Saturday, February 22, 2014

Hobbs, Valerie. Wolf.

Hobbs, Valerie.  Wolf.  Macmillan/Farrar Strauss      2014  117p  $15.99  ISBN 978-0-374-31575-7  elem/ms  Animals  E-BN      

“Jack, the border collie, has finally found a home and a purpose on a farm.”  He doesn’t want to disappoint Luke, but can an old dog learn new tricks and save the farm from a marauding wolf?  Jack and Luke are a pair. Both of them have finally found a home in which they feel secure.  Luke is in charge of managing the sheep for Olaf and Katrin.  Jack is in charge of training the upcoming crop of border collies. (Jackie, a two-year-old female, proves to be a discipline challenge.)  The family attends the local sheep herding trials in which Jack had excelled in the past only to lose the title this year.

Strange deaths
take some of the sheep.  Jack discovers the culprit is a rabid wolf.  In a memorable story Jack, Luke, and others work together to eliminate the threat to the sheep in the neighboring farms.

Readers will immediately connect with Ja
ck and his concern about being able to do his job on the farm.  They will also learn that farms survive because neighbors help neighbors, as everyone works together for a successful conclusion.           

Summary: “Jack, the border collie, has finally found a home and a purpose on a farm.”  He doesn’t want to disappoint Luke, but can an old dog learn new tricks and save the farm from a marauding wolf? 

Dog stories, Adventure-Fiction                                    --Linda McNeil

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