I also disliked the way the animals frequently used human words and phrases that would mean nothing to them, and used the human names for places. There were a few factual errors in the book – incorrect hunting techniques, wolves using their claws/paws like cats, the author using “incisor” when he obviously means “canine”, etc. Most of this is unnecessary and could have been excluded completely.

Maggie, the magpie narrator, grows up, meets a mate, has chicks, sees them leave home, and decides to strike out on her own, all over the course of a few sentences. Then they all died.” There is a similar rushed feeling to the whole plot – large chunks of time and important events are glossed over in a paragraph or so. For example, you’ll get something along the lines of “The wolves had five pups.

Only a few of the characters have any sort of personality, with most of them being poorly-developed, and some so superfluous that they may as well not have existed. It’s essentially a be-who-you-are story, about a young wolf not living up to his father’s expectations and coming to accept that it’s okay to be himself. This is the tale of a wolf pack, told from the point of view of a magpie. Lamar wants to make his family happy, but is doing what is expected of him worth losing the only true friend he’s ever had?įull of bite and beauty that will make you think of White Fang, then Ferdinand, this story cuts to the heart of what’s most important: being true to yourself, and being true to others. While the other infractions can be begrudgingly tolerated, this one cannot, and the unity of the pack is in jeopardy. Blue Boy grows increasingly dismayed at Lamar’s lack of wolf instincts, and then Lamar does the intolerable: he becomes attracted to a coyote. He has little interest in peacocking in front of other clans. He worries if his younger siblings fall behind in the hunt. But Lamar is not turning out the way his father hoped. Blue Boy, the alpha male of his pack, is the largest wolf many have ever seen, and his dream is to have a firstborn son who will take after him in every way. Born into rankings and expected to live up to their roles. A young wolf seeks the bravery to be himself in this lyrical homage to challenging societal stereotypes, from the author of National Book Award Finalist Mean Margaret and The Wainscott Weasel.

Firstborn tor seidler