“Wolf Storm,” by Dee Garretson
Harper Collins, 2011, 275 pages, Grades 4-7.
Wolves have filled people with fear and fascination. Perhaps wolves have developed this negative reputation because they roam through forests, mountains and untamed places. They certainly look fierce and formidable. The lonely howl of wolves is intimidating.
Because of these reasons, wolves were for the most part, wiped out of the lower 48 states. In recent years they are beginning to be reintroduced in national forests such as Yellowstone. Dee Garretson has used a number of images of wolves in this novel. The central characters come into frightening firsthand encounters with wolves. The name of this adventure story is “Wolf Storm.”
Everything starts out simply enough. An American movie crew is filming a science fiction movie in the Carpathian Mountains in Slovakia. On the set are domesticated wolves being handled by a wolf trainer. These wolves will be used in various scenes in the film.
The central female character is named Raine. She is a child star and used to being pampered. Opposite Raine is Stefan, a first-time actor from a poor family. Both are in their early teens. A young boy named Jeremy and an older actor named Cecil complete the acting cast for the film.
The film’s setting is an old chalet in the mountains. Raine is very hard to work with because she is conceited. Stefan is merely happy to be acting in the movie because his salary will help his poor family. During a film shooting, Stefan sees a wild wolf skulking at the edge of the set. When Cecil confirms Stefan’s sighting of the wolf, the directors and producers tell them that they are imaging things.
Stefan continues to have an uneasy feeling. When the workday ends, most of the adults go into town for dinner and relaxation. Only the elderly Cecil remains behind with the three children. As evening falls, a blizzard strikes and quickly covers the roads and blankets the chalet. Soon, the children and Cecil know that they are their own. They hear the domesticated wolves growling in their kennels and decide to bring them inside. All the time the snow continues to fall and a pack of wild wolves begin to howl in the forest. The wild wolves are hunting for food and seem to be ready to attack.
As the children wait, a great cracking sound occurs on the mountain side. All three children look up and see a gigantic avalanche bearing down on them. Like a white tidal wave it crushes the chalet. Stefan is buried in a snowdrift and Raine begins digging him out. But no sooner does Raine save Stefan from suffocation than it becomes apparent that the wild wolves are closing in as well. What happens next in this frozen, white nightmare?
What has happened to Jeremy and Cecil? Do the tame wolves join the wild pack? Can the children manage to save themselves from the brutal cold and the threatening wolf pack? What would you do? What do the children do? To find out, go to the library and check out “Wolf Storm” by Dee Garretson.
The story starts off a bit slow as the author has to develop a complicated setting. But the courage of Stefan and the maturation of Raine are uplifting. The most exciting part of the book is the ending when the children are confronted by the lead wolf. These scenes are gripping as Dee Garretson knows how to write thrilling chapters. I hope you get a chance to read this title, or one of her other exciting novels such as “Wildfire Run.” Her stories are fun to read. Enjoy!
