Julie [Paperback]

Jean Craighead George (Author), Wendell Minor (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

Julie's decision to return home to her people is not an easy one. But after many months in the wilderness, living in harmony with the wolves that saved her life, she knows the time has come.

Julie is not prepared, however, for all the changes that she finds. Her father has forsaken many of the old Eskimo traditions. He has given up his sled dogs for a snowmobile, and now looks after the musk oxen that serve as the village's income. He will do anything to protect them -- even shoot any wolves that might threaten the herd. Julie knows that, like her father, she must find a way to reconcile the old ways with the new. But how can she do that without putting her beloved wolves in danger?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In a starred review, PW praised the "breathtakingly clear prose" and "striking observations about Eskimo culture" in this "nearly perfect" sequel to the 1973 Newbery Medal-winning Julie of the Wolves. Ages 10-up.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8-George continues the story begun in Newbery-award winning Julie of the Wolves (HarperCollins, 1974) with the young woman's return to her father's home in Kangik, Alaska. As she becomes reaquainted with Kapugen, she tries to accept the fact that he killed her beloved wolf Amaroq. She must also come to terms with her father's abandonment of some traditional Eskimo ways in order to help the local population survive, his new wife (a white woman), and a new romantic interest of her own. Julie is no longer a loner; she, too, learns about being a part of a community, one that is struggling to exist in a difficult and changing environment. But she also vows to protect the surviving wolves and move them to a place where they will not threaten her father's herd of musk-oxen. Although there is purpose (nearing obsession) to Julie's actions, readers must pay attention to the frequent shifts in the location of the wolf pack and the all-important caribou, vital to both the survival of the wolves and the village. As Julie seeks to move the pack leader, Kapu, and the other wolves closer to a food source, readers may sense some resemblance to the scenes of gaining trust in the earlier title and some may question Julie's interference with the natural order of things (an intervention she cannot possibly maintain). Still, the sense of place and of a people is strong throughout. In the end, her father changes his philosophy from needing to kill the wolves to releasing his oxen into the wild, a conclusion that is a bit abrupt but thoroughly satisfying.
Susan Knorr, Milwaukee Public Library, WI
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Paperback: 226 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; First Edition edition (January 18, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0064405737
• ISBN-13: 978-0064405737
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #192,009 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #4 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( G ) > George, Jean Craighead
  • #46 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Animals > Foxes & Wolves > Fiction
  • #58 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Multicultural Stories > Native North & South Americans

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Review of Julie, April 4, 2001

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Julie (Paperback)

Who's afraid of the big bad wolf? Not Julie! The book Julie is the sequel to the Newberry Award winning Julie of the Wolves. Julie is pulished by Harper Collins Publishers in 1994 and is written by Jean Craighead George. Julie's life is full of conflicts but being afraid of the nearby wolf pack isn't one of them. The first conflict in Julie's life is with her father. This problem is mainly fueled by the fact that he killed the leader of the nearby wolf pack which once saved her life. Another main fuel is her father's change in beliefs since she was younger. She knows he killed the leader because the man who did it was in one of her father's friend's helicopter, with his goggles and his gun. After a while he realizes that his kiling the leader is bothering her and tells her that he did it to protect the musk oxen which is the Eskimo village's industry. This is such a conflict because in spite of this she loves him. Julie's second conflict is with her stepmother. She dislikes her because she is not an Eskimo and she has many different views. Ellen seems to have contributed in changing Julie's father's beliefs. Julie feels this outsider is a setback to the village way of life. Julie refuses to speak English to Ellen because of this conflict. When Ellen helps Julie to deliver a baby musk ox without killing the mother as Julie would have, this conflict is partiallly resolved. A third conflict is her love for the wolves that saved her life. Although she loves them she wants them to stay away because if they do not they will be in danger of her father killing. She tries to keep the wolves away by not answering their howls and wishing that they will stay away. Instead of spending time with the wolves she busies herself be feeding the musk oxen, sulking, and exercising her father's sled dogs. She hopes that the wolves are staying safely away. Unfortunately they kill one of the musk oxen. He father then gives her a set time limit by which she has to get rid of the wolves. She is unsure that she can do this. I would wholeheartedly recommend reading this book. Any readers who like nature, adventure, and mystery would especially love this book. I challenge everyone to get this book and check out how Julie resolves all her conflicts.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I loved this book, July 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Julie (Paperback)

This is a great book. But I liked the last one the best. I think Jean Craighead George, and Wendell Minor, are truly fantastic! If you haven't read this, and the other two books, you haven't experienced a true, good book. Jean captures the true wolf, the wolf society, and other very interesting facts of a wolf's life. Like, I never knew that wolves have leaders, or Alpha's. I never knew that if a "baby-sitter" wolf, narrowed their eyes, showed their teeth, and lifted their ears straight, a wolf pup would sit down. I never knew that if a hungry pup nudged a adult wolf that has just eaten on the muzzle, the adult wolf will regurgatate the food, or, throw up the half digested meat. I never knew wolves tell each other who's the boss by mouthing a wolf's nose. I never knew if a wolf is larger or taller than other wolf, than it has a good chance for being an alpha or beta. Untill I read Jean Craighead George's book, "Julie of the Wolves", "Julie", and "Julie's Wolf Pack".

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent continuation of the Miyax/Julie story, July 23, 2003

By 

Shantell Powell "The ShanMonster" (Kitchener, ON, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Julie (Paperback)

When I was a kid, my favourite sorts of books were adventure stories with animals. I read a lot of Walter Farley, Jack London, Farley Mowat, and Jean Craighead George. Julie of the Wolves was one of my favourite books. Decades later, I still like to dip into my childhood favourites.

Last week, I decided to read Julie. Although Julie of the Wolves is edgier, with its themes of childhood marriage, attempted rape, loss and deprivation, Julie is an excellent follow-up. She overcomes feelings of betrayal toward her father and racist prejudices toward her stepmother. She also gets together with her beloved wolves once again.

The simplistic writing style makes Julie a very quick read. It is also very educational, with its conservationalist theme matter, Innu vocabulary, and examinations of life in the far north. It's a book people of all ages can learn from and enjoy.