Kirkus starred review calls Thomas and Steele’s LONE WOLF GOES TO SCHOOL “a charmer that’s sure to garner its protagonist a devoted following—much to his chagrin”
LONE WOLF GOES TO SCHOOL [STARRED REVIEW]
Author: Kiah Thomas
Illustrator: K-Fai Steele
Review Issue Date: July 1, 2024
Online Publish Date: May 31, 2024
Publisher:Neal Porter/Holiday House
Pages: 56
Price ( Hardcover ): $16.99
Publication Date: October 8, 2024
ISBN ( Hardcover ): 9780823457779
Section: Children's
This anti-social lupine just wants to be alone.
Wolf—the sole animal in class 2B—growls at the children until they all huddle at the far end of the room. Mrs. Horsefly asks him to leave, so he visits an empty cinema. Another moviegoer arrives, so Wolf tries unsuccessfully to get rid of him, then heads for the shore. Happily, the beach is deserted, but, breaking open a bag of chips, he’s set upon by voracious seagulls, which eat his snack as he chases them. After laboring up a mountain, Wolf is briefly alone—until he’s joined by a clueless hiker intent on photographing Wolf. Wolf devises a plan: He invites everyone he’s encountered to a party at his house. They all arrive: kids, teacher, seagulls, movie-theater patron, hiker. Just as Wolf had imagined, “It was horrible.” But absconding to the now-vacant theater, beach, mountain, and classroom, Wolf is “finally…alone.” Originality, mordant humor, copious, detailed color drawings, and a resolutely understated text make this tale a winner. A confirmed introvert, consistently ornery and ultimately unreformed, Wolf is a refreshing character who even becomes sort of admirable in his grumpy single-mindedness. Expressive cartoon art depicts him as doglike, though not cuddly; still, Wolf won’t scare readers, who are more likely to hope for a stuffie version. Human characters are diverse.
A charmer that’s sure to garner its protagonist a devoted following—much to his chagrin. (Early reader. 6-9)
