Baree: The Story of a Wolf-Dog

The thrilling adventure of a half-tame, half-wild wolf pup, born of a dog father and blind wolf mother, who must survive alone in the Canadian wilderness. School YA-- An adventure-filled, realistic novel about the first year in the life of Baree, who is torn between his wolf-half and his dog-half, and who must learn to survive and be accepted in two worlds. He is befriended by a young girl and her trapper father, whom he defends against her father's boss, the personification of evil. Curwood's excellent power of description helps readers witness the beauty of and death in nature. However, his strength is in enabling readers to empathize with Baree. The sentences are short and easy to read, making this a quality choice for reluctant readers. Concern over the success of the villain will entice them to keep reading. The heroine is almost too pure and the villain almost too evil, but it fits in this story. Sometimes it is necessary to look to the context for meaning since there are untranslated Indian and French phrases. Select this for booktalks with remedial English classes, unless teachers have already chosen it for class assignments and discussions.-- Claudia Moore, W. T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VA