In one of the most unique and strange books i have ever read words must be read loud to be understood. author Margaret wild talks about Ben and his fear of wolves . The wolves are never presented in the books, leading us to believe that the wolves were only in Ben's mind. This can be applied to our lives .A lot of times we fear things that we do not know or find strange or different , and start creating ideas about them. Later on the story Ben is forced to leave his hideouts and look for Missus Radinski , where he find the real world , and decide that he will never be afraid again. ( )

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I may be a little obsessed with Margaret Wild books here lately. I picked up another one the other day due to it's interesting title which is misspelled along with an eerie looking cover. After starting the story I realized that many of the words are misspelled in the book which really adds to the darkness.

The story takes place in a post-apocalyptic world and a boy named Ben is stuck in a house with barely any food or water. He's scared of the outside world and believes that there are Woolvs waiting outside to get him.

"And soon they will Kum.

They will Kum for me and for yoo

and for yor bruthers and sisters.

yor muthers and fathers. yor arnts and unkils.

yor grandfathers and grandmuthers.

No won is spared."

He lives in an apartment building with an elderly woman named Mrs. Radinski and once saved by her, he now must return the favor and conquer his fears by leaving the building in which he resides to locate her.



The misspelled and sketched words along with the black and watercolor illustrations add to the dismalness of the story.

Once again, Margaret Wild never ceases to amaze me with her powerful writing. The message this book sends is to be brave and overcome your fears. Never be afraid and take control of your life. This book is best suited for older children 6 grade and up. It's content is too difficult for younger readers.

5***** ( )

Didn't realize it's a picture-book. I thought maybe a children's dystopian novel would be interesting, but I don't understand the point or intended audience of this one at all. To me it was just ugly. Sorry. ( )

A young boy escaping depression. The word choice forces you to slow down and really take in the mood and tone of the book. ( )

I found this book interesting. It was recommended to me for being different from most other picture books - and I agree. The story is simplistic in nature, without many plot points or thoroughly created characters. Although, the characters are enough to keep the reader interested in their plight. The story has a post-apocalyptic feel to it, although the actual causes of the end of the world are unknown. I see curricular connections to this book in art class, for studying the very interesting and engaging art work. As well, dystopian literature can be connected to the book. The phonetic spelling would be interesting to use to introduce the concept of written dialect.