The Wolf Keepers

by Elise Broach

Twelve-year-old Lizzie Durango and her dad have always had a zoo to call their home. Lizzie spends her days watching the animals and taking note of their various behaviors. Though the zoo makes for a unique home, it's a hard place for Lizzie to make lasting friends. But all this changes one afternoon when she finds Tyler Briggs, a runaway who has secretly made the zoo his makeshift home. The two become friends and, just as quickly, stumble into a covert investigation involving the zoo wolves who are suddenly dying. Little do they know, this mystery will draw them into a high-stakes historical adventure involving the legend of John Muir as they try to navigate safely while lost in Yosemite National Park.

Genres: Middle Grade, Mystery, Adventure, Animals, Realistic Fiction, Fiction, Childrens

352 pages, Hardcover

First published October 11, 2016

About the author

Elise Broach is the New York Times bestselling author of children's books including Masterpiece, Shakespeare's Secret, Desert Crossing, Missing on Superstition Mountain (the first book in the Superstition Mountain Trilogy) as well as several picture books. Her books have been selected as ALA notable books, Junior Library Guild selections, a Publishers Weekly Best Children's Book, a New York Public Library Best Book for the Teenage, an IRA Teacher's Choice, an E.B. White Read Aloud Award, and nominated for an Edgar Award, among other distinctions. Ms. Broach holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in history from Yale University. She was born in Georgia and lives in the woods of rural Connecticut, walking distance from three farms, a library, a post office and two country stores.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/eliseb...

Reviews

[Stephanie Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, what a story! And the illustrations were so beautifully drawn!
I love visiting zoos. My family and I have been to many across the United States, each one with unique features. Yep, we’ve even been to the Honolulu Zoo, and seen the famous Nene geese. As well, we’ve visited the Wolf/Bear Nature Encounter in Wyoming. Got to see a wolf pack as close as it is to safely see one, and watched bears testing out “indestructible” trash cans to get at treats.
So, you can imagine how thrilled I was to find a book about a young girl living at a zoo with her zoo-keeper father! Having the privilege to go where other people are never allowed to go, seeing the animals “backstage”; that would be so awesome!
The adventures that Lizzie and her friend Tyler experience kept me turning the pages. The way their relationship grows and strengthens is very sweet, and adds to the drama of the story. I am assuming the author has visited Yosemite National Park frequently, because her descriptions of the natural wonders brought back many memories for me. (Yep, been there, also!) In the end notes, she was careful to explain which sites were real, and which were fictional.

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

How I know I'm getting old... I would have given this book another star if Lizzie had told her dad the whole truth. Tell the truth, kids!

[Kameron · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very good adventure book. It was very exciting on some parts and sad on others. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes adventure books.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Buddy read with my daughter (10), so she had picked out this book. The mystery of why the wolves were dying in the zoo was the main thread, but with an interesting historical background involving John Muir and his lost cabin. The zoo and Yosemite National Park were great settings for these mysteries, and the friendship that developed between the two main characters was heartwarming.

[Teresa Garrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lizzie Durango is living every kids dream life - she lives in a actual zoo with her zookeeper dad. The zoo is named after the famed naturalist John Muir and his history is woven throughout the book. She has the run of the place including free food! Lizzie knows all the animals but is excited to learn more about the new wolf exhibit. She spends a lot of time observing them and their social interactions. When the wolves start becoming ill and dying unexpectedly Lizzie and her dad are worried that it might affect the entire pack. While trying to figure out what is going on Lizzie finds a homeless boy her age living behind the elephant shelter. Together they decide to investigate the wolf problem on their own regardless of the danger involved. Without telling anyone they decide to follow the zoo vet to find some answers and find themselves alone in a remote and dangerous part of Yosemite National Park. Without a lot of supplies or a way to contact help how long can they survive on their own. Will they be able to reveal the truth of the wolf illnesses before it is too late? Have they discovered the mystery cabin John Muir built over a hundred years ago? This very suspenseful mystery will keep readers turning pages.

