Mist

by Marta Palazzesi, Christopher Turner (Translator)

Winner of the Bologna Strega Ragazzi Prize 2020

"A not-to-be-missed tale of courage and compassion."–Katherine Applegate

The incredible story of a boy’s quest to give the ultimate gift to a caged wild freedom.

London, 1880, 13-year-old Clay is a mud lark, scavenging on the banks of the Thames for anything he might sell for money to buy food. One day Clay goes to the camp of the circus that has newly arrived in town and meets Ollie, a girl about his age, who lives with the circus. Ollie brings him to the cage of “the last wolf in England”. Mist, as he calls it, is fierce, angry, and indomitable, perhaps due to the cruel treatment of its tamers, which Clay secretly witnesses. From that moment on, Clay is resolved to give the wolf its freedom and return it to the wild. But first he must build trust with the wolf and, with Ollie’s help, find a way to release Mist back into the wild.

This suspenseful novel will have readers rooting for Clay and Mist as they navigate their way through the obstacles that lay in their path.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Animals

160 pages, Hardcover

Published September 5, 2023

Reviews

[Jamie Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clay, a mud lark in 1880 London, spends his time with Tod and Nucky digging in the mud washed up from the Thames River to sell for needed food and supplies. A circus comes to town, proclaiming they have the last wolf in England, and Clay has to find out if it is true. He sneaks into the circus where he meets Ollie, the didcoy's (fortune teller of Romany descent) granddaughter, who shows him the wolf. Not only that, Clay gest to watch Hiram and his father abuse the wolf in an attempt to tame him, but Clay, recognizing a kindred spirit in Mist, the wolf, can't stand for it. He becomes determined to befriend and free the wolf. This distances him from Tod and Nucky and his adoptive father, Old Sal, but he can't let the idea go. Adventures abound with fights with other mud lark gangs, running factory workers trying to kidnap mud larks to put them in factories to work, getting notice by Hiram and his gang, and trying to get Mist out of London. The historic setting draws readers into Clay's world and his character and heart lead him through every struggle he faces, even if it means upsetting the only family he has. Highlighting the abuse circus animals faced, and some of the abuse that Mist suffers, can be hard to read, but the ending can bring hope that things cna change if you follow your heart.

[Stephanie Tournas · Rating 3 out of 5]

In 1880s London, a mud lark named Clay finds a set of tarot cards on the banks of the Thames. When he goes to try selling them at the circus that’s in town, he finds out that the circus has obtained a wolf that it intends to display. This animal, “the last surviving wolf in the United Kingdom,” is confined to a small cage and tended by sadistic handlers. Clay becomes determined to rescue the wolf, whom he names Mist, and to set him free.

Through first person narration, readers learn how bands of homeless kids claimed territories on which to scavenge, hoping to earn enough by selling the found items to buy food. Clay is a sensitive soul who forges a bond with the captive animal. He cares about his friends Tod and Nucky, loves his adoptive father Old Sal, and makes friends with Ollie, a circus kid. The book is written with modern-sounding conversational language. The adventures and violence feel realistic, and animal-loving readers will totally cheer Clay on in his repeated suspenseful attempts to free Mist from the circus.

This book won the Strega Ragazzi prize, an equivalent in Italy of the Newbery Medal, in 2020.

[SOYAMRG · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clay is a mud lark in 1880 London. He and his two best friends form the Terrors of the Blackfriar's Bridge gang. They sort through the muck of the Thames for lost items of value they can pawn for their survival. When Clay finds a deck of valuable tarot cards he thinks he might be able to sell them to the fortune teller in the traveling circus. At the circus he meets the granddaughter of the fortune teller, and she sneaks him behind the scenes to see ‘the last wolf in Britain’ who is being terribly treated by the animal handlers. Clay decides he is going to try and free the wolf whom he names Mist.

This is an adventurous historical fiction middle grade read that won the Strega Ragazzi prize (for best Italian work of fiction for children) in 2020. Short chapters with lots of action (think rough-and-tumble street fights, hunting parties, and almost getting your hand bit off and you’ll have an idea) will make this an easy sell to boys and animal lovers. (There is also a happy ending just in case readers are worried about that.)

Recommended purchase

R.U.
Youth Services Director

[Topo Biblio · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely uplifing animal adventures. The writing is exciting, funny and well-paced. There are some terrific characters in the book, but at the beating heart of the book is this wild animal and a boy who tries to rescue it from a circus where it is mis treated and abused. I love the details of victorian London which give the book such atmosphere. Highly recommended for middle grade readers, especially those who are passionate about animals.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clay is a mud lark living on the banks of the Thames in 1880 scrounging for items to sell for food. When the circus comes to town advertising a rare wolf in their menagerie, he is determined to meet the wolf. When he discovers the animal handlers are abusing the animals, he becomes determined to save the wolf he names Mist.

[Grace Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

幸好读完前两章后没有放弃。坚持读完发现真是精彩，越往后越觉得难以放下。主人公看到马戏团里被困的狼。狼受尽磨难也一直不屈服。主人公开始营救狼，历尽千辛万苦直到最后成功护送狼回到家园的故事。
英文的儿童故事书，翻译自意大利语。

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

PopSugar 2025: A book featuring an activity on your bucket list [mudlarking]

[Alex T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bullet review:
+An interesting story that kept me hooked throughout
+Wholesome relationship between Clay and Mist
+Likable main characters such as Clay, Ollie, Tod and Nucky.
-It's very short, I could've done with maybe a few more pages.

[Mrs. B. Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

An unlikely friendship between an orphaned boy and a wild wolf develops against the Dickensian backdrop of 1800’s London.

Clay, a mud larker, finds “Mist” the captured wolf in a traveling circus and feels compelled to release him.

The book was short (157 pages) and left out some crucial character development, but middle grade readers who like wolves will love this story of defying the odds and standing up for what’s right. Perhaps something got lost in translation? Or perhaps I’m just a picky grown up? I’m curious to see how my students react to this one.

I loved the setting, AND I learned a new word - didicoy! (A traveler of part Romani descent) And a new historical fact - The Great Stink of 1858 (google it 😂💀).

It should be noted that this book won the Italian version of a Newbery - The Strega Ragazzi Prize - in 2020.