Author Katherine Rundell
First published 2015
Publisher Bloomsbury, London (UK)
A thrilling adventure story about not giving up - and wolves.
Story
10-year-old Feodora lives with her mother Marina in the snowy depths of Russia. They are wolf wilders: when the wealthy city-folk tire of their tame pet wolves, they send them to Feo and Marina, who teach the wolves how to fend for themselves so they can be released back into the wild.
That is, until the corrupt General Rakov arrests Marina for refusing to shoot the wolves instead. Feo sets off to St Petersburg to free her mother, accompanied by her wolves and a boy called Ilya. But her journey will not be an easy one…
Why we chose it
A thrilling adventure story with vividly drawn characters, wild snow-filled forests – and wolves! The Wolf Wilder was one of the stories featured in our Animal exhibition in 2016.
Where it came from
Katherine Rundell was born in Liverpool but grew up in Zimbabwe and, later, Belgium. She has visited many countries, including Russia, and is fascinated by European history. The Wolf Wilder is set against the backdrop of the Russian Revolution, when political tensions spilled over into violent rebellion.
Where it went next
The Wolf Wilder was shortlisted for a number of awards and Rundell went to win the Costa Children’s Book Award for her next novel, The Explorer.
Associated stories
Katherine Rundell has written several books for children, as well as a play. Her novels include The Girl Savage, Rooftoppers, The Explorer and The Good Thieves.
Author Katherine Rundell
First published 2015
Publisher Bloomsbury, London (UK)