Dogwolf

by Alden R. Carter

Fifteen-year-old Pete, who is part Chippewa, spends a difficult summer fighting fires that threaten the northern Wisconsin forest, while also hunting a threatening creature believed to be part dog and part wolf

Genres: Young Adult

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[Stephanie A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's cute to think that this would have been "edgy" once. There's a bit of sex; you can see where the genre is heading, but for the most part it's tame. You can even see how they slipped it in to appeal to teenage boys and get them reading.

[Pamela Bronson]

I don't know how to rate this book, because I don't think I understand it properly. But I enjoyed it and am glad I read it.

Pete is struggling with identity, since he's neither all white nor all Indian. Like most young Indian or part-Indian people, he doesn't know the tribal languages or dances or chants. He is happy to meet his grand-pere, whom he thought was dead, and who calls him Pierre. He teaches Pete learns about the Metis people and Pete finds "metis" a useful label for himself.

Pete is a very hard-working 15-year-old. He "sits tower" to watch for forest fires in a very dry and thunderous summer - a necessary and even dangerous job. He works hard at home, too, cutting hay, washing his stepdad's car, reshingling a shed, and doesn't complain about it. He doesn't drink like his best friend Jim does. He doesn't plan to go on a vision quest, like Jim wants to, either, but ultimately both of them do, sort of.

He makes a decision that seems like a mistake but somehow felt necessary, though it led to serious consequences.

For the whole book, the whole summer, Pete and everyone around him are waiting for "the big one", the wildfire that will seem like the end of the world.

[Derik LeCaptain]

Dogwolf is one of my favorite books that I have read. It is about a young Chippewa boy named Pete who is living in northern Wisconsin. Pete spends most of his time in town with his friends, or on his farm with his family where he hears the high howl of the Dogwolf, the famous creature that old man Wilson has in his dog kennel. Through the book Pete starts to always be thinking about the Dogwolf. The book connects spirit, and mind, and makes one find the meaning of a life weather it is in an animal, or in a human. I really enjoy this book, because it talks about the ways of the Native Americans, and also it takes place in Wisconsin. I recommend this read for anyone who is interested in the culture of the Native Americans. It is a book that I have read many times, and will continue to read.

[E · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to dislike this flawed book more than I do. But it's a product of its time and place and I still would up enjoying it. But I do think I'm ready to let it go to a Little Free Library.