The Wolves of Greycoat Hall

by Lucinda Gifford

Young wolf Boris Greycoat is packed and ready for Scotland. But is Scotland ready for holidaying wolves? From spooky dungeons to angry millionaires, the Greycoats' first adventure is full of surprising discoveries.

Genres: Childrens

221 pages, Hardcover

Published September 1, 2020

About the author

Lucinda is a busy author and illustrator who enjoys drawing wolves, chickens, princesses, moose, birds, tropical islands and fancy houses. She has illustrated over 30 books and and written about 7 of these so far.

Lucinda picture book 'Whitney and Britney Chicken Divas' was chosen for National Simultaneous Storytime in 2020, with over 1.2 million people reading her rhyming text about a couple of surprisingly talented chickens. Several of Lucinda's books have been shortlisted for awards and she has also received the Five Mile Press Illustrator prize in 2014. Lucinda currently lives in Melbourne with her prop-maker husband, two boys, a greedy dog, and some very glamorous chicken puppets.

Reviews

[Shashi Martynova]

Обаятельная книга, ладно придуманная и скроенная для младших школьников, с ненавязчивой не самой распространенной пед. задачей -- объяснить ребенку, что такое охрана природы и исторических памятников.

[Brittany Viklund]

Cute little story with a unique storyline, my 7yo loved it so much & says it’s now one of his favorite books. I read it aloud to my 7yo, 5yo & 3yo & they enjoyed it, as well as the illustrations.

[Wendy Bamber]

Fantastic story about wolves who live in middle class society, accepted by some, still feared by others. I love the fact that they must always have a plan for plenty to eat because they know they embarrass themselves if caught hungry. Would be fab read aloud for year 3/4s. Only not a 5 because it was maybe a little longer than necessary for the target audience.

[Claire]

This is pretty cute. Boris is a lovely young wolf burdened with strange parents (but they are beautifully themselves and this leads so some hilarious scenes). And yes, coconut in cake is disgusting. This is a good story. And while it is an easy read, you'll smash through it because it's interesting. The illustrations are great as well.

[Anna Davidson]

Super sweet story, perfect for young readers ready for longer novels.

[YSBR]

The Wolves of Greycoat Hall tells the story of Boris Greycoat and his family of wolves and their reintroduction into Scotland society. The Greycoats trade their mansion-life to move into the exclusive Highland Hotel, looking to enjoy the yummy cuisine and plentiful tourist spots that Scotland has to offer. This humorous and heart-warming book does a great job of explaining various conflicts in ways for emerging readers to understand, including how to navigate feeling like an outsider, the importance of acceptance, and nature preservation. For example, the village mentioned in the book protested the building of villas along the coasts, which would result in harm to seals, otters, dolphins, and birds. Children can learn how and why they should respect and protect wildlife, nature, and history.

 I also really enjoyed the cute black & white illustrations throughout this book and found them a good way to break up the text, making it less overwhelming for upper elementary and middle-grade readers. The illustrations supported the story well and made me love the characters even more! Additionally, the map and recipe included at the end for baking “Boris’s Bannocks” were very fun extensions and will be a great way for readers to further connect with the story. Link to complete review: https://ysbookreviews.wordpress.com/2...

[Jessica Partlow]

The Greycoat family is feeling like a vacation, but not many places are friendly to wolves. They settle on Scotland to learn about their ancestors and stumble into a battle going on in the town against a property developer and the historical society over a castle that is scheduled to be torn down and turned into villas for vacation rentals. Boris, the wolf cub, brought along a book of his ancestors and helps the historical society make an important discovery to save the castle from its fate.

Cute story, I liked the pictures, as well. As an adult, I would have liked more descriptions, the transitions were quick, but I can see how they work well for this juvenile fiction book so the younger reader can move through all the scenes easily.

[Dina Lira]

Thoroughly enjoyed this read. Gentle tale of a family of cultured wolves who travel to Scotland. It is funny and nuanced. Some one else commented on it being predictable, I don’t think that takes anything away from the journey and enjoyment of the story. It would definitely be enjoyed by your younger independent readers allowing them to piece the story together with the clues and hints along the way. It would be a fantastic read aloud too as the writing is great. I loved all the talk of eating and food and of Leonora’s practiced smiles. The illustrations are brilliant too.

