Product Description

"An eleven-year-old boy who lives with his reclusive father gradually warms up to a new friend and her large, loud, and loving family. A tightly narrated story about coming to terms with past tragedies." — SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL


A SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL Best Book of the Year

A Bank Street College Best Book of the Year

"A tender tale of loss and the redeeming power of love. . . . The writing is sure; the dovetailing of grief and memory with the events of the plot is impeccable. Readers won't forget Perry and his father as they rejoin the human race." — KIRKUS REVIEWS

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1642288 in Books
• Published on: 2006-10-10
• Released on: 2006-10-10
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: 7.63" h x .59" w x 5.10" l, .40 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

From School Library Journal
Grade 4-7. An 11-year-old boy who lives with his reclusive father gradually warms up to a new friend and her large, loud, and loving family. A tightly narrated story about coming to terms with past tragedies.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Gr. 4^-7. Perry has learned to accommodate his father's personality as best he can. That means being self-sufficient, never speaking unnecessarily, and above all, keeping a lid on "those kinds of feelings, the bad ones, that make a guy act like a wuss." He and his dad have moved to the north woods of Minnesota following the death of Perry's baby sister, and although Perry's mother writes him regularly, Perry never reads her letters. Home schooling has allowed him ample time to explore and read about his natural surroundings. It has also left him isolated from his peers, so when a family moves into the house near Perry's special cave, he must learn to accept the joys and difficulties of sharing with others not only his private place but also himself. Franklin creates characters with great authenticity, and her first-person narrative adeptly captures Perry's voice without sacrificing a smooth writing style. This will be a juicy choice for book discussions. Susan Dove Lempke

From Kirkus Reviews
A tender tale of loss and the redeeming power of love from Franklin (Eclipse, 1995, etc.). For three years Perry Dubois, 11, has been coping with the pain of his little sister's death and his mother's subsequent abandonment of him and his dour, taciturn father. Leaving St. Paul behind, they move to a remote area of the north woods where Perry is home-schooled. The boy's only consolations are his dog and a cave that is high on the side of a steep hill, safe from prying eyes and intruders. When he hears the rare call of a lone timber wolf, he resolves to find him. Before he can, though, a large family moves into the old white house in view of the cave, which is on their land. The Pestalozzis are generous, loving group, everything Perry would like to ignore, but Willow, the oldest girl, quickly insinuates herself into Perry's life and draws him into her family, too. She insists on sharing his cave and tracks the timber wolf with Perry. Starved for love and companionship, Perry finds himself feeling more at home with the Pestalozzis than with his dad. The way in which Willow and her family break through Perry's carefully constructed shell provides a sensitive study on the vulnerabilities of the human heart. The writing is sure; the dovetailing of grief and memory with the events of the plot is impeccable. Readers won't soon forget Perry and his father as they rejoin the human race. (Fiction. 9-13) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.