Wild Boy: The Real Life of the Savage of Aveyron

by Mary Losure, Timothy Basil Ering (Illustrations)

What happens when society finds a wild boy alone in the woods and tries to civilize him? A true story from the author of The Fairy Ring.

One day in 1798, woodsmen in southern France returned from the forest having captured a naked boy. He had been running wild, digging for food, and was covered with scars. In the village square, people gathered around, gaping and jabbering in words the boy didn’t understand. And so began the curious public life of the boy known as the Savage of Aveyron, whose journey took him all the way to Paris. Though the wild boy’s world was forever changed, some things stayed the same: sometimes, when the mountain winds blew, "he looked up at the sky, made sounds deep in his throat, and gave great bursts of laughter." In a moving work of narrative nonfiction that reads like a novel, Mary Losure invests another compelling story from history with vivid and arresting new life.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Middle Grade, History, Historical, Juvenile, Childrens

170 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2013

About the author

Mary Losure writes innovative nonfiction (and the occasional fantasy) for kids.

Her latest book, ISAAC THE ALCHEMIST: SECRETS OF ISAAC NEWTON, REVEAL’D, has received three starred reviews.

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was very familiar with the story of "The Wild Boy" of Aveyron, but I still greatly enjoyed this well-written and nicely- illustrated Young Adult story about the boy. It's written by Mary Losure and illustrated by Timothy Basil Ering. published in 2013.
The story begins with French villagers seeing a naked boy digging in the leaves in the woods. This is in the late 18th Century (when there were still a lot of woods!). The boy is captured and taken to the village...It's a moving story and you easily sympathize with the boy.
I like this quote from Ms. Losure: " I think deep in everyone's heart, there's a part that longs to be wild. And here was a boy who really was."

[Richie Partington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Richie's Picks: WILD BOY: THE REAL LIFE OF THE SAVAGE OF AVEYRON by Mary Losure and Timothy Basil Ering, ill., Candlewick, March 2013, 176p., ISBN: 978-0-7636-5669-0

"But then they sent me away
To teach me how to be sensible
Logical, oh responsible, practical
And then they showed me a world
Where I could be so dependable"
-- Supertramp "The Logical Song"

"What was the wild boy thinking?
"He was content with simple things, Constans-Saint-Estève noticed. He would hold an acorn in his hand for the longest time, gazing at it as though the mere sight of it made him happy. Constans-Saint-Estève wrote that the boy had an 'air of satisfaction that nothing could trouble.'
"Nothing, that is, except being trapped inside the house."

In 1797, when it is estimated that he was then nine, the first reports circulated about a young, naked boy seen foraging in the forest. Over the following years, the wild boy was periodically captured, detained, fed, exhibited to townsfolk, and observed by armchair scientists before he would once again escape back into the forest. In WILD BOY: THE REAL LIFE OF THE SAVAGE OF AVEYRON, author Mary Losure repeatedly depicts the absence of humanity exhibited by so many of the young boy's various captors.

WILD BOY is an interesting read because it is a strange true story. We keep wondering whether someone will connect with the wild boy so as to provoke communications that will solve the mystery of where he came from. We keep wondering whether someone will connect with him to an extent that they ease up on treating him like a specimen. We keep wondering whether he will develop an identity like a normal teen or go on to develop any real relationships.

It is also an interesting read because this is today's nonfiction where you have a story with a lot of pieces missing and an author who recognizes and points out these potholes rather than trying to fill in these holes with fiction or unverifiable information. And this is a really great thing because it adds to the sense of mystery while teaching readers that we don't know everything about everything. It will help young readers grasp the idea that we want to rely on verifiable information, not just rumor and innuendo.

"When a stormy wind blew, he still laughed out loud. He was still filled with joy and longing -- and sometimes sadness -- at the sight of a bright moon, a snow-covered field, a deep woods filled with light and shadow..."

Owing to that measure of wildness within, and that sense that no one ever really knows the me in me, this well-written mystery about the wild boy left me filled with both appreciation and sadness.

Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.com
BudNotBuddy@aol.com
Moderator http://groups.yahoo.com/group/middle_... http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/people/facult...

