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Julie of the Wolves
Julie of the Wolves
Julie of the Wolves
Audiobook4 hours

Julie of the Wolves

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

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About this audiobook

"Miyax had been lost without food for many sleeps on the North Slope of Alaska. The barren slope stretches for three hundred miles from the Brooks Range to the Arctic Ocean, and for more than eight hundred miles from the Chukchi to the Beaufort Sea. Winds scream across it, and the view in every direction is exactly the same. Somewhere in this cosmos was Miyax; and the very life in her body, its spark and warmth, depended upon these wolves for survival. And she was not so sure they would help."-from Julie of the Wolves. When Miyax walks out onto the frozen Alaskan tundra, she hopes she is leaving problems at home far behind. Raised in the ancient Eskimo ways, Miyax knows how to take care of herself. But as bitter Arctic winds efface the surface of food, she begins to fear for her life, and turns to a pack of wild wolves for help. Amaroq, the leader of the pack, eventually accepts Miyax as one of his own defenseless cubs, protecting her from danger and saving portions of the daily kill for her. But as Miyax makes her way nearer to civilization, her life with the wolves, as well as all that she has come to learn about herself, are challenged as never before.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateJan 2, 2015
ISBN9781490672922
Author

Jean Craighead George

Jean Craighead George wrote over one hundred books for children and young adults. Her novel Julie of the Wolves won the Newbery Medal in 1973, and she received a 1960 Newbery Honor for My Side of the Mountain. Born into a family of famous naturalists, Jean spent her entire career writing books that celebrated the natural world.

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Reviews for Julie of the Wolves

Rating: 3.8841131844396086 out of 5 stars
4/5

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Thirteen-year-old Yupik girl Miyax (Julie Edwards Miyax Kapugen) is orphaned and extremely alone, both in life and in the Alaskan wilderness. At the beginning of the story, we encounter Miyax somewhere outside of Barrow, Alaska, having left her husband and life there. As she befriends a wolf pack, we learn more about her past and dreams for the future, with Miyax caught between Alaska's past and its future.I read this when I was little (I think we listened to the book on CD in the car), and it was really nice to come back to it again.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    One of my treasured finds. This was one of the first books I picked out from my grade school library, and I still love it.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I hadn't read this book since sixth or seventh grade. I dug it out of one of my old boxes while organizing things for my boy. I remembered liking it, but I didn't remember just how great it was. I've upped this book from 3 to 5 stars. Perhaps my memory wasn't very good, or perhaps my tastes have changed.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Life for 13-year-old Eskimo girl Miyax has become miserable. Her mother died when she was young, then her father disappeared on a hunting trip. So then she was forced into a prearranged marriage to a mentally handicapped boy, also only a child. So she runs away, to try to reach her pen-pal in San Francisco, because it sounds in the letters like life is all good there.The tale is told in three parts. In the first part, Miyax (her English name is Julie) is alone in the Arctic, surviving largely because she has succeeded in befriending a small pack of wolves which she convinces to accept her as one of their own.The second part is all flashback, telling the tale of how Miyax came to be alone on the tundra trying to get to San Francisco. The third part goes back to her journey, and brings it to its conclusion.A sad but satisfying story.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I love this series, I've read book 3 the most and I really enjoyed going back to the beginning and meeting everyone again.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Great story up to the last page, then an implausible choice in the last sentence makes the whole story nearly a waste for both the main character and the reader.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A 1973 Newbery Medal winner, Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George is the story of a young Inuit girl named Miyax, Julie is her English name given to her by her aunt who sends her to an American school after the death of her father. Forced into an arranged marriage at age 13 to the mentally challenged son of her father’s best friend, she flees after he tries to rape her. She becomes lost on the Alaskan tundra and survives by befriending a wolf pack. Her father had been a skilled hunter and she learned from him many of the skills she needed to survive in such a harsh environment. Her plan is to make her way to a harbour town and escape south to San Francisco where she has a pen pal friend who has invited her to stay. While the book is obviously written for a younger audience, I found it an engaging and educational read. As Miyax travels with the wolf pack, they become like a family to her, but there are some difficult decisions ahead for when she discovers that her father didn’t die but is now hunting wolves from an airplane. The simple prose and bittersweet story gives the reader a strong picture of how the original Inuit customs and culture are being forever altered by the modern world.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    "Julie of the Wolves" was a sweet story of a young girl lost in the Alaskan tundra. Having just returned from Alaska and travelling to the Arctic Circle, I enjoyed the descriptions of the harsh Arctic environment. Thankfully, I was there in summer, but talking to the locals they all mentioned the cruelty and barrenness of an Alaskan winter. I also learnt more about the behaviour of wolves and other animals native to the area and the traditions of the Alaskan Eskimos. The author's knowledge certainly shone through and the wilderness came to life for me.However, Jean Craighead George did tend to romanticise the story as thirteen-year-old Miyax/Julia never seemed to be in any real danger from other predators or from the freezing cold. I also thought her ability to communicate with the wolves happened too easily to be totally believable. However, I did love Amaroq, the alpha male, and Kapu, his young, adventurous son. For me, they were the stars of this book.Overall, "Julie of the Wolves" was a simple, coming-of-age story that dealt with survival, strength and the shifting of cultures.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A juvenile classic I didn't read until I was in my 40s. I loved it
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I taught this book for fifth grade lit circles. The students did not like the book and complained that it was boring, but they also made some really deep connections from it. We also had a lot of really wonderful discussions about the themes within the book. While this was wonderful to experience, I would rather teach my students to love reading and learning than see it as a chore as this book made them feel.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This book reminded me of "Hatchet" by Gary Paulsen that I read as a child. This book showcases how one person, Julie/Miyax, can learn to live off the land and commune with nature in a way that most of us are not able to do. George makes the moments where Julie finally starts interacting with the wolves believable because they are rooted in behaviors that we can understand. She creates something that isn't fantasy-based like many children books of our modern day. This feels like a book that could actually happen.

