Wolf Spirit: The Story of Moon Beam

Written by Beverly Lein

Published by Inkwater Press

215 pages

Review by Wendy Osburne

Receives:

Wolf Spirit is about a young girl’s struggle for survival in northern Canada in the mid 19th century. When Rachel is ten years old, both of her parents die of sickness, and she is left alone to fend for herself. She must deal with the requisite obstacles of illness and disaster prevalent in these kinds of wilderness adventure stories, and she also falls in love, with Storm, a Native American. There are animals, as in the wolf pack she has raised, and there is a grizzly bear that appears throughout the story, intimidating everyone it nears.

The writing style is very simple, at times reading more like a children’s book than one for adults. On the back cover, Lein states that her novel could be for a general audience or a young adult audience, and the novel seems to be best suited for a young adult audience, with occasional mature themes. I didn’t feel any particular suspense as I read because the plot was predictable for a wilderness novel. First the characters face this problem, then that problem, then the other problem. Then they live happily ever after. Lein does seem to know a lot about the wilderness, which helps, and the animals in the story are not just creatures but living characters. If you are looking for an adventure novel for a young adult, then I recommend this novel. ______________________________________________________________

Wendy Osburne is a writer and a teacher from Madison, WI. She is working on her first historical novel about the War of 1812.