Module 4 Julie of the Wolves

Module  4- Julie of the Wolves

Summary

The story is of a girl growing up in Arctic Alaska. The young girl of 13 ran away from an arranged marriage. The girl becomes lost in the tundra. The girl makes friends with a pack of wolves. The wolves take her in and help her to survive.  The second part of the book was a flashback to how she became married and what lead up to her running away.  The third part of the book the girl finds her way out of the tundra and finds her father. Will she stay with her father in his new live or will she return to the old Eskimo ways?

Reference of Book

George, J. (1972). Julie of the wolves. New York, NY: Harper & Row.

Impression

The book is a good read. The book talk about the behavior of the wolves and the structure of the pack which both girls and boys would find interesting. The book was an adventurer into the Arctic. The girl’s life as an Eskimo at a time when arranged marriages were common and the struggles that came with the experience.

Professional Reviews-

Summary and Critique

This Newberry Award winning novel, set in Arctic Alaska, features wolves as main characters. The story is divided into three parts instead of the traditional chapters. In Part I, a 13 year old Eskimo girl, Miyax, runs away from an arranged marriage and gets lost on the tundra. Using what she has learned from her father, she befriends a pack of wolves and gets them to accept her almost as a member of the pack in order to survive in this harsh and unforgiving terrain. Part II is a flashback telling about young Miyax's life before getting lost and how she got her "Gussack" (i.e. white) name, Julie. Finally, in Part III, the story returns to Miyax/Julie back on the tundra where the wolves have left for their winter grounds. She must now struggle alone, but eventually finds her way to the village where her long-lost father is living, having adopted the ways of white society. She then must decide if she wants her future to be a connection with her Eskimo past or if she wants to change with the times like her father has.

Besides being a compelling adventure story, the book also teaches about wolf behavior and social structure. Most appropriate for upper elementary and middle school, it could also be used as a read aloud for younger children. The wealth of tundra and Eskimo vocabulary is valuable for a science unit on the tundra or wolves or a social studies unit on Native Americans.

Swiderski, S., (2005) The College of Education, The University of Texas at Austin. Retrieved from http://www.edb.utexas.edu

George, Jean Chaighead. Julie of the Wolves. HarperCollins 1972. when an Eskimo girl runs away from an arranged marriage, she becomes lost on the tundra. Nurtured by wolves, she reexamines her cultural tradition. Childhood marriage and the subtle mention of attempted rape occur in this epic adventure, but readers will focus on Julie's relationship with her wolves, her will to survive, and the wealth of detail provided about tundra mammals and Inuit life.

Reutter, V. (2004) Julie of the Wolves (Book). School Library Journal, 50(5), 64.

Awards-Book Received

American Library Association Newbery Medal

National Book Award for Young People's Literature (Nominee)

Scholastic 200 for 2000

School Library Journal: 100 Books That Shaped the Century

Librarian Use

Book club could read and discuss. After students read book they could make a book trailer, write a review or other project to encourage others to read the book.