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not the first time the story of the "Wild Boy of Aveyron" has been told, but this is one of the best I've read. Losure tells his story with compassion and sensitivity in a captivating, elegantly written narrative.

[Ionia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was pretty incredible. I have always had a fascination with this historical boy in general, and reading Mary Losure's book just reinforced why. The author has done her research and put together an interesting history-based read. I thought she did an exemplary job of filling in the gaps of what this boy must have seen and felt during his exposure to the civilized world he had grown up outcast from.

My favorite part of reading this was when the author described how the boy was treated. It reminded me that we tend to destroy a lot of things in the name of science. I like it when a book can make you stop and consider life. Through the telling of her story, the author made me feel compassion for the wild boy she spoke of.

At times, I thought this book was sad, but it was also a story of adventure,perseverance and the unlimited power of the human spirit. I was lost in this book as the boy grew and changed before my eyes into a man and still faced the persecution of others.

This book made me question how civilized our world really is and if all that much has really changed since the historical period of the wild boy's world.

It has been suggested that the actions of this boy may have been partly attributed to abuse, also possibly autism. Either way, he had a spirit that could not be crushed by his circumstance nor human desire to treat anyone different like a test subject. I found the author really did a wonderful job highlighting this.

If you have an interest in early scientific observation, history in general or are simply looking for a compelling read that might teach you something you didn't know, this is a perfect choice.

This review is based on a digital arc from the publisher.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gr 4–6—Who was the boy found naked in the forest by French villagers in the late 1700s? How had he gotten the scars that lined his body? How old was he? While he appeared to be about 10 years old, he could not tell his own story, because he could not talk. In understated, atmospheric prose, Losure carefully relates the recorded observations of the "men of science" who examined and/or educated the wild boy, finding the evocative details that hinted at his inner life while painting a vivid picture of the misty forests and hilltops the boy would have called home.

Smudgy, gestural charcoal drawings accompany the text in this beautifully produced book, depicting the boy's struggles as his (usually) well-meaning captors attempted to domesticate him. Losure is careful not to make any 21st-century conclusions about the boy's condition. While she offers speculation about his early life and how he ended up alone in the woods, she brings up contemporary diagnoses such as Asperger's syndrome only in an author's note. Abundant source notes and a strong bibliography make this lyrical, readable book a wonderful nonfiction choice.—Paula Willey, Baltimore County Public Library, Towson, MD

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I must admit I had never heard of the Savage of Aveyron. I was fascinated on how could a child have possibly survived, almost a decade alone, in the woods? It is heart-breaking how society viewed someone out of the ordinary and treated him as a spectacle to observe. I was so fortunate to receive my copy of the book through the Goodreads First Reads program. My copy did not include the illustrations but the cover is beautiful and I look forward to someday viewing the illustrations in the final copy.

[Branden]

Mary Losure's book about a boy found naked and living like an animal in France connects to the concept of changing identity for middle school students. Coincidentally, he was around ten years old; students reading this book would be eleven or so. Both are going through a huge change in their identities as they are in the early stages of changing into adults but the "wild boy" has an additional layer as the boy struggles to learn to live in human society and see himself as one of them.

The boy never entirely learned to fit in: he never learned to read or write, and as he was passed around people and studied, never got the chance to adapt to a normal life. This could be an opportunity for students to do Gallagher's "How Does ____ Word" assignment, choosing from options like learning and socialization to explore how they work. These topics would also be relevant to their lives as they reflect the process they're going through at that exact moment as well.

[Laiba Basit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aaah, I loved this so much! I wanna read it again, but I had to return it to the library I borrowed it from... This is non-fiction, but the best book I've read! (After the HP series, Wonder, and The Little Prince, of course!).

My rating: 5 stars.
4 stars for the content.
1 star for everything else.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Candlewick, 2013
Narrative Nonfiction
170 pages
Recommended for grades 4-8

We are taken back to France, 1800 when a boy is found to be living alone in the wilderness. A huge curiosity to people, the savage boy is taken in to be studied. He is passed around a few times, eventually finding a home, though never learning to speak or read as many had hoped.
The book has a nice layout with plenty of whitespace. The illustrations are fitting, wild and emotional and raw. I was struck by the notions of treatment of people deemed insane, or ill in ways not yet understood, as it was mentioned several times how Victor (as the wild boy came to be called) just barely escaped a fate of an institutionalized young person.
Because of the time the story took place there were large gaps in Victor's life story. To work around this Losure often offers a "perhaps." Perhaps Victor did this, or perhaps Victor did that. I would have liked more fact and detail to sink my teeth into, and found I didn't enjoy the large amount of unknowns.

