Book Review: Wolf Hollow

[Prof. Kendra Givens]

Title of the book: Wolf Hollow
Authors: Lauren Wolk
Series: No
Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Tween Literature

Short summary of the story: Annabelle is an 11-year-old girl living in small town Pennsylvania. Betty Glengarry, one of Annabelle's classmates, proves herself to be a cruel bully. While at first this seems to be directed at Annabelle, Betty soon turns her bullying and biases to reclusive World War I veteran, Toby. While most people think Toby is strange, Annabelle knows Toby on a different level than others do and is not as quick to judge him as others are. Toward the end, she ultimately faces a choice where she must be brave and stand up for what is true as events unfold.

Points: I wasn't sure how I felt about this book. It might be because I have a horrible habit of reading only 10ish pages at night before bed and can't follow plot very well that way, but it took me a while to figure out where the book was actually going. Wolk focuses on Betty and the bullying while also focusing on Toby, who exists primarily in the background at first. Then, I hit that moment in the book (the last third of it, maybe?) where I was like WHAT?!?! and decided I needed to dedicate a few hours to the story at a time. Her plot twists kept me engaged and connected with the characters. This story has a strong message that made me think pretty deeply. It almost seems like she doesn't focus enough on either Betty or Toby, but it's the blending of the two stories that makes the ending so poignant. Neither is more important than the other. It's not a happy book, so if you're not into some graphic detail and sadness, this one isn't for you. I was surprised that this qualifies as a tween book.