Wolf Hollow

Starred review from March 14, 2016
Echoing the tone and themes found in To Kill a Mockingbird and Summer of My German Soldier, this WWII story traces the unlikely friendship between a country girl and a shell-shocked veteran. Most people in Wolf Hollow, Pa., don't know what to make of Toby and his habit of circling the hills with "three long guns slung across his back." But he has always been kind to Annabelle, now 12, and he comes to her rescue when a bully torments her. After Toby is accused of a crime he didn't commit, Annabelle knows she has to take action, but her attempt to hide him from authorities spurs a chain of events that could lead to disaster. In her first book for children, Wolk (Those Who Favor Fire) movingly expresses Annabelle's loss of innocence through the honest, clear voice of her protagonist. Annabelle's astute observations of the Pennsylvania woods and the people who populate Wolf Hollow will resonate with many readers as they present a profound view of a complex era tinged by prejudice and fear. Ages 10–up. Agent: Jodi Reamer, Writers House.

Starred review from February 15, 2016
Evil comes to rural Pennsylvania in an unlikely guise in this novel of the American homefront during World War II. Twelve-year-old Annabelle's coming-of-age begins when newcomer Betty Glengarry, newly arrived from the city to stay with her grandparents "because she was incorrigible," shakes her down for spare change in Wolf Hollow on the way to school. Betty's crimes quickly escalate into shocking violence, but the adults won't believe the sweet-looking blonde girl could be responsible and settle their suspicions on Toby, an unkempt World War I veteran who stalks the hills carrying not one, but three guns. Annabelle's strategies for managing a situation she can't fully understand are thoroughly, believably childlike, as is her single-minded faith in Betty's guilt and Toby's innocence. But her childlike faith implicates her in a dark and dangerous mystery that propels her into the adult world of moral gray spaces. Wolk builds her story deliberately through Annabelle's past-tense narration in language that makes no compromises but is yet perfectly simple: "Back then, I didn't know a word to describe Betty properly or what to call the thing that set her apart from the other children in that school." She realizes her setting with gorgeous immediacy, introducing the culture of this all-white world of hollows, hills, and neighbors with confidence and cleareyed affection. Trusting its readers implicitly with its moral complexity, Wolk's novel stuns. (Historical fiction. 9-13)

COPYRIGHT(2016) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from April 1, 2016

Gr 5-8-Eleven-year-old Annabelle lives in a rural Pennsylvania community in 1943. The continued fighting of World War II haunts everyone, but life is mostly peaceful-until Betty Glengarry's arrival. Betty is cruel and threatening and thrives on inflicting pain. At first, Annabelle is slightly comforted to know that Toby is watching out for her. Toby is a local vagabond, a World War I veteran of few words who has become something like a friend of Annabelle's family. Meanwhile, Betty's violent malice only grows, until one day she goes missing. Toby immediately becomes the prime suspect in Betty's disappearance. Annabelle is sure of Toby's innocence and is determined to prove it. Readers are alerted from the outset that this is the story of how the narrator loses her childish naivete in a life-altering way. The narrative is powerful, complex, and lifelike. There are pointlessly cruel people, courageously kind people, and those who simply pass the gossip. Despite the jaded feelings that come with witnessing unjust persecution, the heart of this story is ultimately one of hope and empathy. Thematically, this book raises some of the same issues as To Kill a Mockingbird, but with social status rather than racism as the basis for injustice. Vicious bullying is also a highly relevant topic, and this aspect is sure to spark important conversations. VERDICT Highly recommended for purchase; a truly moving debut.-Sara White, Seminole County Public Library, Casselberry, FL

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

dictionary - ''The year I turned twelve, I learned how to lie. The year I turned twelve, I learned that what I said and what I did mattered''- Everything was fine for Annabelle until Betty Glengarry comes to Wolf Hollow. Everyone is afraid of Betty. Nobody will stand up to her. And Annabelle is target. Until she threatens Annabelle, Toby pops out. Toby is a very strange man who fought in the war. He carries three very heavy guns everyday. Nobody knows much about Toby. Since Toby told Betty that if he touches Annabelle again, she'll be sorry. Now Toby is a target of her attacks. But when Ruth, Annabelle's bestfriend and a very skinny short girl, gets hit in the eye, everyone is now blaming Toby. Ruth also got blinded in one eye by this, so her parents are moving back to where they came from because of the accident. Even though Annabelle likes Toby and doesn't think he's behind this, she suspects Betty. Of course, why would it be so easy to blame Toby? Why is it so easy for everyone to accuse a German of an attack? Well, not long ago there was a a war with Germany. Now everyone is blaming the Germans for everything because of that war. But Annabelle's mother always says ''Never judge a book by it's cover.'' Later, Annabelle's brother, Henrey, gets struck in the forehead by a wire. Betty was near. Now Annabelle is sure that Betty is behind all this. So, Annabelle decides to tell her parents about Betty's threats. Once she does, her mother and father told her to promise not to lie, so she promises. But soon she would have to break the promise. Very strange, Betty goes missing the day they all go in court. Toby goes missing, too. The police thinks that Toby kidnapped her. Annabelle finds Toby, and he says he did not know that Betty was missing. He also told Annabelle he did not throw a rock at Ruth or set up the trap. He said he was trying to take a picture of Betty doing all this. Annabelle was right. Betty was behind all this. Soon Annabelle finds Betty stuck in a hole. The next morning, Betty died. The infection spread all over here. Now Annabelle had to convince Andrew, Betty's close friend, to admit Betty was behind all this. They were going to kill Toby. When Annabelle called Andrew, he said that it was no use to blame Betty now that she was dead. He wanted them to kill Toby. Later they found out the bloodhounds had found and killed Toby. Everything was weird but good without Betty. ''You're not God, and it would be arrogant to think so,'' Annabelle's mom always said.--THIS BOOK WAS INCREDIBLE! 5/5

Starred review from March 15, 2016
Grades 5-8 *Starred Review* Eleven-year-old Annabelle is living a relatively idyllic life on her family's Pennsylvania farm, until its normalcy is interrupted by Betty Glengarry, who has been sent to live with her grandparents because she is incorrigible. Betty's sullen presence quickly upsets the one-room school's traditional pecking order, and Annabelle and her younger brothers are Betty's favorite targetsuntil Annabelle stands up to her. Not to be outdone, Betty shifts her attention to Toby, a strange WWI veteran already saddled with a dubious reputation within the community. Wolk conjures an aura of unease and dread from the first chapter, even as her pastoral setting and Annabelle's sunny family life seem to suggest that a happy ending is possible. The spare but hauntingly beautiful language paints every early morning walk to school, household chore, emotion, and rational and irrational thought in exquisite detail, while remaining true to Annabelle's early-adolescent voice. Her craft notwithstanding, Wolk is relentless in her message: lies and secrets, even for the most noble of reasons, have unintended consequences, as Annabelle's poignant dilemma reminds us long after the last page is turned. Perfectly pitched to be used in classrooms in conjunction with To Kill a Mockingbird.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)