Miyax tries to survive by copying the ways of a pack of wolves and soon grows to love her new wolf family. When her life in the village becomes dangerous, Miyax runs away, only to find herself lost in the Alaskan wilderness. To her small village, she is known as Miyax to her friend in San Francisco, she is Julie. The survival theme makes it a good pick for readers of wilderness adventures such as My Side of the Mountain, Hatchet, or Island of the Blue Dolphins. Julie of the Wolves is a staple in the canon of children’s literature and the first in the Julie trilogy. If you decide this is a must-read for your children, you may want to walk close beside them through it.The thrilling Newbery Medal–winning classic about a girl lost on the Alaskan tundra and how she survives with the help of a wolf pack. I won’t argue environmental issues here, but I want to warn parents who believe God put man on earth to “be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth” (Gen. Wolves are not only much like people but, being part of nature, they are actually better than people. What is more disturbing to me is the pervading theme. It’s possible a ten or eleven-year-old might pass over the above scene without really understanding what happened. She comes to love them, and she begins to feel that they are more like family than any humans she knows. She spends the summer living near a pack of wolves, and she depends on them to help her get food.

Julie packs up and leaves, which is how she ends up lost on the tundra. One evening when Julie is home alone, Daniel comes in and shouts at her, “You!” Julie and Daniel spend most of their time ignoring each other, until the “incident” that causes the controversy. Though Julie isn’t expected to live with the boy, Daniel, and his family, Daniel’s mother encourages her to move in with them so Julie can help with the work. It is a traditional marriage of convenience and expedience, such as we see in most cultures throughout human history. Julie is already “married” to a boy her age. Julie has a hard time finding where she fits in the culture as a native who is expected to conform to modern society. The aunt who cared for her after her father’s disappearance treats Julie like she is a burden. Julie is a 13-year-old native Alaskan who has had a very difficult childhood. Because there is a perpetual controversy surrounding this book because of a “rape” scene, I wanted to know for myself what all the hubbub was about.Ī little background first. It seems to be recommended for children starting in about fifth grade. Julie of the Wolves is a title I have often seen on lists of good books for children.

Book julie of the wolves