BLUE WOLF

Jamie Park, 14, is the descendant of a legendary Mongol warrior who roamed the mountains as a fierce blue wolf. When he accepts an invitation to spend the summer with his Aunt Louise, a relative he never knew existed, the visit exposes mysteries of the natural world. While living in the rugged northwest, Jamie feels both fear and familiarity from the wolves he senses around him. Louise evades the boy’s incessant questions, but teaches him to play a tune on an ancient carved flute made of bone. As fall approaches, Jamie meets Louise’s husband, Ji-Min, and goddaughter, Cicely, and learns that they are all shape-shifters and that the ancient flutes hold the power of transformation. Jamie’s situation becomes a matter of survival when he goes against the pack leader, who puts the pack’s interest ahead of individual choice. Some readers may find that Jamie’s questions are vaguely answered throughout the story, only to be solved in a rushed manner at the end; others will take interest in Creedon’s union of folklore and science. (Fiction. 10-14)