Wolf Road by Alice Roberts illustrated by Keith Robinson

"Even if he never returns ... his friendship will stay with you. You treated him kindly and encouraged others to do so as well."

Publisher blurb: Tuuli is a prehistoric girl, travelling with her tribe through the seasons – making camp, hunting for food and protecting themselves against the many hazards that the climate throws at them. Tuuli knows there’s a bigger world out there, and when she spots a strange boy lurking outside their camp, she realises that he might hold the adventure she is looking for.  He is from another tribe, sent to find safer ground and as he and Tuuli strike up an unlikely friendship, they set out on a journey that will impact the rest of human history. 

Readers aged 10+ who have good reading stamina and who are curious about ancient peoples are sure to enjoy Wolf Road. If you are book talking this book with a library group you could read the chapter "The River's Pull".  In this scene Tulli is swept away by a fast-flowing river and all her possessions are lost. Such was the power of this scene that I felt a dreadful grief for Tuuli and I hoped she could, by some miracle, perhaps find all her worldly goods again but alas this doesn't happen.

"Her share of hides for the tents, her summer clothes, her hide boots, pieces of antler; the bit of tusk ivory that she'd been going to carve into an amulet for Aski. Her pieces of birch bard and packets of pine resin. And her carefully wrapped parcels of reindeer meat, fermented willow, sweet horse food and groundsel. And all her spare darts, her harpoon, her half-made stone points. Everything."

This book also has really good descriptions of place, seasons, weather and people:

"He was wearing a really basic tunic made of deer-skin, crudely sewn up at the sides. He had a broad hide thong tied around his chest, under his arms, and a short, wooden spear was tucked under the strap at his back. A single fox-tooth hung from a cord around his neck. He was wearing what looked like fur boots, but on closer inspection, Tuuli saw that these weren't properly sewn. They looked like rough pieces of fur just tied onto his feet with sinews."

The cave art descriptions on pages 185-187 reminded me of this book:

Ancestory

I also enjoyed the sophisticated vocabulary used by Alice Roberts and I learned a few new words from this book too such as spoor (animal droppings), pulk, talo, and knapping.

This book caught my eye at a charity book sale earlier this year. It has taken me a few weeks to complete my reading and I will say the second half of this book is way better than the slow beginning. Also this story has tons of characters and yes, there is a list of them at the beginning of the book, but really, you only need to focus on three or four names - Tuuli, Wren, Remi, Aski and Lupa (Tulli's wolf friend).

This story is set against harsh scenery and dramatically changing climate. The impact of these determines what they wear, hunt and eat as well as the superstitions and belief system they live by. Respect is shown to the environment that they survive within, and acceptance that sometimes it gives and at other times it takes away. ... There is a very dramatic twist to this story that sets Tuuli and her lovely wolf cub on a different path. The strong bond between Tuuli and the cub is built up carefully; it is not forced, and grows naturally. Recommended for competent readers of 10 years + who enjoy a page-turning adventure of loving bonds and survival. Historical Novel Society

Wolf Road is a debut novel for Alice Roberts - the sequel is Wolf Mountain (2025).

In her author notes at the back of Wolf Road Alice Roberts explains the way she deeply researched the setting and lifestyles of her Ice Age or Stone Age or Paleolithic people. You may have read about the way Michelle Paver did this too for her book series Chronicles of Ancient Darkness. Here is a video with Alice Roberts. 

"I have even lassoed a reindeer. I have found out for myself how warm you can be in a reindeer fur coat and reindeer fur boots in seriously subzero temperatures."

Companion books:

The Cave

Tarin of the Mammoths

My late July and August reading pile

The books at the top of this post are some of the Kindle titles I will read on my way to the IBBY Congress in Ottawa.

I have finished My So-Called Family, but it is such a harrowing story I need to wait a while before I talk about it here. I found it because I read Strays also by Gia Gordon. I wanted to read another book by Chanel Miller because I loved/adored Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All. And I have read two books in the series by Kelly Yang: Front desk and Three Keys. 

I don't pen these posts every month. Perusing my last one, which was my April list, there are a few I still haven't read - Rima's Rebellion by Margarita Engle; The Bone Sparrow by Zana Fraillon; and My Sweet Orange Tree by Jose Mauro de Vasconcelos.