[Bethany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lizzie lives in a zoo. Her dad is the zookeeper, and housing near the animals is just one of the amazing perks. This summer, her favorite animals are the wolves that were recently brought to the zoo. As the wolves get sick, one by one, Lizzie has to untangle her thoughts about nature, safety, and captivity.

As if the wolves aren't complicated enough, Lizzie discovers Tyler, a runaway, secretly living at the zoo. Their fast and furious friendship, mutual admiration for animals, and innate curiosity lead to an unexpected trip to Yosemite, where they track down what might very well be the lost cabin of John Muir.

As an issues novel, this story takes on more than it could possibly address fully. The storyline with the wolves would have made a complete novel. So would the second storyline about Tyler's life. The third storyline in Yosemite also could spin into a full plot. Animal welfare, nature conservancy, grief and loss, the foster care system, family bonds, secrets, and California history all have their time in the spotlight. While none of the topics gets a thorough investigation, each is touched on with just enough weight to keep readers satisfied.

Recommended for thoughtful readers who like nature and animals.

(Read as an ARC via NetGalley.)

[Laura Phelps · Rating 3 out of 5]

A gentle ecological mystery/adventure. I have some misgivings about the choices the main characters make and the obliviousness of Lizzie’s dad, but the setting is spectacular (Yosemite and the surrounds) and the adventure angle will appeal to a variety of readers.

[Penny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was expecting this to be a book which I read the first part to get the gist of it so I could book sell it to my students, but it turned out to be a bit of a page turner and I ended up reading the whole thing.

Lizzie lives with her dad at a California wildlife park, and she is given pretty much free reign. She becomes fascinated with a pack of wolves who have been brought into the park and spends hours watching the. Whilst doing that she comes across Tyler, who she discovers is a runaway who is bunking down in the park.

Together they discover some strange goings-on surrounding the wolves and they decide to investigate. This leads to them being lost in the Yosemite National Park.

The story rocks along at a decent pace... although I do feel that it could have been a bit shorter.
The ending is also a little frustrating - Lizzie and Tyler don't fully tell the truth and it doesn't feel quite right.

However, the story will appeal to fans of adventure and survival stories.

[Tricia Douglas · Rating 4 out of 5]

(actual rating 4.5) I read this for the group I'm working with called FOCAL (Friends of Children and Literature) Every year we choose a book for the Los Angeles Library system that deals with children's literature with a California setting. The Wolf Keepers is one of the selections on our list this year. Broach does an excellent job dealing with the topic of endangered wolves plus runaway children. Twelve year old Lizzie's dad is a zookeeper at a California wildlife park named after John Muir. She runs into Tyler, a foster child, who has run away and is living in the zoo. They are involved in a mystery dealing with the wolves who are getting sick and supposedly dying. There is a lot of topics in this book that would fascinate children. It is simply written, but with a plot that makes up for the simple language. I enjoyed this book very much. Broach has other books that I now want to read.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read at the advice of our school librarian while trying to decide on the next read-aloud novel for my fifth grade class. I think this is a wonderful middle grade novel that will inspire lots of discussion about zoos, conservation, and justifying rule breaking actions with principles/morals. I’m looking forward to sharing this with my class.

[Kim Bahr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed reading this while traveling to visit Yosemite. Too bad the forest fires are going to keep us out of Yosemite Valley. Hoping to visit Tenaya Canyon.

[Cienna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had I read this as a kid I would have been obsessed with it. A wholesome book that was a quick read.

[Lisa D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book!! One of the best books I've read in awhile! Love books like this! This was a great historical mystery/ adventure! Love this author! What a great book! Highly recommended!

[MNBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

My daughter states this was an interesting historical fiction and she learned a lot about Yosemite national park and John Muir.

[Janet Hutchinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

While parts of this story suspend belief(someone living at the zoo, 2 children surviving in Yosemite), the story telling is strong, and the inclusion of a historical figure like John Muir, was interesting.

