School Library Journal
Gr 5-8Seth Jacobson's father is a game warden in northern Minnesota, where some local farmers and hunters hate the few wolves that still roam free. Although frightened by them, Seth admires the animals, and his best friend, Matt, taunts him with the epithet "wolf lover." Their conflict comes to a head when Matt shoots a wolf and Seth disgustedly deserts his friend in the woods, endangering his life. In the aftermath of Matt's rescue, both boys start to sort out their thinking. A sequel to Casanova's Moose Tracks (Hyperion, 1995), this novel carries the message that demonization of wolves is wrong. It also conveys the general notion that either love or hate can cloud judgment. The friendship between Seth and Matt is not completely convincing, but Seth is a well-realized character. Some readers will expect more action than this slow-paced, message-heavy novel of reflection offers.Claudia Morrow, Berkeley Public Library, CA
From the Publisher
"Wolf Shadows portrays inner issues of friendship and conflict, honesty and lying, fear and courage, all within a well-researched and fast-paced story that makes the wolves, deer, moose, and raptors of the north country come alive." —Star Tribune
"Casanova offers a well-reasoned argument for wolf protection in this tense, fast-paced story." —Booklist
DEC/JAN 02 - AudioFile
At 12, Seth Jacobson is a boy's boy, a hunter, an outdoorsman, the home-schooled stepson of the local game warden. Matt, a year older, struggles to maintain his ascendancy over his best friend on the masculinity ladder. Set in the Minnesota north woods, rich with details of a frozen, unforgiving wilderness, this sequel to MOOSE TRACKS tells the story of a hunt gone wrong and a friendship threatened by ethical issues. Who better than Johnny Heller to deliver the authentic voices of male adolescents in conflict, vying for power, searching for truth, longing for connection? Heller captures Seth's internal musings and his battle against his own conflicting desires in his characteristic slow and easy narration. He nails both the banter and fury between Seth and Matt. Only the local adults, sounding more like East Coast Italians than long-voweled Minnesotans, fail to ring true. Nevertheless, middle graders, especially fans of MOOSE TRACKS, will love this one. T.B. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine
