Hello, everyone, happy Monday! 🙂 I set a goal to read more books about Canadian indigenous culture/history to educate myself and show my support. I’m so happy that I read the story “Red Wolf”. It’s the very thing I was looking to read for a while. I hope you enjoy this review!

The description:

Life is changing for Canada’s Anishnaabek Nation and for the wolf packs that share their territory.

In the late 1800s, both Native people and wolves are being forced from the land. Starving and lonely, an orphaned timber wolf is befriended by a boy named Red Wolf. But under the Indian Act, Red Wolf is forced to attend a residential school far from the life he knows, and the wolf is alone once more. Courage, love and fate reunite the pair, and they embark on a perilous journey home. But with winter closing in, will Red Wolf and Crooked Ear survive? And if they do, what will they find?

My review:

A boy who experiences horror at a residential school learns to find the red wolf within

I loved this story and it’s the type I was seeking for a while now! It’s about a young Anishnaabek boy who’s taken away from his family at age 5 and a wolf who lost his family after they’re killed by hunters. Red Wolf, which is the boy’s name, is brought to “learn” at a residential school where he then becomes “George”.

It’s an unspeakably cruel experience with abuse and horror hidden in every corner. This story shows how harmful assimilation really was for everyone. I enjoyed the connection between boy and wolf and how their bond remains over the years. While sad, the story is written very beautifully and realistically.

I don’t want to reveal too much, because I want you to read it, but through all the loss and disappointment that life brings George, he learns to find his true self – the red wolf within.

The age range for this amazing book is intended to be for 9-12 year olds though any teen or adult will enjoy it!

You can find out where to purchase this story here!