Lone Wolves

September 30, 2013
This sobering novel from Smelcer (Edge of Nowhere) centers on an Alaskan community surrounded by natural beauty but plagued by social and psychological dysfunction. Sixteen-year-old Deneena "Denny" Yazzie connects with nature in a way she doesn't with her classmates. Her mixed Native and white heritage leaves her feeling uncertain about her identity, while the wound left by her alcoholic father's abandonment is still raw. Despite her mother's protests, her grandfather Sampson indulges her interests in their indigenous language, dog sledding, camping, and cooking salmon. But between incest, rape, wolf attacks, suicides, drug use, and depression rampant within their village, Smelcer presents a bleak picture of Native Alaskan life. After Sampson's death, the bills add up, and Denny decides to enter a race with her recently tamed wolf in hopes of winning prize money and proving her worth. While Smelcer's writing vacillates uncomfortably between Denny's poetic and insightful journal entries and stiff, overly informational narration, the Alaskan setting provides a haunting backdrop for Denny's growth. An uplifting conclusion offers respite from the desolation. Smelcer includes glossaries of Ahtna words and mushing terms, as well as discussion questions. Ages 12âup.

September 1, 2013
Her grandfather's wisdom and support guide an Alaska Native girl who dreams of racing sled dogs. Other village teens drink and do drugs; for Denny, 16, mushing supplies all the exhilaration she needs. She loves her home and family (her mother and grandparents); still it's not an easy life. No indoor plumbing means melting ice for bathwater, visiting the outhouse when it's 60 below outside. The family sweathouse (sauna) and this world's stark beauty offer compensation. Like Anne Frank, whose diary she reads for school, Denny confides her frustrations and sorrows to hers. Her mother's hostile to Denny's mushing; her father won't acknowledge her. Only her grandfather, heartened by her interest in their history, offers encouragement and solace. Readers root for Denny as she places third in a local competition, then dreams bigger: entering the 1,100-mile Great Race. Denny, who's in need of a lead dog, is intrigued by the wolf she encounters. Could he be trained? Stereotypes are thankfully few: Denny's shy, not impassive or stoic. Village teens, like their urban counterparts, are savvy tech users. The adult-focused language glossary, clumsy transitions, and puzzling inconsistencies in voice and tone occasionally jar but are ultimately eclipsed by narrative strengths. Powerful, eloquent and fascinating, showcasing a vanishing way of life in rich detail. (glossaries of Indian words, mushing terms) (Fiction. 12-16)

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February 1, 2014

Gr 8 Up-Sixteen-year old Deneena Yazzie thrives on the ways of life traditional to her village in Alaska's vast interior: hunting for food, speaking the language of her ancestors, and mastering the art of dogsledding, or mushing, alongside her grandfather. When unexpected circumstances make selling the dogs and sled a necessity, Denny enters herself into the Last Great Race on Earth (the Iditarod) in hopes of winning the cash prize and sustaining her way of life. Smelcer confronts some of the darker aspects of Alaskan village life-the struggle of part-Native youth to belong, the sometimes pervasive nature of substance abuse, and the uphill battle of those attempting to preserve Native languages and culture. Some of the key plot elements are a little hard to swallow, particularly the idea of a teenager training a wild animal to be her lead dog only a month before the Iditarod, but on the whole, the author weaves an engaging tale of survival, love, and courage. The book includes a few pencil illustrations and poetry excerpted from Smelcer's Beautiful Words/Kasuundze' Kenaege' (Truman State Univ., 2011).-Sara Saxton, Wasilla Public Library, Wasilla, AK

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