Children of the Wolf Book

This was a wonderful read. Jane Yolen relates the events of a true life story through the mind and heart of a boy who was not, but might have been,a part of it. In Children of the Wolf we meet a child becoming a man who's only care seems to a preoccupation with himself, a girl, motivated by jealousy, who encapsulates the cruelty for which we are all capable, Mr. Wells, the missionary, who while knowledgeable and well intention-ed is more focused on the usefulness of souls in garnering attention and funding than on truly knowing them and then there is the narrator, the a fore mentioned young boy, the voice of reason and heart who, in living this tale, finds his voice.

The book is well paced with short chapters. I could not put it down. The language is laced with a deep knowledge of turn of the century India (not this last one, the one prior)that absolutely places you in place and time with out being obtrusive. The story is engrossing and the characters well developed and engaging. In addition to those already mentioned, there are, of course, the two girls, the children of the wolf, from the title. Yolen does not hold back. Her descriptions are gritty and authentic. Their ordeal evokes hope and sorrow. I wish this were a heart warming tale but it cannot be. It is, after all, based on a real episode that simply does not end well. It is more heart rending than heart warming and, in as much, it is very trans-formative for our young narrator.