She Wolf is an action packed thrilling story that keeps you reading right to the end. Ylva finds her mother has been murdered by a three fingered-man. Ylva is honour bound to avenge the death of her mother by finding and killing her murderer.
"When the door opened, a bald and bearded giant of a man emerged and stepped down into the deep snow that lay on the track. As tall and wide as two ordinary men, he had blue-tattooed runes arched over each ear, and a history of past battles etched in scars on his face. Rings of black Kohl were painted around the palest blue eyes, making them fade into his skull like the eyes of the dead. ... dressed in grey wolf furs, he moved like a beast, walking with his head down, a sword hanging loose in his left hand. The blade was wet with blood. The two smallest fingers on the man's right hand were missing. "
Ylva is a Dane who has arrived in a part of England controlled by Saxons. The year is 866. Ylva had been waiting away from the hut while her mother went to trade. She is alone now in that same hut with the body of her dead mother and the body of the trader who her mother was visiting. During the night a woman and boy arrive. Ylva is immediately on her guard. Her mother has told her so many wise things including not to trust anyone on the road and that survival comes first. Ylva's dog is also full of wise words telling Ylva who to trust and who to fear but she often ignores this advice and so it takes her long time to trust Cathryn and Bron who, despite her best efforts to get away, join her on her journey to find the three fingered-man. Cathryn disagrees with revenge but she seems determined to keep young Ylva safe even though Ylva keeps assuring Cathryn she is perfectly capable of taking care of herself.
"... revenge is a sly beast. Holding something as dark as that in your heart is like grabbing Jormungandr the world serpent by the tail - it's likely to turn around and swallow you whole ... or spit poison in your face and let you suffer. Nothing will bring (your mother back) Young Wolf. Not even revenge."
I loved the pace of this story, the way the writing made you feel the bitter cold and the sounds of the wolves howling in the distance. The battle scenes are violent and powerful. Ylva is a girl with true courage. And I especially loved the voice of her dog Geri. Dan Smith also adds some clever plot devices that added to my curiosity. Ylva wears a neck scarf and she is anxious that it is never removed. She also will not allow anyone to touch her. Bron cannot or will not speak. Instead he uses hand signs. He is not the son of Cathryn - who is this boy?
The other strength of this story comes from the way Dan Smith skillfully weaves in so much Viking history and legend so that is just feels like a natural part of the story. Kate Forsyth made some very wise comments about this process in a recent interview with Richard Glover. You can hear them discussing what writers mean by 'show don't tell'; 'fill you story with conflict'; 'leave out the boring parts'; and most importantly 'don't let the research overshadow the story.' Kate says "the historical research should be so delicately woven in, it is utterly invisible and the reader is learning without knowing they are learning." How do you stop the research from overwhelming your novel? Kate edits her work down so that the "prose as swift and supple and light as possible, as transparent as possible" "learning by subtle osmosis. ... This is not a history textbook it's a novel - a story about people's lives."
Chicken House have this terrific device where they explain a book in three words and offer a way into the book by suggesting you read a specific page (page 8). On the Chicken House web site you can read the first eight pages of this book. The three words for She Wolf are:
vikings vengeance wolves
Recently I was browsing through a Scholastic Book Club brochure when I spied this book by Dan Smith. I liked the look of the cover. I checked in our Book Bunker at the hospital where I work as volunteer and we had several titles by Dan Smith including this one. I was made even more curious when I saw the Bunker had located this book in our Young Adult Collection but the Scholastic brochure said for ages 9+. Now that I have read She Wolf I have to disagree with this suggested age and I would put this book into the hands of mature readers aged 11+.
Here are some reviews which give more plot details:
A great read and I love the glossary of Viking terms at the back and the potted history of that era. A super example of mixing history with inventive story telling. Storgy Kids
This novel was all about setting, from the mounds of snow to the wolves howling through the pine trees. It is the kind of setting which you feel beneath your skin and imagine with every sense. Book Murmuration
This book reminded me of The Young Vikings by James Moloney and The Legend of Podkin One-Ear by Kieran Larwood. I also recommend you try to find the Viking Magic series by Anna Ciddor and older books by Rosemary Sutcliff.
I am now keen to read another book by Dan Smith which features the same cover designer (Jill Calder) but which is set during WWII - My friend the Enemy.
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