    I am not normally engrossed into a book the way that I was this particular one. I think it was largely due to the fact that it was more rooted in present day than a lot of books are. Most books seem to want to have magic or otherworldly stuff in them, but this one doesn't try to do that. It simply showcases how Eskimos live off the land in a beautiful way.

    If you are looking for a book that will teach a young person about survival this is a good book to do that. It will showcase how one can live off the land and shows how sometimes it is necessary to be a part of nature itself. Every single moment has a purpose in this book. George doesn't start with all the details of Julie's life, but saves that for the part 2 portion of the book which makes for a much more interesting read. I highly recommend this book for a lazy afternoon where you want to read something that will keep you engaged the entire time. This book will!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A young Eskimo girl of 13 leaves Barrow and her marriage to a young boy to seek her way to San Francisco. Out on the Alaskan north slope she loses her way and her food supplies run out. Using lessons from her father, she begins to observe the world around her and the interactions of a nearby wolf pack. The lessons she learns keep her alive. This was my second reading of this Newberry award winning book, both times as an adult, and thoroughly enjoyed it.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Julie Edwards Miyax Kapugen is a 13-year-old Eskimo girl on the cusp between childhood and womanhood, between traditional life and modern “white” life. Orphaned and living with an aunt she dreams alternately of the years she spent living with her father at a small village and of San Francisco and the pink “mansion” where her pen pal Amy lives. She is married at thirteen to the son of her father’s good friend, an arrangement that had been made years previously, but Daniel is not a suitable husband, so Julie leaves to find her own way. She uses all the skills her father taught her regarding the traditional Eskimo life, but still she is struggling to feed herself. When she encounters a wolf pack she recalls her father’s story of wolves, so she observes them carefully and learns more about surviving on the Alaska tundra. Leaving Julie behind, she becomes Miyax, an Eskimo girl.

    This is a lovely and compelling story. More than just a coming-of-age tale, it is a tale of survival. Our young heroine has endured considerable tragedy in “modern” life; her time on the vast and unforgiving tundra will test her in ways many adults could not manage. She shows intelligence, drive, persistence, patience, empathy and spirituality. She is truly torn and her final decision on whether to stay on the tundra as Miyax or return to a village as Julie is a heart-wrenchingly difficult one.

    George paints a desolate landscape that still has beauty and majesty. Julie’s character unfolds as her confidence in her skills grows. We feel her excitement and despair. Relish her successes and worry over her missteps. The book is aimed at children ages 10 and older, but adults will enjoy it as well.