[Sylvie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This isn't a bad book per se, but I just don't see who it is written for. It seems both above and below the middle-grade audience I presume it targets. More importantly, it is far longer than necessary given its subject matter.

This is a well-known story (and must be in the air for some reason as evidenced by the Oscar-nominated animated short Feral). I don't really think this version breaks new ground, although I was mildly intrigued by the details regarding the boy's influence on Victor Hugo's Notre-Dame de Paris. Rather than plod through this, I would recommend anyone interested in the subject to instead check out François Truffaut's film, L'Enfant sauvage (The Wild Child).

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is mostly non-fiction, although some speculation had to be made where accounts were scanty or non-existent.

The "wild boy" grew up in the woods of France. He was captured a few times, but eluded escape until the last one. Although he was somewhat "tamed", he never outgrew his love for the forest or wild things. An interesting look at how a condition like his was treated hundreds of years ago, and the beginning of current medical and mental practices had their start around this time.

I couldn't help but feel sorry for him, and wonder if the help the civilized humans gave was really any help at all for the boy.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, not only because its true, but also because it states all that is documented about this innocent boy, and how he saw the world. I had wished for more details, but all that was documented was put in this book. I was moved by his life story and pleasantly suprised to read near the end of it, that Victor Hugo lived only a few doors down from this boy that was given the name Victor as well, and that. although Hugo was very young, The Wild Boy (Victor) might have been his influence in the story of The Hunchback Of Notre Dame! A quick read, but a touching story.

[Betsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

One Sentence Review: I've always been partial to Losure's nonfiction and this book is no exception, but admittedly I did wish that it had contained just a little less speculation in the earlier chapters.

[Kathy Mathey · Rating 4 out of 5]

The teacher in me....liked how the author used primary sources to write this NF book that reads like a novel.

The mom in me...was stung by the cruelty of some and touched by the compassion of others.

[Andrew Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

A light read that is very compelling from the first page. Can be read in under 3 hours. A good overview of the life of the Savage of Aveyron. It could lead to further interest and study.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story of a boy who was discovered living wild in Aveyron, France at the end of the 18th century. He was captured more than once, escaping the first few times. He was given the name Victor by a doctor who took him in and worked with him for five years. The physician, Jean Marc Gaspard Itard, studied victor and tried to teach him language after initial efforts by Roch-Ambroise Cucurron Sicard had failed at the National Institute of the Deaf in Paris.

Victor only ever learned to write two or three words and hardly communicated. This work leaves speculation on that topic for the afterword, where Mary Losure mentions contemporary theories that he had Asperger's or some other form of Autism. In any case, Victor remained unusual and somewhat wild right up to his death from pneumonia at roughly the age of 40.

This book is written as if it is meant for children. The narrative is straightforward, and is always clear when the author is speculating (saying "perhaps he thought..." or similar many times). The style was a touch choppy, and maybe the book was a little overlong for its intended audience. I had not really appreciated it was meant for children when I got this, but I think the author generally does a good job, so did not mind.

I think a more adult treatment would have spent more time in speculation about the autism hypothesis, and less time on the events of Victor's life. It seems clear that the great minds of the day were looking to answer questions about the nature of what it meant to be human and civilised, and how to educate someone like Victor, but their assumption was that Victor was hard to teach because he was feral, whereas now we would probably argue he was feral because he had been hard to teach. That is, the most likely reason for his abandonment at an age when he must have been old enough to fend for himself - so probably at least 6 years of age - was because of his lack of language and (presumably) autism.

One lovely detail that I will finish on, though: Mary Losure suggests (and with some good evidence) that the character of Quasimodo in Notre Dame de Paris was inspired by Victor, who was observed running wild in a Paris garden by Victor Hugo.