I am about to finish the third book in the Callers series by Kiah Thomas - 'The Journey Home'. I will talk about the second book over the coming days. 

Other books on my 'to read' pile are:

The Magician's Nephew by CS Lewis

This is a re-read book - I have a plan to read this whole series again. The Magician's Nephew was published in 1955 and is considered a prequel to the series - I was gifted The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe as a young child. I picked this book up from a charity book fair.

Bookseller blurb: One touch of a magical ring sends two friends hurtling into another world and accidentally releases an evil sorceress from her enchanted sleep. Hungry for ultimate power, she's determined to destroy everyone - and every world - in her path. But a song from the Great Lion, Aslan, awakens a new hope and a new world: Narnia, where anything is possible. And this is only the start of the adventure. The Magician's Nephew is the first book in C. S. Lewis's classic fantasy series, The Chronicles of Narnia, which has captivated readers of all ages with a magical land and unforgettable characters for over seventy-five years. This is a stand-alone novel, but if you would like to journey through the wardrobe and back to Narnia, read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the second book in The Chronicles of Narnia, the greatest epic fantasy series of all time.

The Shrapnel Boys by Jenny Pearson

Publisher (Usborne Books) blurb: When war comes to London in 1939, Ronnie Smith is scared and excited: scared of the bombs that fall at night, but excited to race his friends to collect the best bits of shrapnel every morning. But for Ronnie, the battles aren't just in the sky and on the streets. They're at school and at home too. His little brother is up to no good with a secret job and dangerous new friends, and Ronnie's worried he's getting himself into big trouble. Ronnie's desperate to help his little brother. But he isn't expecting to uncover secrets that could change the fate of the whole war...

Little Bones by Sandy Bigna

I have already read this book back in 2025 but recently a bookseller told me she is sure this will win a prize in our CBCA Book of the Year awards. I gave this book four stars back then - mainly because I felt I had read this plot previously in other books (but of course young readers will not have that experience). Take a look at my previous post. 

Wolf Road by Alice Roberts

I picked this up at a recent charity book sale (AUS$3) because I do enjoy survival stories and I enjoy books set in prehistoric times (Wolf Brother Michelle Paver and sequels; The Cave Victor Kelleher; Tarin of the Mammoths by Jo Sandhu).

Publisher blurb: Tuuli is a prehistoric girl, travelling with her tribe through the seasons – making camp, hunting for food and protecting themselves against the many hazards that the climate throws at them. Tuuli knows there’s a bigger world out there, and when she spots a strange boy lurking outside their camp, she realises that he might hold the adventure she is looking for. He is from another tribe, sent to find safer ground and as he and Tuuli strike up an unlikely friendship, they set out on a journey that will impact the rest of human history. 

Horses of the Dawn: Star Rise by Kathryn Lasky

I am not usually drawn to books about horses but many years ago I read Guardians of Ga’Hoole by Kathryn Lasky and more recently I read Faceless and The Secret of Glendunny. I am going to wait before reading this one because I didn't realise it was book 2 in the series - the first one is 'The Escape'. 

Blurb from author page: The first horses in the New World, Estrella and her herd, were carried across the sea by gold-seeking men, only to be cast into the ocean when the ship became too heavy. Yet despite the odds, the horses did survive and became the first herd to run wild across this untamed land. But now, they're facing their greatest challenge yet. An army is pursuing the herd, eager to force them back into captivity and hard labor. Estrella wants nothing to do with men ever again, but then she meets a boy who's been exiled from his village- a child with a mysterious ability to communicate with animals. If Estrella rejects the boy, he will surely die alone in the wilderness. But if she takes him in, she'll put the other horses at risk. With their hard-won freedom slipping away at every turn, Estrella must decide what it means to be a leader ... and what it means to be a herd. 

Hamlet is not Okay by RA Spratt

I really enjoyed a previous book by RA Spratt - Romeo vs Juliet and Rachel Robson at Gleebooks enthusiastically recommended this earlier book also based on a Shakespeare play. I saw it at the charity book fair for only AUS$2.

