Wolf Brother facts for kids
UK cover of the book
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| Author | Michelle Paver |
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| Illustrator | Geoff Taylor |
| Cover artist | John Fordham |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Series | Chronicles of Ancient Darkness |
| Genre | Children's adventure, fantasy novel |
| Publisher | Orion Children's Books |
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Publication date
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27 May 2004 (UK) 30 September 2004 (US) |
| Media type | Print (hardback and paperback), audio book (CD & cassette) |
| Pages | 224 pp (first edition, hardback) |
| ISBN | 1-84255-170-1 (first edition, hardback) |
| OCLC | 56645545 |
| Followed by | Spirit Walker |
Wolf Brother is the first book in the exciting Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series by Michelle Paver. This story takes place about six thousand years ago, during the Middle Stone Age. It follows the adventures of Torak, a twelve-year-old boy who has a special gift: he can talk to wolves. The book was first published in 2004 by Orion Children's Books.
Many people who reviewed the book really liked it. They often talked about how well Michelle Paver described things, her funny moments, and her detailed writing style. Readers also praised how much research the author did. Michelle Paver even traveled to the forests of Finland to learn about how people lived 6000 years ago. She also spent time with real wolves at the UK Wolf Conservation Trust. Plus, she studied ravens at the Tower of London to make her story feel real. The book Wolf Brother has cool drawings by Geoff Taylor.
Contents
Story of Wolf Brother
In ancient Europe, before farming began, people lived in clans in the forest. Each clan was known by an animal or a part of nature. These clans lived by hunting and gathering food. They also had a special belief system called shamanism.
Torak and his father, who belong to the "Wolf Clan," live together in the deep forest. When Torak is twelve, his father is attacked and killed by a huge bear. This bear seems to be controlled by a dark spirit. Before his father dies, he makes Torak promise something important. Torak must go north to find the Mountain of the World Spirit. He needs to ask the spirit for help to stop the evil bear before it destroys all life in the forest. His father also tells him that a "guide" will find him and help him on this dangerous journey. Torak sadly leaves his father as the bear comes back.
Torak Meets His Guide
Torak heads north, feeling very alone. Soon, he finds a tiny wolf cub whose family is gone. Torak tries to kill the cub for food, but he can't bring himself to do it. Instead, he discovers something amazing: he can understand the cub! He realizes this little wolf is the guide his father spoke about. Over time, Torak and the cub, whom he names Wolf, become very close friends.
A few days later, Torak and Wolf are caught by three people from the Raven Clan. One of them is a girl named Renn. They accuse Torak of stealing one of their deer. Torak and Wolf are taken to the Raven camp. There, Fin-Kedinn, the Raven Clan leader, will decide what happens to Torak. To prove he's innocent and get his freedom, Torak has to fight Hord, Renn's older and stronger brother.
Torak wins the fight by cleverly using steam to temporarily blind Hord. He also uses a special dog whistle he made to call Wolf. Because of these actions, Fin-Kedinn and the Raven Clan's wise person, called a mage, see Torak as the "Listener." This name comes from an old prophecy. The prophecy says the Listener, who "talks with silence and fights with air," will offer his "heart's blood" to the World Spirit. This act will destroy the demon-bear. Many Ravens now believe Torak must be sacrificed near the Mountain of the World Spirit.
Journey to the Mountain
Torak manages to escape from where he was held. To his surprise, Renn joins him, and she has brought Wolf too. As they travel towards the Mountain, they face many dangers. They meet a strange, wild hunter known as the Walker. They also come across the terrifying demon bear itself. During their journey, they find three special pieces of something called the Nanuak. These pieces are parts of the world's soul.
When they are almost at their destination, Renn and Torak are captured by the Ravens again. Hord argues that he should be the one to take Torak to the Mountain and sacrifice him. He thinks this will please the World Spirit. However, Fin-Kedinn lets Torak go. He believes Torak is the true person who must go to the Mountain. Fin-Kedinn also tells Torak a shocking secret. Torak's father was killed because he was a big enemy of a group of bad mages called the Soul Eaters. These mages turned to evil because they wanted to control all the clans.
Facing the Demon Bear
Torak and Wolf begin to climb the mountain, with the bear following close behind. Suddenly, Hord attacks Torak. Hord still believes he is the one meant to take the Nanuak to the mountain. Torak then understands what the prophecy meant by "heart's blood." It means Wolf. As Wolf carries the Nanuak away, Hord and the bear are caught in a huge avalanche. They fall down the mountain, which kills Hord and finally destroys the demon bear. Torak hides and escapes the avalanche. He looks for Wolf, but only hears his howl far away, mixed with the howls of other wolves. Torak shouts to Wolf in human language, promising to come back for him one day. Then, he turns and heads back into the forest.
Other Languages
The book Wolf Brother has been translated into many different languages. Some of these include Chinese, Spanish, French, Czech, Slovak, Polish, Vietnamese, Bulgarian, Japanese, German, Dutch, Swedish, Portuguese, Italian, Hebrew, Finnish, Norwegian, Russian, Serbian, Hungarian, Latvian, Danish, Indonesian, Romanian, Icelandic, Turkish, Slovenian, and Faroese.
More Books in the Series
When Michelle Paver first started writing Wolf Brother in 2004, she didn't plan for it to be a series. But as she wrote, she quickly realized the story was too big for just one book! The next book in the series, Spirit Walker, came out on June 28, 2006.
Radio Show and Audiobook
Wolf Brother was turned into a ten-episode radio show for BBC Radio in 2007. It was adapted by Ivan Jones.
You can also listen to the book as an audiobook. It is read by the famous actor Ian McKellen.
See also
In Spanish: Hermano lobo (novela) para niños
