 |
 |
||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
|
||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
||
 |
|
||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|||||||||||
Wolf Summer
by Rob Keough
Winnipeg: Great Plains
Publications, 2009, ISBN 9781894283588, 186 pp., $14.95 paper. (Teen Fiction)
Wolf Summer, by Winnipeg writer Rob Keough, is a fantasy for young readers in their early teens. It continues the story of fourteen-year-old Jake Lucknow, which began in the author's previous novel, The Gem Lakes. In that novel Jake, ill with a brain tumour, had gone with his family for the summer to the family cabin at Lampshine Lake, somewhere north of Kenora. Farther north still was a mysterious set of lakes where something was strangely wrong. Jake and his sister Claire explored the region, met up with the "Mad Trapper" and later on with their 90-year-old grandfather, Rusty--both of whom live in the region--and battled a strange and dangerous creature, the joaquin.In Wolf Summer, Jake is living with his grandfather on the Lake of the Clouds, the farthest north of the Gem Lakes. Spring is just beginning and he has spent the last several months there. Strangely, his cancer is in remission, but there are other dangers to face. Chief among these is the mutant pack of bloodthirsty wolves. Unbeknownst to Jake and Rusty, the wolves have fed on the dead joaquin and ingested all its terrible powers and hunger for blood and flesh. When the pack attacks and kills Rusty, Jake and the trapper must determine how to destroy the wolves in order to survive.
Wolf Summer is told from several viewpoints, including those of Rusty; the trapper; Claire; and Jake's parents, who don't know where their son is, or even if he is alive. The two of them, separately, venture out into the Gem Lakes region, which further intensifies the danger. Other viewpoints include that of a wily old crow and the leader of the wolf pack.
Young readers who enjoy adventure stories and fantasy will find this an exciting tale, though I felt there was too much coincidence in some places--especially at the beginning where Jake is miraculously pulled from the water by his grandfather in the nick of time, after falling through the ice. This whole incident doesn't ring true, since Rusty is able to build up the fire, melt snow and heat water quickly enough to prevent Jake from succumbing to hypothermia.
The book also needed better proofreading, especially the last half of it, which has numerous mistakes in apostrophes, incorrect or missed words, and other small errors that should have been corrected before printing. Teen readers may not worry about this, but it detracts from the overall impression.
Since Wolf Summer is a sequel, readers would probably prefer to read Gem Lakes first, although it is not essential, for some details of the earlier story are given. Since Jake remains in the Gem Lakes area at the end of the story, we can assume his adventures there will probably continue in another book.
Author Rob Keough lives in Winnipeg but spend his summers in the Shield country of Nopiming and Whiteshell Provincial Parks. His previous novel was a finalist for The Manitoba Young Readers' Choice Award.
Donna Gamache is the author of Spruce Woods Adventure (Compascore Manitoba) as well as many short stories for both children and adults.
Buy this book at McNally-Robinson Booksellers.