[Kayla Schrage]

Read this to my 9-year-old for his bedtime bonding time. He gives it 4 stars. It's cute with likeable characters.

I keep thinking about a particular storypoint. Boris is a wolf pup and sees a sign about dangerous wolves that confuses him. Meanwhile, a human mother and her children rushes away because they saw the sign too, but later they apologize for discriminating against him. They become friends.

[Anne Moncreiff-Gray]

A Goodly Read for Kids of All Ages

This wee book can easily be read out loud as well as quietly to yourself.
A wolfish adventure of hero's and villains with a Scottish setting.
There's a good lesson to be learned about how to take care of your flora and fauna no matter where you live.

[The Book Squirrel]

This is a story about anthropomorphic wolves who live side-by-side with humans. They return to their ancestoral Scotland and discover they are the true heirs of a castle which is about to be knocked down for a hotel, but they save it.
Cute and predictable, kids aged 8-11 will like it.

[Sarah]

An absolute delight from start to finish. Giggles galore and a guaranteed hit for children with a big heart and a wry sense of humour.

Another ‘Handed to Husband’ title: one so delightful that he’s had the phone removed from his hand, the book placed in it instead, along with, “Sit. Read. You’re welcome.”

[Beth Schwartz]

I was reading this aloud with my 7 year old. She absolutely loved it and the illustrations. She keeps asking me to get the next book. It was a much more enjoyable book to read than many I've read with my kids over the years. It may have had something to do with it taking place in Scotland and her older sister just studied abroad there, but we enjoyed this one chapter a night!

[Julie]

Imaginative story based on the true reintroduction of wolves into the UK. A wolf family visits Scotland to investigate their Scottish ancestry. With info about Scottish traditions and an adventure leading to the evil land developer being foiled in favour of a conservation win, this story will keep young readers entertained and amused. And there's a recipe to try!

[Gemma Wilson]

Lovely story for younger kids who are competent readers. Lucinda writes great picture books and this is a lovely novel with a unique concept of wolves returning to Scotland. Easy to read and clever story - great for the Year 3/4 age bracket.

[Mabel Rose]

Boris Greycoat is a wolf but he talks just like a human. He and his family travelled to Scotland where they found out the local castle was actually Wolfemina Hall where their ancestors used to live. Boris’s mum and dad decided to buy the castle for their holiday house.

[Pam Saunders]

Favourite quote: “Wolf” said the dog.

Deceptively simple story about accepting others. Racism in the form of wolves. Clever. Also environmental issues and over development.

Fun illustrations will make this appeal to younger readers too. Good to read aloud.

[Wendy Bridges]

Oh lordy! What a delight for young and old alike!

[Julie McAliece]

Loved this simple novel. It was a delight!!!!!
I am looking forward to reading this to my class.

[Ginger Beer]

humourous, food filled and full of great sketches.
Boris is a great vehicle for children throughout the story.

[Jane]

Very sweet and gentle little tale with humour that works on several levels. Recommend for 6-8 year olds

[Jessica]

One of my books of the year.
Well-written, funny and the illustrations add another layer of fabulous.

[Julia ☀️]

[4.5]

[Ксения Чистопольская]

Очень милая детская книжка, смешная и увлекательная

[Sara Hickman]

This is a light, entertaining read without a lot of conflict. I love the illustrations and the asides which had discussions of wolf etiquette.

[Stephanie]

A fun and clever read!

[Amanda]

2-3 stars

I read this aloud to my kids (6, 8, 10, and 13) and none of them really cared for it. The characters were flat, the writing was subpar, and nothing really happened.

[Monica Enyart]

This was a great read aloud with my 8 year old.

[Andrea]

My daughter loved it and I enjoyed reading it to her! So adorable and fun.

[Laura Smith]

Read this with my daughter and we both loved it! Fun story and we’re both looking forward to reading book 2!