KJ, 16, has enviable wilderness skills honed by years of fishing and guiding tourists through Yellowstone National Park. A city boy named Virgil has come to the small Montana town where she’s lived all her life, though, shaking things up. Virgil and his mother get KJ involved in wolf watching, and KJ, who is also the editor of her school paper, starts a column about wolves that divides the town. Many residents have lost livestock and therefore livelihood to wolves, and they’re not receptive to the idea that wolves might be a crucial part of the local food chain. As a character, KJ is often sullen and not endearing, but her brains and bravery when standing up for the wolves are admirable—although the author occasionally gets heavy-handed as she hammers home the importance of standing up for one’s beliefs. Despite their differing backgrounds, Virgil and KJ’s up-and-down romance is one of emotional and intellectual equals, lending real strength to this environmentally themed rural twist on the typical suburban love story. (Fiction. YA)
