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Wild & Chance #1
Wild & Chance
An unusually intelligent dog with amnesia must discover—and then face—her past with the help of a new friend.
When a girl wakes up trapped on a sinking ship with no memory of who she is, she has nothing but her instinct to survive. As she fights her way to freedom, she quickly discovers two incredible She is a dog and she can understand human speech.
Soon, she befriends a thirteen-year-old boy named Chance who gives her a name of her Wild. But Wild and Chance find themselves running for their lives, pursued by relentless Animal Control officers.
Joined by a mysterious hacker girl named Junebug, the unlikely trio fight for survival while trying to solve the mystery of Wild's extraordinary strength, super-intelligence, and high-tech collar.
When a girl wakes up trapped on a sinking ship with no memory of who she is, she has nothing but her instinct to survive. As she fights her way to freedom, she quickly discovers two incredible She is a dog and she can understand human speech.
Soon, she befriends a thirteen-year-old boy named Chance who gives her a name of her Wild. But Wild and Chance find themselves running for their lives, pursued by relentless Animal Control officers.
Joined by a mysterious hacker girl named Junebug, the unlikely trio fight for survival while trying to solve the mystery of Wild's extraordinary strength, super-intelligence, and high-tech collar.
246 pages, Paperback
First published April 28, 2020
8 people are currently reading
66 people want to read
About the author
Allen Zadoff
22 books424 followersAllen Zadoff is the author of nine novels and a memoir, including the thriller series “The Unknown Assassin”, which debuted to starred reviews and was a YALSA Top Ten Pick for Reluctant Readers. The series has been translated into over a dozen languages and is being developed by Sony Pictures. A former stage director, Zadoff is a graduate of Cornell University, the Harvard University Institute for Advanced Theater Training, and the Warner Bros. Writers Workshop. As an experienced technologist, he has embraced the intersection of AI and the creative process, becoming an expert in using AI tools to enhance storytelling. His latest book, "The AI Revolution for Writers," explores the potential of AI in writing and offers practical guidance for writers and creatives. Visit Allen at www.allenzadoff.com.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
September 15, 2022
Not your ordinary animal story! It's nonstop thrills for Wild and Chance a young teen living in a group foster home. After their initial meeting, the two bond as they figure out who they can trust and why Wild seems to be being followed.
February 7, 2020
Wild is a dog on the run with no memory of his past, Chance is a boy in a group home waiting for his mom to get clean so he can go back to her. But to each other it is best friends, at almost first sight, in a time when neither has a friend. However, when animal control shows up to take Wild it sends them both on the run, and when all seems lost and with no way out help comes from a hacker named Junebug then their duo becomes a trio all on the run and now looking for answers to Wilds past life.
This is a action packed, suspense filled wonderful book. Calling all animal lovers this book is for you, it fulfills most all your wishes you have had about your furrbabies. I am really sorry there isn't much more I can say without giving away all the good parts of this book so your just going to have to read it yourself and see how awesome Wild and this book are. Also I really hope this isn't the last we have seen of our trio of friends.
This is a action packed, suspense filled wonderful book. Calling all animal lovers this book is for you, it fulfills most all your wishes you have had about your furrbabies. I am really sorry there isn't much more I can say without giving away all the good parts of this book so your just going to have to read it yourself and see how awesome Wild and this book are. Also I really hope this isn't the last we have seen of our trio of friends.
June 22, 2020
A girl wakes up on a yacht to discover she is a dog and that the yacht is about to sink. After making her way to shore and having a few adventures, she connects with Chase and they discover that with a special collar and earbud Wild (as she is now known) can talk to humans. She is not just any dog but a genetically modified superdog and there are people after her. With the help of Chase and new friend and hacker Junebug, they must discover who is after them and who created Wild.
This is a fast-paced adventure that kids will really enjoy. I love that it is told from the perspective of the dog even though she isn't particularly dog-like. The relationship between Chase and Wild is a great one and I enjoyed the twists about Junebug.
This is a fast-paced adventure that kids will really enjoy. I love that it is told from the perspective of the dog even though she isn't particularly dog-like. The relationship between Chase and Wild is a great one and I enjoyed the twists about Junebug.
July 1, 2021
Kids will like this more than adults. Perfect for kids who liked Watchdog and Charlie Thorne. Alternating short and longer chapters with unique declarative sentence chapter titles. The longer chapters are the action scenes. Checks all the boxes - short chapters nonstop action friendships mystery suspense survival under 300pages and little to no lengthy, didactic SEL message that is narrated in a way a child rarely does. Best writing? Powerful message? No, but kids won’t care.
Read
December 12, 2019SLJ RTC
January 30, 2025
An exceptional dog wakes up in the ocean after the yacht she was on blew up. She has no memory of who she is or why she was on the yacht or where she belongs. As she wanders onto shore she comes across a string of humans, but the first one who is kind to her is a boy being bullied. She rushes to his defense and soon learns he is in a group home while his mom finishes her recovery program. The boy's name is Chance and he decides to try and help the dog he's dubbed Wild find where she belongs. It is soon obvious Wild is no ordinary dog. People are after her and they are deadly serious about catching her. A hacker girl named Junebug comes to their rescue and discovers Wild has a collar that allows her to talk to anyone with a linked earbud. Soon, Chance, Junebug, and Wild are on the run from the people after this super dog trying to figure out what is going on and where they can find safety.
