WOLVES OF THE BEYOND

Lasky spins off her popular Guardians of Ga’Hoole series into this enchanting first installment of a new series starring wolves, introducing a wolf pup raised by a grizzly bear. The pack casts Faolan, born with a defect in one paw, out to die, but a brokenhearted bear that has just lost her own cub finds him and can’t resist nursing him. Lasky merges anthropomorphic fantasy with realistic details about wolves and bears to produce an almost plausible emotional narrative, complete with dialogue and personalities. Thunderheart, Faolan’s “milk mother,” teaches him to dig and to hunt and explains the bear aspects of the spirit world. Eventually Faolan begins a journey taking him to a cave where he learns the history of the wolves, to a metal-working owl and finally to the wolf clan he will join, although not, perhaps, in the manner those wolves expect. The author builds a captivating world of forest, snow and volcanoes populated by intelligent animals and weaves a compelling story sure to bring readers back for the second installment. (Fantasy. 8-12)