Monday, September 28, 2015

Banned Books Week-Julie of The Wolves by Jean Craighead George

I added Julie of the Wolves to my library hold list because I was looking to read more banned books as well as books about people of color. Julie of the Wolves fit both, sort of. Sadly the author didn't know much about Eskimos so it wasn't the greatest fit. But Julie of The Wolves was a solid read.

The book is told in three parts. The first part Julie is alone on the tundra trying to make it to a ship that could take her to San Francisco. Julie befriends some wolves who help her survive because she didn't bring enough food for her trip. Book two is about her time with aunt and later her husband and his family. Book three is about Julie still trying to survive on the tundra and get to the boat. 

I had a hard time understanding Julie. Nowhere that she lived was a good place so I understand her need to strike out on her own. Sometimes she acted very much like the thirteen year old child she was and sometimes she acted older and wiser. But I was confused a lot of the time which made Julie harder for me to understand. Especially the whole first part where I didn't really understand why Julie ran away. I liked the parts about her communicating with the animals. Those were my favorite parts. I know there are more books about Julie. I might try to read them as I hear the author put more research into those books. 

This book is banned/challenged because of a graphic marital rape scene. Depending on the age of the child, I might think that scene would be confusing. Or the fact that a thirteen year old is married also might be confusing to some children. I wouldn't recommend Julie of the Wolves because I think there are probably better books written about Eskimos. Can anyone recommend one? Others who shared their thoughts on Julie of The Wolves: Smart Bitches, Trashy Books, Skipping Along, Middle Grade Ninja, and Rhapsody in Books.



1 comment:

Shiny! I love comments.