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Summary
Summary
Hunting--the predator and its prey--is at the heart of this riveting and suspenseful novel from Newbery Medalist Avi with illustrations from Caldecott Medalist Brian Floca.
In the computer game world of Bow Hunter--thirteen-year-old Casey's world--there are no deaths, just kills. In Nashoba's world--the wolf world--there have been no kills. For this is March, the Starving Time in the Iron Mountain region of Colorado, when wolves and ravens alike are desperate for food.
With the help of a raven, the miraculous Merla, Nashoba must lead his pack of eight to their next meal. The wolf hates being dependent on a mere bird, but Merla is a bird wise beyond her years.
When Casey's path crosses Nashoba's, the worlds of two very different hunters collide.
Author Notes
Avi was born in 1937, in the city of New York and raised in Brooklyn. He began his writing career as a playwright, and didn't start writing childrens books until he had kids of his own.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (5)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Part survival story and part coming-of-age tale, Avi's (Catch You Later, Traitor) novel is told from the alternating points of view of two hunters: Nashoba, an aging wolf, and Casey, a 13-year-old country boy. Despite a leg injury and growing physical weakness, Nashoba is determined to find food for his pack during the "starving time" in early spring. His desperation drives him into dangerous territory, close to where humans reside. Meanwhile, a short distance away, eighth-grader Casey has just received his first archery set and looks forward to the thrill of hunting, which he has only experienced vicariously through computer games. One snowy day Casey ventures out with his bow and arrows in hopes of finding a target. Nashoba, spurred by need, and Casey, seeking adventure, unknowingly inch closer toward each other. The book's short chapters and steadily rising suspense will appeal to even the most reluctant readers. More seasoned readers will appreciate the story's different levels of meaning and subtle themes beyond the central man-versus-nature conflict. Art not seen by PW. Ages 8-12. Author's agent: Gail Hochman, Brandt & Hochman. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
As winter wanes in the mountain regions of Colorado, Nashoba, an aging wolf, struggles to find fresh game for his pack, all the while desperately trying to hold on to his alpha status. He knows full well that his true survival depends not on besting an eager challenger but on the next kill, which will produce life-saving food. A shrewd raven named Marla, seeking an unlikely partnership, offers to help Nashoba hunt if he will let her share the leavings. In a parallel story, thirteen-year-old Casey also dreams of kills, but those that are from a video game he plays incessantly. These kills are both spectacular and numerous, and his appetite for real-world hunting is whetted when he receives a bow-and-arrow set for his birthday. These two storiesof one struggling with decreased killing power and one full of his own increasing powercome in direct contact as Nashoba, led by Marla, creeps closer and closer to civilization, and Casey, eager to try out his new weapon, ventures farther and farther into the neighboring woods. Avi switches perspective between Nashoba and Casey, building the tension and raising a multitude of questions in this thought-provoking allegory. Should the head of the food chain kill for sport? And, is that killing really sport? Naturalistic black-and-white pencil illustrations by Floca (who also illustrated Avis Poppy books) enhance the classic-feeling tale. betty carter (c) Copyright 2015. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
An aging leader of a wolf pack, a raven, and a teenage boy find themselves face-to-face in this combination of survival tale and coming-of-age story. Nashoba must find food for his pack so they can survive the rest of the winter. Merla, the raven, informs Nashoba that a herd of elk is grazing nearby. They should be easy prey, but the grazing land is also close to where the humans live. Hunger trumps fear as Nashoba scouts the elk herd and then makes the decision to take his pack hunting. At the same time, 13-year-old Case, who lives with his family in this remote part of Colorado, has received a bow for his birthday and now yearns to practice his video-game archery skills in real life. The paths of all three wolf, raven, and boy will collide. A young upstart wolf's attitudes parallel those of the impetuous Case, imparting the message that, sometimes, elders do know better. Featuring detailed pencil drawings by Floca, this is likely to appeal to fans of Gary Paulsen and Will Hobbs.--Lesesne, Teri Copyright 2015 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-7-"It was the starving time. Not the end of winter, not the start of spring, not cold, not hot, daylight and night dark were almost equal. Mud lay here and snow lay there. It was as if Earth herself could not decide between life and death." After this dramatic introduction, talking wolves set the stage for a modern morality play that pits youth against age, humans against nature, and virtual killing against the irrevocability of death in the real world. Two story lines alternate between Nashoba, the alpha wolf, injured by a challenger and desperate to find food for his pack, and 13-year-old Casey, who practices hunting in a video game but yearns to try out his birthday bow and arrows in the woods. Anticipation builds until the protagonists cross paths and the conflicts are, somewhat implausibly, resolved. Narrator Kirby Heyborne's boyish voice works well for Casey's chapters, while his intensity and crisp delivery bring the wolves to life. VERDICT Short chapters and suspense will appeal to middle grade animal lovers and reluctant readers. ["Fast paced and exciting, this accessible novel will appeal to those who enjoy adventure stories": SLJ 6/1/15 review of the S. & S. book.]-Toby Rajput, National Louis University, Skokie, IL © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
A modern-day fable intertwines the stories of a young boy and an old wolf. Like all good fables, this one tells its story with minimal characterization and unabashed moral messages. Wolf Nashoba, an aging pack leader, is desperate to find food for his starving band after the long winter, especially since the brash young wolf, Garby, questions his leadership. Meanwhile, Casey, a just-turned-13-year-old human boy who excels at the video hunting game "Bowhunter," is thrilled when he receives a real bow and arrow for his birthday. Nashoba's and Casey's stories collide when Nashoba leads a hunthelped by wise, acerbic raven Merlanear Casey's home. Casey, searching for a stray arrow, comes across Merla, who is helping Nashoba, injured during the hunt. On instinct, Casey shoots Merla and then is shocked as he realizes the finality of real-world killing. Although the animals speak to one another in quoted dialogue and exhibit humanlike thought processes, animals and humans do not enjoy mutually intelligible speech. The fable's messagestouching on false pride, the facile violence of virtual reality, age and youth, the coexistence of species, the value of kindness, and a few othersare inevitably diluted by being so numerous, but happily, they offer gentle provocation for thoughtful readers. Floca's black-and-white pencil illustrations, with their attentive, appreciative depictions of the natural world, add real depth and poignancy to the story. Overall, a fine tale that will benefit from being sifted for all its meanings. (Fiction. 8-13) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Excerpts
Excerpts
Old Wolf 1 IT WAS THE STARVING TIME. Not the end of winter. Not the start of spring. Not cold. Not hot. Daylight and nightdark were almost equal. Mud lay here and snow lay there. It was as if Earth herself could not decide between life and death. Excerpted from Old Wolf by Avi All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