[Marianne Long · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating historical oddity

Sometime shortly before 1800, a child about nine years old was discovered running naked in the woods in rural France. The local people captured him, and for a period of time, he was treated as a side show oddity. All indications were that from a very small age, he was living independently. He had no language at all. Of course, he hated being treated like a public freak, always on display, and he repeatedly escaped. Eventually, a far kinder guardian was found. He settled into a normal life with his guardian and another instructor. The author of this book has assiduously scoured the available information on this boy, who grew to manhood under intense public scrutiny. He learned to understand both spoken and written French, but he never voluntarily spoke. Recommended with 4 🌟 stars. There was something about this story that was just irresistible to me!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd never heard of this particular case of a feral child prior to picking this up. The cover intrigued me with the charcoal-like drawing. I expected this to be a straight biography of sorts, and it wasn't heavy in length, so I decided to read it.

This book took me by complete surprise. I thought Victor's tale would be told in biography and facts. However, this wasn't the case. Victor's life is crafted into a story. Almost as if it were a fairy tale. It wasn't just the length that made me finish this in less than two days; it was genuinely that intriguing as a novel.

I enjoyed the charcoal drawings. They added to Victor's wild nature and overall theme of the story. I'm curious as to why he never talked or if he had autism, but I am happy to hear that he lived the remainder of his life in happiness.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

One day in 1797 the villagers of Lacaune, France, find a boy about 9 years of age who is running (or loping on all fours) through the forest. He is captured and taken to Rodez, a larger town. This is the story of scientists “studying” a feral child. He’s shuffled around between Lacaune and Paris. I remember hearing of this wild boy and found the story interesting. The pencil drawings are evocative. The writing is interesting…some of the phrases seemed like the book was a translation, but it was written in English. Sometimes it feels like its written for very young children, other times more for teens or adults.
The boy (ultimately named Vincent) is interesting enough that this short book is worth the read.

[Arlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

More than two hundred years have passed since the Wild Boy appeared in Aveyron, in the French countryside. The author of this book used the term "savage" in the title, which I don't think is completely accurate. Savage is defined as a fierce, brutal, cruel person, but a more appropriate definition would be rude or boorish.
Even though this was a short read, in the time I had I kept thinking that had the "Wild Boy" appeared in our Wild West (for example) I think our culture would have given better care and consideration to a boorish Wild Boy. Perhaps not, it depends on who is President!

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this aloud to my 7 year old and she was fascinated! Victor's life was a topic that I always had an interest in, especially in my teen years and to this day I still pick up books about wild children. I was surprised my child shared my interest.

This book was handled with a lot of care and attention to detail. I appreciated the amount of research it must have taken to get so specific about the life of a child who lived so long ago. Definitely worth the read.

[Donna Dobihal Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

An brief, approachable, narrative nonfiction that is captivating. Kids who like history and or unusual stories will find this hard to put down. It might have to be displayed and book talked to get readers since the illustrations may be off-putting for some and the easy text may appear too juvenile for others. But it's worth the read!

[Emily Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great researched book. I liked how it made you think about what the boy's life was like without giving him fake feelings or thoughts. Very well done. It made me want to read more about this child. Wonder if new DNA evidence could help identify him!? Interesting read.

[Smg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of disappointing. Not the fault of the author, but there is apparently fairly little record to go on. Enough to build from for fiction maybe, but not much of a foundation to build upon if staying within the bounds of nonfiction.

[Becky Griffith · Rating 3 out of 5]

A factual story of a feral child who was caught, and the accounts of the doctors who tried to civilize him. Interesting and sad that this happens to children. Not a novel, but rather more of a documentary.

[Stephanie Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed in this. I recognize that it is written for children but I found it very choppy and not written well at all.

[Miłośniczka Książek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Moją recenzję + zdjęcia znajdziecie na moim blogu. Zapraszam: http://magicznyswiatksiazki.pl/dziki-...

[Brevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting and fascinating story sucked me in and saved me from the boredom of a car ride through Nebraska corn fields (Sorry Nebraskens!)

[Lore LongSoulSystem · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was short. I kinda liked it but not as much. I liked the ending pretty much but it wasn't useful hehehe

[Norah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very touching. Highly recommend!