    The audio book is performed by Christina Moore, who does a wonderful job, bringing not only Julie but the animals and landscape of Alaska to life.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Not a big fan of Julie of the Wolves. Tales of children’s adventures in nature generally don’t really appeal to me, though I wish they did.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    I remember the words in this book tasting bad on my tongue. I recently skimmed a copy on my shelf for readability for a student, and it all came flooding back. I despised reading the names in my mind--I remember having an aversion to it like I have for lavender. The story itself was okay, and I may have actually liked it. "Parka" (shiver....)
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Fiction: Chapter BookGeorge, Jean Craighead Julie of the Wolves. Illust. by John Schoenherr. Harper & Row, 1972. 170p. Middle-schoolMiyax, a young Inuit girl, runs away from an unhappy home in Barrow in about the 1970’s and becomes lost on the North Slope of Alaska in this survival tale. She encounters a wolf pack led by Amaroq, afearless leader, who accepts her as one of them. They provide her with food so that she doesn’t starve; enabling her to find her way to a village and her father, Kapugen. Lovely black and white, pen and ink illustrations add to the moving, heartfelt beauty of the story which is told as a narrative, with a straight-forward writing style.AK: Inuit culture, Barrow, North Slope, Arctic animalsActivity: Ask students if they have ever been lost. What happened? Have any of them seen a wolf? Where?
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is the story of Julie, who runs away from her mentally handicapped husband. She gets lost in the wilderness and learns how to communicate and live with wolves. It tells a story of hardship, love, and loss. I like this book because the vivid descriptions of the wolves and their actions makes the reader feel as though he or she is actually there in the book with Julie. This book covers difficult topics such as arranged marriage, rape, drunkenness, and hunting for fun. This book challenges readers to think about their own opinions on these issues. The characters were very believable. The book gave many details about each character so the reader could picture the characters vividly. I believe the main message of this book is that we must take care of nature and overcome our struggles.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Julie/Miyax is a 13 year old eskimo orphan who runs away from an “arranged” marriage with the son of a drunkard. Her plan is to travel to her pen pal’s family in San Fransisco. She ends up lost in the Alaskan tundra with very little food and no shelter. Then she befriends some wolves and by mimicking their behaviour is being “adopted” as one of the flock, which enables her to survive. The novel’s overall theme is that of cultural identity. Is she Julie, the name the white people give her? Or is she Miyax, the Eskimo girl of the old ways? So in two ways Miyax is lost. Can she find home and a home?The journey in the tundra is one thing, the inner journey another - and in the last respect it’s way harder to find a compass. The novel reminded me of Jean Craighead George’s "My side of the Mountain" - (I liked that one better) although in "Julie of the Wolves" much more is at stake and it’s a more serious novel.Winner of the Newbery medal - 1973 and in "1001 Children’s Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up" - very good narration by Christina Moore.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I fell in love with this book as a whole. The black and white pictures here and there are nice little touches to the overall plot of the story. Children can learn about the importance of survival, individual heritages, and family in this book. I would recommend it for older children like 5th grade+.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Did not like
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Have you ever ran away? Have you ever ran so far that you found yourself alone, lost, and in the wild? Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George creates an amazing story that brings readers into the world of the Eskimo ways. This book could be used in a fourth grade up to seventh grade classroom. This fictional story caught my attention when this young girl began to live amongst the wolves. However, I became depressed and saddened when she realized as a character, and I realized as a reader that she would no longer be living encompassed by the wolves, or as a traditional Eskimo.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I read this one for a children's literature class. Excellent book! It's about a young woman who lives in the Tundra with only the wildlife as company.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    How had I not read this before? :)I'll admit that reading about nature is not my favorite thing but Julie is such a likeable character and she's easy to relate to. So, I can quickly read past things like how she created a sled from things in her environment to the meatier parts of the story, like her feelings for the wolf pack and her view of the world. Also, despite Jean Craighead George's easy foreshadowing, I enjoyed the twist at the end and it definitely has me itching to read the sequel!And a note of caution to readers: You will want to befriend a wolf pack after reading this. I am too much of a coward but good luck to you if you choose that route. ;)
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Deserving of the Award It WonIn spite of some of the detail of subject matter covered in the course of the novel, this book is rich in stunning visuals, and depictions of customs and rituals of disparate cultures - human and animal alike - and the expectations of both. The characters are well drawn and we, as readers, connect with them and through them with the story being told.It is a story that is both inspiring and heartbreaking at the same and alternate times; a story that questions love and loyalty in two different settings, and Julie's relationship with the wolf pack is perhaps one of the most moving and empowering parts of the storytelling, setting the tone for the human triumphs and tragedies that are also part of the story.Even the inclusion of some of the more morally risque parts of the story does not in any way lessen the appeal of this book, for what better way to challenge such abhorrent behaviours than to examine them openly; to bring them to light in a forum against which they might be discussed, because sadly, such things are still the reality of some children.