[Kay Hommedieu · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great adventure story for young people with a young girl named Lizzie who lives in a zoo with her zookeeper father and the young boy named Tyler who has runaway from a foster home that Lizzie finds living in the zoo behind the elephant house.

Several things are happening in the zoo with a new exhibit of a pack of seven wolves. The wolves start to get sick, one at a time until the zoo veterinarian, Karen reports that three of the seven have died and she destroyed their bodies before they could have autopsies.

Then Lizzie and Tyler find themselves in Yosemite Park when they catch a ride with a truck that leaves the zoo one night after suspicious circumstances. While there, the two of them try to find John Muir’s “lost cabin” that Lizzie’s grandmother had photos of in her grandmother’s keepsakes. Do they find it? Well, they know that they find a cabin that could’ve been it that they stayed in for shelter while in Yosemite Park. Four stars 9/9/2019

[Minivanmom2five · Rating 5 out of 5]

We read this aloud with our 10 year old and we all enjoyed it! We started off reading maybe 5 pages a night, but towards the end were reading 3 chapters every night! We really enjoyed the historical notes in the back of the book, and the map. As a mother, I was hoping Lizzie’s dad would adopt Tyler in the end! Other than that (ha ha), we enjoyed the ending as well.

[Jes Trudel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fantastic story with characters I really liked. The cover image and copy set a different expectation than what the book ultimately turned out to be, but it didn't matter because the entire story was fantastic regardless. I like that the story explored the grey area between right and wrong that children's literature sometimes avoids. Highly recommended!

[Aidan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked how the book mixed history into the storyline. I didn't realize how much history was seamlessly interwoven into the story until I read the author's notes. I really enjoyed this book and wish there was a sequel!

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is awesomely

I need to fill the page so here I go.s g fhhfufhfhfhfhhthcjfnjfng fjghgjjhfhfhcjh rd fighting with my mom said you had a great deal of time to go out with a new report on your own levels in the blood and I am going out tonight but r

[Alexa Hamilton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the animal loving part, though much of the mystery seemed very implausible. Would recommend to fans of Carl Hiaasen and Stuart Gibbs

[DelAnne Frazee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Title: The Wolf Keepers
Author: Elise Broach
Published: 10-11-2016
Publisher: Macmillan Children's Publishing Group/Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Pages: 352
Genre: Children's Fiction
Sub Genre: Animals, Mystery; Adventure; Suspense
ISBN: 9780805098990
Reviewer: DelAnne
Reviewed For: NetGalley
Rating: 4 Stars




I received a copy of "Wolf Keepers" from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.




Description From the Publishers:

Twelve-year-old Lizzie Durango and her dad have always had a zoo to call their home. Lizzie spends her days watching the animals and taking note of their various behaviors. Though the zoo makes for a unique home, it's a hard place for Lizzie to make lasting friends. But all this changes one afternoon when she finds Tyler Briggs, a runaway who has secretly made the zoo his makeshift home. The two become friends and, just as quickly, stumble into a covert investigation involving the zoo wolves who are suddenly dying. Little do they know, this mystery will draw them into a high-stakes historical adventure involving the legend of John Muir as they try to navigate safely while lost in Yosemite National Park



My Review:

This is a mix of adventure, mystery, suspense, fiction and fact. Lizzie becomes friends with Tyler who she finds hiding in the zoo. When the new wolves begin to die they begin following leads that leave them lost in the middle of Yosemite National Park. Impulsive would best describe the two leads. I think things would have gone better for them if they told Lizzie father everything they knew rather than holding back. There are some beautiful descriptions of the zoo and Yosemite. The action keeps the reader involved and the story line flows steadily. A great read for grades 4 to 9. Even older readers will enjoy the picturesque style of writing although I believe they will have little trouble solving the mystery.




If you are looking for a light read for younger readers then check out "The Wolf Keepers" today. My rating is 4 out of 5 stars.