Publisher blurb: Selby hates homework. She would rather watch TV – anything to escape the tedium of school, her parents’ bookshop and small-town busybodies. So, Selby didn’t plan to read Hamlet. She certainly never planned to meet him. This novel transports Selby, and the reader, into the cold and crime-ridden play itself. Here she meets Hamlet: heavy with grief, the young prince is overthinking and over everything. Selby can relate. But unlike Hamlet, Selby isn’t afraid of making decisions. In her world, Selby is used to feeling overlooked. But in the bloody, backstabbing world of Shakespeare, Selby’s good conscience and quiet courage might just save some lives . . . hopefully before Hamlet stabs one of her classmates.

A Wolf Spell by Karah Sutton

Yes, I did pick up another book with a wolf on the cover at the charity book sale! Here is the Kirkus review (the reviewer didn't love this book).

Publisher blurb: Since she was a pup, Zima has been taught to fear humans - especially witches - but when her family is threatened, she has no choice but to seek help from the witch Baba Yaga. Baba Yaga never does magic for free, but it just so happens that she needs a wolf's keen nose for a secret plan she's brewing . . . Before Zima knows what's happening, the witch has cast a switching spell and run off into the woods, while Zima is left behind in Baba Yaga's hut--and Baba Yaga's body! Meanwhile, a young village girl named Nadya is also seeking the witch's help, and when she meets Zima (in Baba Yaga's form), they discover that they face a common enemy. With danger closing in, Zima must unite the wolves, the witches and the villagers against an evil that threatens them all.

BOOKS SUPPLIED FOR REVIEW

The Lost Island by Samantha Wheeler illustrated by Anke Noack (210 pages)

I previously read Everything I've never Said by Samantha Wheeler. This is new book from UQP due for publication on 4th August.

Publisher blurb: Theo thinks there’s nothing worse than being stuck on a Pacific cruise with his dad, new stepmum and annoying stepsister. But when he’s thrown overboard during a storm and washes up on a desert island, he suddenly has much bigger problems. As Theo tackles castaway life – finding food, water and shelter – he discovers the island is full of mysteries: spooky noises, possible ghosts and the strangest birds he’s ever seen. With survival getting tougher by the day and no rescue in sight, Theo is desperate to get back to his family. But to escape the island, he must first unlock its secrets – and reckon with the power of nature.

Game of Pets by Aaron Blabey (Advance copy from Gleebooks) Book One: The boy who knew too much.  Due for publication September 2026 Here is the web page for Aaron Blabey.

Publisher blurb: OK, here's the situation: Thanks to a diabolical intergalactic game show, we are all cooked. Luckily, Griff, an 11-year-old kid with innumerable allergies, just got told by a talking axolotl named Bob that Griff is the only one who can save us. I mean, that's kind of good news, right? Trouble is, Bob's prophecy comes with a warning: 'Watch your back, man . . . your PETS are not what they seem . . .' Prepare to have your mind blown and your cats and dogs under heavy suspicion. It's time to buckle up for an insane, laugh-out-loud new series, 260 million years in the making . . .

Otis Ottley and the school in the sky by Will Kostakis Due for publication September 2026.

I have started reading this book. The premise feels a little like Harry Potter. I am enjoying the complex writing and rich vocabulary.

Blurb from author page: Otis Ottley lives in the shadow of the Manor School for Magic. Literally. It’s an island hovering over his town, and he’s determined to reach it. While many kids dream of roaming the prestigious institution’s halls, casting spells and conjuring spectacles, Otis has a very specific mission: to seek magical help remembering something very, very important. The odds are stacked against him, but Otis will break into magic school. Or at the very least, he will break a few rules trying.

The Cave by Victor Kelleher

"no fire burns forever, and the Beast is always out there, waiting. 

No, something more was needed it they were to claim victory."

For a few hours yesterday I was living in the world of Paleolithic man. Fire is a precious commodity; tools are treasures made by skilled members of the community and I watched as bows and arrows were discovered and refined. I really was there - the writing in this book is so evocative of place and time and most of all harsh weather conditions. 

Irian and Ulana have seen their families massacred by a creature they call the Beast. 

"The eyes a golden yellow, almost beautiful in their sheer savagery; the fur of the head a snout patterned with the ugly scars of old wounds; and the fangs! Ivory white, and more like tusks than actual teeth, they curved down past its lower jaw and ended in jagged spikes."