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The writing is what wins this book the Newbery Award. A reader doesn't need the illustrations to form a visual in their mind, the look, the feel, and the emotion of Eskimo life in a frozen land are so well written that they almost become a part of you. The story looks into Eskimo life, but also into the lives of wolves, helping readers to understand that every animal has a way of communicating, if we only take the time to listen.The human story is both heartbreaking and motivating. A girl runs away from a fate she hasn't chosen, to try and make her own way. Though I'm not sure that attempted rape (or being a runaway) is the right thing to include in a book for younger readers, it is important to understand that the book is meant to be read in the culture for which it was intended. Julie is a strong character who decides to protect herself, find her own destiny and makes out on her own in a way she has learned to do from her own people. Though her plans change as she journeys onward, she never loses her determination.I can see where some would prefer to read the book before giving it to a young reader, but this is still a book worthy of the golden badge it has earned on its cover. When shared together, this is a story of strength, and the bonds between humans and nature that can not be missed.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Miyax is a young Eskimo caught between two worlds. On one side she lives a traditional Eskimo way of life; on the other she is English speaking Julie with a pen pal in San Francisco. Her mother is dead and her father has disappeared. Miyax flees from an arranged marriage across the North Slopes of Alaska. A week later she finds herself completely lost in the wilderness. A wolf pack provides her only chance of survival. Miyax studies the complexities of the pack, and learns about their behaviours. In time she is accepted by the pack A fascinating insight into the traditional Eskimo way of life, detailed and well researched.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Another story of a survivor. Well written and very educational about Eskimo life and beliefs.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Miyax’s struggle for survival in the barren Alaskan wilderness leads her to seek the aid of a pack of wolves she encounters. Growing to love the wolves like family, even as she depends on them to survive, Miyax must ultimately decide between continuing to follow her father’s traditional teachings or finding a new way of life. This coming of age story is also an adventure novel, a soul-searching monologue, and an environmental study; readers will come away with a greater appreciation for the natural world, for cultural traditions, and for family. Ages 10 and up
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The first thing people might be struck by, if they first read this book now, will be the outdated expressions and terminology. For example, Eskimo. The 'modern teenager' that Miyax struggles with is a teenager from the time this book was written, which is the 1970s. For those reasons alone, this book loses some points to modern readers. It's very hard to relate to a main character in a different time and from a different culture that isn't necessarily being portrayed very accurately. Doubly so when that character from another time and culture spends a good part of the book learning to communicate with animals in a way that, to be blunt, typically takes far longer and is far more complex than it's represented here. It can give a lot of false impressions.On the other hand, to older readers, this can be an interesting look at how people 30-40 years ago actually viewed another culture, so there's a weird sort of anthropological double-interest thing going on here.I have to say, though, that this book was probably one of the first to get me interested not only in other cultures (especially ones with more tribal/traditional methods of life) but also in survivalist fiction. Miyax is trapped in the Arctic, away from civilization and amenities, and thanks to an unsetting sun, cannot even navigate by stars to find her way to safety. With very little in the way of supplies, she tries to survive, eventually befriending a small local wolf pack and learning to communicate with them through gestures and posturing in order to get them to help her.For all that it sounds simple, though, there are many elements of this book that are dark and hard-hitting. The reason Miyax runs away from home in the first place is because she married at the age of 13 and her husband, a rather dull-witted boy, tries to rape her. The text actually doesn't make it clear whether he just attempted to or actually succeeded, but that doesn't take away from the trauma of the situation. Miyax believes her father to be dead, and the wolf she considers her adoptive father is later shot and killed by hunters looking to make a quick buck from the fur trade. Miyax is almost killed herself during this event.A more subtle darkness exists in the very last line of the book, one that can sadden and disillusion many. Miyax spends the book affirming and reaffirming that she is a person of tradition, that she doesn't want to follow the ways of the white people who disrespect her culture and world around her. While she has a "white" name, Julie, she dislikes it and very often refuses to use it. She is proud of her heritage and her culture. After finding out that her father is alive and well but has adopted white ways, she makes the decision to return to the tundra and to live on her own, traditionally, hunting for her food and avoiding white ways as best she can.And no sooner does Miyax decide that than the bird companion she befriended, the thing that represents the spirit of the wild to her now that her adopted wolf-father is gone, dies.And the final line of the book calls her Julie.Her entire mental pattern shifted there, with that revelation. Her pride evaporated, her strength crumbled, and all that she had clung to in the wild was gone. What choice did she have but to return to the father who forsook the old ways, thus forsaking the old ways herself, and to symbolically give herself a new life. Even when I first read that, it made me sad, though I couldn't fully articulate why.The author manages to cram some very complex and deep issues into such a short books, which is wonderful to see. However, it seems that the range of the book goes from brushes with things great and deep to long periods of somewhat shallow observation, liberally sprinkled with interesting survival methods and trivia about life in the Arctic (some of which has been proven wrong, but was believed to be true when the book was written). I can't deny that the story is interesting and the messages are ones that people ought to pay attention to, but it has such distance from today's events that I think a great deal of the books high points might be lost on modern readers.Still, I enjoyed it then, and I still enjoyed it now.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Reasonable storyline, but beautiful evocation of the tundra, its animals and plants, the interconnected of life there with the seasons and the weather. Subtle and beautiful.