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[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Twelve-year-old Lizzie Durango enjoys her quiet life with her father, who is a zookeeper at a wildlife park in California, not too far from Yosemite National Park. Even though her mother died when she was long, she feels loved by her father and her grandmother. This particular summer she's spent watching the wolves in a new exhibit and keeping notes in a journal just like naturalist John Muir once did. When she sees Tyler Briggs, a boy who has been living in the zoo, try to steal food, she follows him, and learns the secret of his living situation. The two youngsters become fast friends, bonded by their love for the animals, and their determination to get to the bottom of the mystery behind the death of three of the wolves. But what they think they see is not exactly the case, and in their efforts to unravel the mystery, they end up stranded in Yosemite with very little food and water and meager supplies. Intermediate and middle grade readers will come to appreciate both characters, Lizzie for her generous and trusting nature, and Tyler, with his many secrets and fears about not mattering in his foster care placement. The book raises many interesting question about the role of zoos in the survival of some species as well as concerns about animal activists and the possible bonds between humans and animals. I really enjoyed the inclusion of some of John Muir's writings about nature in Lizzie's notebook. The close calls and brushes with death heighten reader interest and give this story a breathtaking pace as readers try to figure out what's going on before the youngsters do. Including photos of the area and some of the sites and individuals mentioned in the story as part of the Author's Note enhances the story, most likely prompting some readers to try to seek out some of the spots that are highlighted in this beautiful national park.

[Jenna · Rating 1 out of 5]

I loved the idea of this book. Kids trying to save wolves, discovering a mystery, surviving in Yosemite National Park - - It seemed like the perfect bedtime readaloud for my wolf obsessed, wilderness expert, mystery loving kid. He thought it was okay, but most of the book ticked me off. This was not a page turner. Pages dedicated to slow moving conversation and dull details, and the exciting parts of the book weren't given the attention they deserved. The last three chapters after they left Yosemite could not have been harder to sludge through.

Lizzie and Tyler, who were supposed to have this great friendship, had a very flat, very strange relationship, and the writing was full of stereotypes.

Lizzie is constantly noticing how dirty Tyler, the runaway, is. A whole scene is spent detailing how dirty his backpack is, and how Lizzie washes it for him and does the rest of his laundry. He's always shoveling in food while she watches, amazed. She doesn't trust him to hold a special object they find, thinking he may drop it, but she notes how good he is at scaling chain link fences and figures he's probably done it before. It doesn't seem like she thinks Tyler can do anything, yet she follows him into the wilderness basically out of pity. It feels vaguely racist and classist to me.

Lizzie is a pretty weak character. She goes along with whatever situation she finds herself in. At the end, she never tells her dad the truth about the wolves! They're supposed to be close. It made no sense. Not a book I'd recommend.

[Stephanie Violet · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was so disappointed.
2 things I hated, very much about this novel, which I read outloud to my 9 year old because he loves wolves and stories told from a girls' point of view.

1: The runaway Tyler was a total ass to the narrator/Lizzie. He doesn't redeem himself until chapter 30 when he saves her life, but then he jumps right back into bullying, guilting her, claiming he is smarter than her, and she just willingly lets him act like this - in fact she ENCOURAGES him to act like this by making excuses for his behaviour instead of calling him out on it and telling him he's treating her like shit, through the WHOLE NOVEL. This is probably the most believable thing that she's written: a young man acting like a typical, sexist man. It's disturbing and discouraging.

2: Lizzie acts like a passive character - everything happens TO HER, and she just follows along with whatever junk Tyler thinks is cool, interesting or fun. In fact, her entire story line is all about following this run-away that keeps putting her life in danger. Lizzie refuses to stand up to Tyler, or speak up for herself - constantly excusing his behaviour because he's a run-away, he lived in the streets. In fact, her whole life is driven by what will happen to her through the eyes of her father, and Tyler. There is no passion or action in Lizzie whatsoever. She is mothering Tyler and her own father in a way that is very typically expected of women of all ages in this world, and it was really sad to see.

