Wolfpack

September 1, 2020
Grades 5-9 Abby Wambach's 2018 commencement speech to Barnard College not only went viral but led to her follow-up book, Wolfpack. In this young readers' edition, the two-time Olympic gold medalist and FIFA World Cup champion delivers eight guiding principles for leading, working through life, and changing the world. In her introduction, she explains how the wolf pack concept derived from wolves reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park. Once feared to be a threat, they became the ecosystem's salvation. The first chapter reaffirms this symbolism as Wambach encourages young people to refrain from staying on the guided path like Little Red Riding Hood and instead, create their own path like the Wolf. Successive chapters spotlight such values as finding motivation from failure, championing each other in times of triumph, and how everyone can find ways to be positive leaders. Wambach makes each point salient and accessible through short, personal stories of strife and success while also highlighting ways that young people can work toward overcoming gender, racial, and other forms of injustice. An inspiring call to personal action.Women in Focus: The 19th in 2020(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

September 15, 2020
Soccer star and activist Wambach adapts Wolfpack (2019), her New York Times bestseller for adults, for a middle-grade audience. "YOU. ARE. THE. WOLVES." That rallying cry, each word proudly occupying its own line on the page, neatly sums up the fierce determination Wambach demands of her audience. The original Wolfpack was an adaptation of the viral 2018 commencement speech she gave at Barnard College; in her own words, it was "a directive to unleash [the graduates'] individuality, unite the collective, and change the world." This new adaption takes the themes of the original and recasts them in kid-friendly terms, the call to action feeling more relevant now than ever. With the exception of the introduction and closing remarks, each short chapter presents a new leadership philosophy, dishing out such timeless advice as "Be grateful and ambitious"; "Make failure your fuel"; "Champion each other"; and "Find your pack." Chapters utilize "rules" as a framing device. The first page of each presents a generalized "old" and "new" rule pertaining to that chapter's guiding principle, and each chapter closes with a "Call to the Wolfpack" that sums up those principles in more specific terms. Some parts of the book come across as somewhat quixotic or buzzword-heavy, but Wambach deftly mitigates much of the preachiness with a bluff, congenial tone and refreshing dashes of self-deprecating humor. Personal anecdotes help ground each of the philosophies in applicability, and myriad heavy issues are respectfully, yet simply broached. A powerful resource for young people itching for change. (Nonfiction. 10-14)

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October 1, 2020

Gr 5 Up-Inspired by a commencement address she gave at Barnard College, this adaptation of Wambach's adult title is a series of inspirational vignettes built around the idea of empowering young people to "find their voice, unite their pack, and change the world." Each of the book's eight chapters begins with an old rule versus a new rule breakdown. For example, the first chapter's old rule is "stay on the path," but the new rule is "create your own path." The text addresses the distinctions between each old rule and the corresponding new rule. The brief, conversational essays draw from Wambach's own experiences, not only as an elite athlete and cocaptain of the U.S. National Soccer team that won the Women's World Cup in 2015 but also as a daughter, sibling, spouse, stepparent, and friend. Many of the lessons center on leadership, sportsmanship, teamwork, and perseverance. However, values such as tolerance, vulnerability, creativity, and gratitude are also promoted. Each chapter concludes with a recap of the preceding essay's key points in a few lines of prose. Wambach provides a message that young people can and will relate to and embrace. She delivers that message with great effect in this powerful, little book. VERDICT Recommended for middle school and high school library collections. This will appeal to sports enthusiasts as well as those who can't tell a basketball from a soccer ball but love an encouraging word.-Kelly Kingrey-Edwards, Blinn Junior College, Brenham, TX

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