 Bluestocking Thinking @bluesockgirl
June 9 Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers @grgenius
June 10 Teachers Who Read @teachers_read
June 13 Storymamas @storymamas
June 14 A Library Mama @alibrarymama
June 15 Writer’s Rumpus @kirsticall
This sounds very moving. There seem to be a LOT of MG books about WWII coming out. That's interesting. This should do well. Just scary enough but with some hope. Thanks for telling me about it.
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