[Emma Mimmo · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS IS AN HONEST REVIEW AND MAY HAVE SMALL SPOILERS

Real Rating 4.75

I found this book in a used book store along the coast. I can’t say that this is one of my favorite books, but it was a fun and easy read.

Lizzie lost her mom to preeclampsia when she was born, and has been raised by her dad (who’s a zookeeper) in the zoo. She knows all of the animals and spends a lot more time with them than the normal visiter. Tyler is a kid who fan away from his foster family and has been hiding out at the zoo. His mom is an addict and he doesn’t like his foster family. Tyler notices something strong happening after dark, around the same time that the zoo’s new wolf exhibits goes downhill. The wolves are getting sick and dying off.

I loved the mixture of words and pictures in this book, the sketches helped me vision what was going on. Broach takes a long lost mystery, two kids who are at nothing alike, and a strange truck driving around the zoo at night and makes an amazing novel. I wish she put more time into the mystery of John Muir’s lost cabin, it felt too of to the side. I also wish that she mad the book a little bit more realistic. The way the characters reacted seemed a little bit strange to me. For example, they chose to explore when in the Yosemite Park instead of heading to civilization. To me I think they’d both be smart enough to know that they should get more food and water.

Thank you and I hope this review helps you!

[Amy Layton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fun read, and another great example as to why middle grade literature is actually the best.  I learned a LOT about wolves, about conservationists, zoos, and the ethics of activism.  Not only that, but John Muir as well, and about Yellowstone!  I only wish I was close enough to visit there!  But overall, this job does a great job of balancing so many things such as running away, activism, and foster homes.  Nothing is overbearing.  

Also, illustrations!  There were many and they were wonderful and added a lot to the story, especially since some of the illustrations were Lizzie's in her journal.  This novel was like a mini zoo mystery and it kept me on my toes--another thing the illustrations helped with.  You got to figure out some of the things along with Lizzie and Tyler, like Muir's lost cabin!  

Overall, The Wolf Keepers was just a lot of fun, and it's great for those who love reading about wilderness and hiking!

Review cross-listed here!

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would’ve eaten this up as a 9 year old. As an adult there were some plot holes that irked me (the main char not talking to her dad when she should have (with no explanation), accidentally leaving cell phones behind just because it‘s convenient to the plot) and I wish a little more nuance was given around the topic of runaways and foster care — maybe this is hard to address in a book for preteens, but some kids suffer exceptionally awful things in foster care, so for the main char to just “have a feeling” that Tyler’s foster care situation was really ok skimmed a little too close to not believing a victim. But these are small quibbles and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this for a preteen, especially if they like wolves.

[Susan]

I think this would be a good elementary grade novel, touching on zoos, ecology, John Muir, wilderness, foster homes, and other stuff--but my kiddos and I did not finish because both of my kids refuse to read anything where a dog dies, and after the first wolf died, they set a rule that if the girl's favorite wolf died too, they were out, and then it did.

I paged through a bunch of the rest of it to see what happened, and it turns out (double spoiler alert!) that they didn't die after all, but my kids still did not want to read and contemplate that sadness.

So be aware if you have animal-death-sensitive kids that it takes a long time to find out that the wolves did not actually die, and kids of that bent might want to give this one a pass. Otherwise, solid.

[Rachel Rooney · Rating 3 out of 5]

A 2018-2019 Missouri Mark Twain Readers Award preliminary nominee (grades 4-6).

One of Lizzie Durango's favorite things about living with her zookeeper dad on the grounds of the zoo where he works is the zoo's new wolf exhibit. But when the wolves start getting sick Lizzie and a new friend try to get to the bottom of things before it is too late.

This was fun and a little mysterious and I enjoyed learning about John Muir, but the mom in me wishes Ms. Broach would try not to send her child protagonists into such perilous situations on their own. Is she trying to encourage kids to go adventuring without adults?

3.5 stars rounded down by an overprotective parent.