It is late Autumn, and the Winter will be bitterly cold and dangerous. Ulana has been injured in her own confrontation with the Beast and Irian is so traumatized he has lost the power of speech. The pair are hopelessly underprepared for their journey, and they have no fixed destination except to get away from the cave where they have lived all their lives. Cave dwellers live precarious lives constantly on watch for the Beast and other huge predators such as the Pard. They use fire for cooking of course but also for protection. As the story opens Irian and his father have the task of maintaining the fire through the night but exhaustion overcomes them, they fall asleep and the Beast attacks. 

"For a mere split second, he glimpsed a scene of carnage; a nightmare vision of strewn bodies, of smashed pots and weapons, all of them corpse-grey in the uncertain dawn. Then the whole scene was replaced by a huge head and a great scared face, no more than an arm's length away."

The two young people on their own could never survive their journey or escape all the dangers that surround them except for the help of Trug. Trug is an old loner woman who survives by trading. She is a skilled traveler, and she carries a huge bag filled with all manner of tools. After their meeting she is able to help Ulana, whose wounds have begun to fester. Then she helps the friends make a shelter and together they survive a violent storm. Ulana is heading to the flint fields for trading. In spite of her grumbling, she teaches Irian and Ulana how to trade and by the end of that visit both have warm coats and more importantly Irian has discovered his own skill as a tool maker. Irian meets an old reclusive man who has brilliant tool making skills but sadly he dies. With his dying breath he gifts Irian some small strange very small weapons. 

"A tiny thing. A sliver of stone, no more, but chipped into a strangely curved shape that gave it a beauty and mystery that made it stand out from the rest. ... What used could there be for such a tiny weapon?"

I loved the care people take with transporting fire and the discovery that Trug finally shares about using a flint to make fire rather than need to rely on occasional lightning strikes and burning bushes. 

"she pulled apart the clay ball, splitting it neatly in two. At its core lay a tiny bed of hot coals. With two sticks, tong-style, she removed one of these tiny spots of glowing red and placed it carefully in the grassy nest. Working quickly now, she closed up the clay ball, preserving the rest of the coals; then folded the nest on itself and blew gently on it. Puffs of smoke immediately billowed out, followed by a spurt of flame that grew and grew."

There are also interesting issues in this book about kindness, sharing, trade, using your gifts and talents and trust.

If you read this book with a class I am sure you and your students will notice the way Victor Kelleher weaves in the seasons as a plot device moving from the dangers of Winter (danger and despair) through Spring (hope) to Summer (good times ahead). 

"Within minutes the temperature plunged and they were caught in a complete white-out that transformed even the closest trees and rocks into indistinct ghosts. The driven show, in the form of tiny ice crystals, stung their faces and hands; while the intense cold bit into their very bones and made each breath a form of torture. Worst of all was the wind, cutting and cruel ... "

The Cave just has to be a CBCA (Children's Book Council of Australia) Notable title either in Older Readers or perhaps Younger Readers. This book might better suit readers aged 12+ or very mature readers aged 11+. The print size is quite small. You will see in the reviews below that the age recommendations do vary widely. Our Australian journal Reading Time said Grades 4-6; Buzz Words said 12+; and Kids' Book Review say 10+.  There is a one scene in the story where Trug tells Ulana to be very careful at the flint fields. Ulana is a pretty girl and the men there could be dangerous.  Check chapter 7. 

Don’t miss this outstanding novel that will leave you as enriched in knowledge as were the characters of the story from their journey. Kids' Book Review

The cave is a scary adventure story. The little group have to travel through snow, rain and flood, always on the alert to danger from leopards and other wild creatures. Along the journey, Irian has to rediscover his selfhood and find the courage to stand tall and take his place in the world. There are strong moral lessons about caring for others, sharing knowledge, and working together for the better of the community. Read Plus

Kelleher laces the fairly straightforward text with hints of more complex philosophical tension—Ulana’s utilitarian idealism favours sharing resources and knowledge, while Trug relies on more defensive trade tactics, with Irian suspended between them, fighting his own demons and slowly fostering a sense of purpose in the aftermath of losing his known world. Books+Publishing quoted on Facebook.

