A Wolf Called Wander

A Wolf Called Wander is my first fully illustrated novel. Anderson Press is the British publisher and Greenwillow is the American publisher. The book has art on almost every page! I’m beyond thrilled with the stunning work of Mónica Armiño, a brilliant illustrator and animator from Madrid. The audiobook voice actor is Kirby Heybourne who also voiced the audio for Heart of a Shepherd. The audio is available from Libro.fm and probably your public library.

Inspired by a true story

Swift lives with his pack in the mountains until one terrible day rival wolves invade their home. Alone and hungry, Swift must make a choice: Stay and try to eke out a desperate life on the borders of his old hunting grounds, or search for a new home. But the journey he has to make is long and full of peril for a lone wolf. Will Swift find the courage to survive all by himself? 

A Wolf Called Wander in translation

It has long been a dream of mine to have work in translation, and I’m so happy to share that my wonderful British publisher Andersen Press has made 11 translation deals for  A Wolf Called Wander. Cheers to my team at Andersen Press in London and greetings to my publishing partners. Hello, Greenwillow🇺🇸 USA. Guten Tag, Coppenrath🇩🇪 Germany. Ahoj, Albatross 🇨🇿 Czechia. Privet, Mann Ivanov Feber 🇷🇺 Russia. Bonjour, L’Ecole desLoisier 🇫🇷 France. Marhabaan, Dar Alaalam Alarabi UAR🇦🇪 world Arabic. Salut, Romania, 🇷🇴.  Ahoj, IKAR Slovakia🇸🇰. Ciao, HarperCollins, 🇮🇹 Italy. Nĭ hăo, Bejing Arcadia Culture 🇨🇳 China. Kon’nichiwa, Akane Shobo 🇯🇵 Japan.

A Teachers Guide from HarperCollins

AWolfCalledWander_EducatorsGuide_FINAL

Honors

  • New York Times Hardcover Best Seller 48 weeks
  • New York Times Paperback Best Seller 5+ years
  • Junior Library Guild Best Books of 2019 list
  • Oregon Book Award Finalist 2020
  • Oregon Battle of the Books list 2020-2021
  • PNBA Holiday Catalog 2019 & 2020
  • Nominated for children’s choice book awards in South Carolina, Utah, Kansas, Texas, Maryland and New Hampshire, and many more.
  • a starred review from School Library Journal
  • An Indie Next Pick for the Summer of 2019
  • an Indie Bookstore Best Seller
  • May book of the month for the Indie Booksellers in the UK
  • May book of the month for Powells Bookstore in Portland OR
  • nominated for Our Best Book Leichester Libraries, 2019
  • Nominated for the Lovely Book Prize in Germany 2020

Quotes from expert readers of A Wolf Called Wander

  • “Riveting and lyrical, A Wolf Called Wander is a vibrantly imagined celebration of the natural world. Don’t miss this dazzling tour de force.” Katherine Applegate author of The One and Only Ivan
  • “One of the most beautifully written middle grade stories I’ve read in years. Rosanne Parry’s writing brings the wild alive in such a vivid way and Mónica Armiño’s illustrations are breathtakingly good. This is a special book” —Abi Elphinstone author of Sky Song and Dream Snatcher
  • “Parry’s powerful prose and Armiño’s hauntingly beautiful illustrations take you across vast landscapes, following the swift feet of a wolf. A Wolf Called Wander is a rare gem, a book celebrating the rawness and beauty of nature. A spellbinding story.” —Gill Lewis author of Run Wild
  • “Steeped in wildness and wonder. A moving and harrowing journey of a brave wolf in search of family. Readers with a passion for wildlife will love the rich illustrations and wolf’s-eye view of a landscape filled with danger and hope.” —Sarah Lean author of The Sand Dog
  • “Well-researched…a brilliantly written story. I didn’t want to put the book down. The illustrations are superb.” —Tsa Palmer, UK Wolf Conservation Trust

A Wolf Called Wander is in bookstores now. If your town does not have an independent bookstore, please give my local bookstore a call. Annie Blooms can order the book and ship a signed and personalized copy anywhere in the world. 503-246-0053

A Starred Review from School Library Journal

PARRY, Rosanne. A Wolf Called Wander. illus. by Mónica Armiño. 240p. HarperCollins/Greenwillow. May 2019. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9780062895936.

Gr 4-6–Swift, a yearling wolf, is separated from his family after a rival wolf pack attacks and claims his family’s territory as their own. His thousand-mile journey across the Pacific Northwest to find a new home brings danger, hunger, and desperate loneliness. Inspired by the story of OR-7, a real wolf naturalists tracked in the wild, Parry perfectly conveys her character’s curious, alert, and social nature. Swift’s successes and failures throughout his travels shape a relatable bildungsroman theme. His symbiotic relationship with a raven will delight and intrigue readers, just one example of the abundant information about wolves Parry seamlessly incorporates into this page-turning narrative. Generously illustrated, Armiño’s spot and full-page black-and-white drawings capture the landscape’s stark beauty from the fragility of a bumblebee in flight to the ferocity of an animal attack. The novel’s grim yet blunted depiction of life and death in nature, along with an upbeat ending in which Swift gives himself a new name, make it an ideal middle grade read. The novel would also function well as the fictional component in a classroom lesson about wolves, as the gripping story—and extensive back matter—will inspire students to learn more about the real OR-7. VERDICT: A first purchase for all libraries; deserving of a place alongside Sheila Burnford’s The Incredible Journey, Jack London’s White Fang, and other classic animal adventure novels.–Marybeth Kozikowski, Sachem Public Library, Holbrook, NY