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mjlb's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
caitiep92's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
jackdziatkowiec's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Bravely navigating the Arctic tundra at thirteen. Befriending a pack of wolves. Surviving the barren landscape for months, with only her brains and a needle and thread. Incredible story, but dragged a little.
andre_3a's review against another edition
was reading for school but didn’t like it
jenmangler's review against another edition
2.0
I chose to read this book because it won the Newbery, and I've been trying to read as many books from that list as I can, inspired by another teacher's Newbery Challenge. This one wasn't my cup of tea. I usually like survival tales, but I just couldn't get into this story.
oxnard_montalvo's review against another edition
3.0
Yet another book that involved a teenager removing themselves from society and living amongst the animals. This is clearly a favourite genre of mine. I should re-read the books from my childhood and see how they stand up to the passage of time. This one I read multiple times in quick succession. It struck a chord with me, but it always felt alien. Maybe because I had trouble picturing such an extreme environment, never having experienced true cold. It didn't quite maintain that air of truth that is so vital in a book like this. Everything seemed slightly removed and dream-like. Perhaps I couldn't entirely relate to the heroine. Perhaps I need to read it again.
stephaniesteen73's review against another edition
4.0
I know I read this book myself - can't remember when or much of the details, but I will be reading this to my animal-book loving oldest over the next few weeks.
Update: Wow, I had really forgotten pretty much all the main plot-points. As an adult, it's a heartbreaking tale of a girl resisting the advances of the modern world and trying to find her place, somewhere. I admire her resilient spirit and resourcefulness.
Emily's review: Very good, but I didn't like how it ended, and it was sad and kind of gross. But I liked it.
Update: Wow, I had really forgotten pretty much all the main plot-points. As an adult, it's a heartbreaking tale of a girl resisting the advances of the modern world and trying to find her place, somewhere. I admire her resilient spirit and resourcefulness.
Emily's review: Very good, but I didn't like how it ended, and it was sad and kind of gross. But I liked it.
delgremmyaward's review against another edition
2.0
When this book was published in 1972, it must have been ahead of its time. It describes the life of a First Nations girl, deals with themes of death and loneliness, describes sexual assault and child marriage, and manages to do so without casting overt judgement over a lifestyle I doubt the writer led. It respects kids' ability to handle tough topics and does not pander. I commend it for all of these qualities and award it two stars for possessing them.
However, I would not call this a good book. As a child, I was unable to finish it because I thought it was boring. When I first tried to read it at the age of eight, I think I also failed to grasp that this is not so much a story about the survival of a person as it is a story about the survival of a way of life. The conclusion of the book makes this point poignantly, but there's too much missing for me to think of this as a good read. Because Miyax/Julie is the only speaking character for most of the book, the dialogue is stilted. Jean Craighead George fails to give any of the animals involved in the story enough personality for us to sympathize with them, so when anything happens to them, whether it is positive or negative, the reader remains unaffected. Her narrative is interspersed with facts that she seems to include to show us that, yes, she did research Alaska for this book. Strange asides about the geography and biodiversity of the tundra break up the story of the girl who is lost in that tundra and mar the emotional impact of the book. This is to say nothing of the description of Miyax's culture, which Craighead George describes as "Eskimo." I learned in school that this term is no longer acceptable. Perhaps it was in 1972, or perhaps I am wrong. Still, I would say the book is out of date.
It doesn't help that Julie of the Wolves just isn't as good as a lot its contemporaries, many of which were terrific. I can't help but associate this book with those such as [b:From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler|3980|From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler|E.L. Konigsburg|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327784751l/3980._SY75_.jpg|1384549] (1967); [b:The Outsiders|231804|The Outsiders|S.E. Hinton|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1442129426l/231804._SY75_.jpg|1426690] (1967); [b:Tuck Everlasting|84981|Tuck Everlasting|Natalie Babbitt|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1445184695l/84981._SY75_.jpg|1955922] (1975); or [b:Bridge to Terabithia|40940121|Bridge to Terabithia|Katherine Paterson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1532478367l/40940121._SY75_.jpg|2237401] (1977), all of which were published within a decade of one another. I sometimes lump these together in my own Golden Age for middle grade fiction. Writers in this era braved "adult" themes without using smart-ass, wisecracking characters to provide levity. All of these books possess the same sensitivity toward serious subjects-- independence, aging, dying, and violence-- as Julie of the Wolves. They also possess stronger stories and characters. Julie of the Wolves has one strength in comparison: unlike every other book on that list, it exhibits some racial diversity. I'm ashamed to say that I can't think of another book that focuses on the lives of the Inuit or Yupik people. What is really said is that this book, a dull, oversimplified narrative of a girl who is really a stereotype, is the go-to book that does.
However, I would not call this a good book. As a child, I was unable to finish it because I thought it was boring. When I first tried to read it at the age of eight, I think I also failed to grasp that this is not so much a story about the survival of a person as it is a story about the survival of a way of life. The conclusion of the book makes this point poignantly, but there's too much missing for me to think of this as a good read. Because Miyax/Julie is the only speaking character for most of the book, the dialogue is stilted. Jean Craighead George fails to give any of the animals involved in the story enough personality for us to sympathize with them, so when anything happens to them, whether it is positive or negative, the reader remains unaffected. Her narrative is interspersed with facts that she seems to include to show us that, yes, she did research Alaska for this book. Strange asides about the geography and biodiversity of the tundra break up the story of the girl who is lost in that tundra and mar the emotional impact of the book. This is to say nothing of the description of Miyax's culture, which Craighead George describes as "Eskimo." I learned in school that this term is no longer acceptable. Perhaps it was in 1972, or perhaps I am wrong. Still, I would say the book is out of date.
It doesn't help that Julie of the Wolves just isn't as good as a lot its contemporaries, many of which were terrific. I can't help but associate this book with those such as [b:From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler|3980|From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler|E.L. Konigsburg|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327784751l/3980._SY75_.jpg|1384549] (1967); [b:The Outsiders|231804|The Outsiders|S.E. Hinton|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1442129426l/231804._SY75_.jpg|1426690] (1967); [b:Tuck Everlasting|84981|Tuck Everlasting|Natalie Babbitt|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1445184695l/84981._SY75_.jpg|1955922] (1975); or [b:Bridge to Terabithia|40940121|Bridge to Terabithia|Katherine Paterson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1532478367l/40940121._SY75_.jpg|2237401] (1977), all of which were published within a decade of one another. I sometimes lump these together in my own Golden Age for middle grade fiction. Writers in this era braved "adult" themes without using smart-ass, wisecracking characters to provide levity. All of these books possess the same sensitivity toward serious subjects-- independence, aging, dying, and violence-- as Julie of the Wolves. They also possess stronger stories and characters. Julie of the Wolves has one strength in comparison: unlike every other book on that list, it exhibits some racial diversity. I'm ashamed to say that I can't think of another book that focuses on the lives of the Inuit or Yupik people. What is really said is that this book, a dull, oversimplified narrative of a girl who is really a stereotype, is the go-to book that does.