Book: Wolf Hollow (2016)
Author: Lauren Wolk
Publisher: Dutton Children’s Books
Genre: MG, Historical (WWII)
Newbery Honor Book (2017)
Opening Lines of the Book…
The year I turned twelve, I learned how to lie. I don’t mean the small fibs that children tell. I mean real lies fed by real fears–things I said and did that took me out of the life I’d always known and put me down hard into a new one.
MY THOUGHTS…
This book is about bullies. And what a bully do we get to meet in Betty, the new girl at school! She is particularly nasty. Poor Annabelle! How I felt for her as Betty made her wicked threats.
And then there was the strange hermit-type, Toby. I think I read somewhere that he’s been compared to Boo Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird, and I would say that’s about right. It turns out that Betty plans to use him as her scapegoat. Let’s just say that a lot of the grown-ups in the book think Betty is a little angel.
When Betty goes missing, things really get serious. Annabelle wants to save Toby, but she also thinks she knows where Betty might be.
I liked the little connection to photography with Toby and his photos. As a photographer myself, I like books that feature cameras and such.
The ending is bittersweet. I won’t spoil it, but there are some good things that come out in the end. And there are also some sad things. It has a nice realism to it.
NEWBERY VERDICT…
I did enjoy this book overall. Although, not everything is pretty-pretty. And Betty is a hard villain to stomach. I can see why it was given a Newbery Honor!
YOUR TURN…
Have you read this book? What are your thoughts? Let me know in the comments!
Newbery Verdict Reading Challenge: This is a personal challenge for me to read books that have either won the Newbery Medal or are a Newbery Honor book. The Newbery is named for eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery. Since 1922, this annual award has given to the author of the “most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.” A Newbery Honor book is given to the runners-up. (Note: This year is the 100th Anniversary of the Award!)
Note: I’m posting this for Greg Pattridge’s Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday…
Of Maria Antonia 
Sounds an interesting book. How does the WW2 setting come into it? Thanks for the review
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I don’t remember how much WW2 plays into the actual story. One of the characters is a WW1 veteran and that’s important to the plot.
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Interesting 😊 thanks!
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I haven’t read this book. Stories that features bullies (and this one sounds especially mean) aren’t my favorite but I will be giving it a read soon thanks to your review.
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I completely agree about bully books, but this one is good.
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One of my favorite novels. It is gripping and haunting with gorgeous imagery. I love how unique and memorable each character is. I think Toby was my favorite character, as was Annabelle. Betty was evil and very disturbed. And I loved Annabelle’s extended family. Great share!
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Yes to all your observations here!
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I haven’t read this, but it sounds interesting. I really liked the first lines. They really draw you into the story.
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I have read this and I loved every word. Lauren Wolk is such an amazing writer. This is a hard book to read and Betty is an especially tough character to read about. I hope I can find time one of these days to reread this book. That’s how much I liked it. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
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I absolutely loved this one. The characters were so well crafted. Glad you read it and enjoyed it too! 🙂
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I’ve never read this book, but I think your personal challenge is great. A girl bully too. We don’t often see books like that.
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