Kelleher creates a prehistoric world in a way that is both familiar and unfathomable. He leads the characters on a journey where the descriptive writing is detailed enough that the reader can easily imagine being on the journey with them. The characters he has created are so unique, so individual and so enjoyable that they will each stay with the reader long after the final page has been read. Buzz Words

Reading The Cave I kept thinking about earlier books by Victor Kelleher. Sadly, these are both long out of print. If you are lucky one or both of these might still be held in your school or local library. I adored both of these when I read them many decades ago.

Companion books:

This is the first book in a series called "Chronicles of Ancient Darkness" 

I highly recommend these books.

Tarin of the Mammoths

Also try to find these two non-fiction books - they are so interesting:

Cave Paintings

Ancestory

Also look for this book recently written by Victor Kelleher:

Wanderer

Tarin of the Mammoths: The Exile by Jo Sandhu

Tarin cleared his throat and stepped forward. He tried to stand tall and unafraid, when inside, his stomach had shrivelled to a hard, cold lump. But he knew he had to do this - for his family, and for his clan. ... All faces turned to look at him. He knew what they saw. A weak, undersized, scared boy, standing apart and alone. 'I will take the Offering.'

Tarin is born with a weak leg.  Winter is coming. These are desperate times. The clan need food and this mammoth hunt will be the last for the year. Tarin is not allowed to hunt but he is watching.  There is an accident and the mammoth herd stampede. At the clan meeting that night Tarin is blamed and his punishment is a form of social isolation called Haamu but Tarin decides he has help his clan, help his family, prove his own worth - he will make the journey to the Great Mother taking the Offering.

The Offering contains a parcel of food, two carved ivory beads, a cave bear tooth, a flint blade, healing herbs, a spear and a small piece of amber with a tiny ant trapped inside.  Tarin will need to make use each of these things on his journey long before he reaches the Great Mother's Mountain.

Meanwhile a brother and sister in a different clan are forced to flee when sickness arrives in their settlement. Kaija and Luuka have lost their younger brother and their mother will die soon.

Each of these young people have knowledge of hunting and gathering and they also know a little about medicinal herbs but one of the things I enjoyed was the different ways each has learnt to make fire:

Tarin - "Out of a leather pouch, he took his fire-lighting stones. He weighed them in his hands. ... Tarin closed his eyes, picturing his mother striking the stones together, drawing the spark, and blowing gently until the flame grew strong."

Kaija - "From a pouch inside her furs, she drew her fire-sticks and the leaf litter provided perfect tinder. Kaija place one pointed fire-stick into a depression in the other and started to twirl. ... usually she and Luuka would take turns twirling the fire-stick downwards, alternating in rhythm so the stick was always spinning. By the time a wisp of smoke rose from the tinder beneath, Kaija felt warm."

Towards the end of The Exile, Tarin shows Kaija and Luuka his method of making fire and they are amazed.

Now I have a huge dilemma.  I am reading my way through all the CBCA Notable books for Younger Readers. I thought I had settled on my top six and then along came The Exile - book one in the series Tarin of the Mammoths so here is another contender for the short list. For me this is a ten out of ten book. I felt as though I was really on this journey with Tarin suffering the cold of the snow and water, trekking through the forest, sheltering in caves along with times of extreme hunger. This is powerful atmospheric writing with a hero who simply must succeed.

You can read some sample pages here. Jo Sandhu shares some of her writing techniques. I enjoyed the discovery that this is Jo Sandhu's first book and that she really enjoys doing research. I remember hearing Michelle Paver talk about all the research she did for her book series including swimming with killer whales.  I do hope this book reaches reviewers at Kirkus and Horn book - it absolutely deserves a wider international audience. I would follow The Exile with  Chronicles of Ancient Darkness by Michelle Paver which is a series I found utterly absorbing.

I am keen to pick up Book 2 which is available and Book 3 which is released this month.

While full of life-or-death action and authentic details about food, medicines and weapons of the time, Tarin of the Mammoths: the Exile is also a spell-binding tale of adventure, survival and friendship. It's also an extraordinary ode to the value of being different. Kids Book Review