Once all the introductions were done, this picked up in the action department and it was a fairly fast read. There was a twist in the story I did not expect. Wild is a genetically designed dog of the future (not so far-fetched today with AI & CRISPR tech development, except the being able to communicate interspecies part). The book is told from mostly Wild's perspective, with a few chapters from Chance's perspective. The fact that Wild is narrating and has amnesia increases the mystery and suspense, especially since she doesn't know if she can even trust herself. There aren't a ton of books today featuring kids in foster care while their parents are in rehab. Chance really loves his mom, and it sounds like the rehab program has worked for her, so it is a more cheerful story than some foster kid stories can be. Junebug has crazy skills for a young teen, such as being able to hack very well and already drive a car like a race car driver. She's full of surprises. Overall, this was a high action scifi thriller/mystery animal story, and I'm definitely interested to read book 2 since not everything was resolved in this book.
Notes on content:
Language: None
Sexual content: None
Violence: The bad guys after Wild have zapper sticks that can hit and shock, and they use both over the course of the book. A man snatches Wild up and enters her in a dog fight. There's an invasion of a private house with property destruction and some animals and people being hurt (more implied than shown). There's a serious dog vs dog fight with some blood described. Wild bites a chip out of her own leg with some blood described. There's an assassination attempt mixed up in the plot.
Ethnic diversity: There's not much description of Wild or Junebug that I remember. Some others they meet are Hispanic and I'd guess from her name a scientist they meet is of Asian heritage.
LGBTQ+ content: None specified.
Other: Chance's mom had a substance abuse problem but is now clean. The group home Chance is in is a rough place (he's bullied by some of the other boys) and the lady who runs it is only in it for the money. There's a black ops military group involved in the plot and corporate espionage.
Once all the introductions were done, this picked up in the action department and it was a fairly fast read. There was a twist in the story I did not expect. Wild is a genetically designed dog of the future (not so far-fetched today with AI & CRISPR tech development, except the being able to communicate interspecies part). The book is told from mostly Wild's perspective, with a few chapters from Chance's perspective. The fact that Wild is narrating and has amnesia increases the mystery and suspense, especially since she doesn't know if she can even trust herself. There aren't a ton of books today featuring kids in foster care while their parents are in rehab. Chance really loves his mom, and it sounds like the rehab program has worked for her, so it is a more cheerful story than some foster kid stories can be. Junebug has crazy skills for a young teen, such as being able to hack very well and already drive a car like a race car driver. She's full of surprises. Overall, this was a high action scifi thriller/mystery animal story, and I'm definitely interested to read book 2 since not everything was resolved in this book.
Notes on content:
Language: None
Sexual content: None
Violence: The bad guys after Wild have zapper sticks that can hit and shock, and they use both over the course of the book. A man snatches Wild up and enters her in a dog fight. There's an invasion of a private house with property destruction and some animals and people being hurt (more implied than shown). There's a serious dog vs dog fight with some blood described. Wild bites a chip out of her own leg with some blood described. There's an assassination attempt mixed up in the plot.
Ethnic diversity: There's not much description of Wild or Junebug that I remember. Some others they meet are Hispanic and I'd guess from her name a scientist they meet is of Asian heritage.
LGBTQ+ content: None specified.
Other: Chance's mom had a substance abuse problem but is now clean. The group home Chance is in is a rough place (he's bullied by some of the other boys) and the lady who runs it is only in it for the money. There's a black ops military group involved in the plot and corporate espionage.
April 27, 2020
Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher and netgalley. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: Wild & Chance
Author: Allen Zadoff
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 5/5
Publication Date: April 28, 2020
Genre: MG Sci-Fi
Recommended Age: 10+ (some adult topics mentioned like drug abuse, slight violence, some scary moments)
Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers
Pages: 256
Amazon Link
Synopsis: Sit. Speak. Survive the chase.
A girl wakes up trapped on a sinking ship with no memory of who she is and nothing but her instinct to survive. She fights her way to freedom, only to discover two incredible facts: She is a dog, and she can understand human speech. She soon befriends a thirteen-year-old boy named Chance who gives her a name of her own-Wild.
But Wild and Chance find themselves running for their lives, pursued by relentless Animal Control officers. Joined by a mysterious hacker girl named Junebug, the unlikely trio fights for survival while trying to solve the mystery of Wild's extraordinary strength, superintelligence, and high-tech collar.
Equal parts heart-pounding action and heartfelt journey, Wild & Chancegrabs the reader from page one and never lets go.
Review: I thought this was a very cute book overall. I loved the inner voice of the dog and I loved the story. I thought the book did well to tackle big issues that, unfortunately, children are facing. The characters were all well developed, the world building was fantastic, and I absolutely fell in love with how easy the writing felt and read.
The only issues I had with the book is that I thought that sometimes, like when talking about the mother’s drug addiction, that the book was a bit too adult for some middle graders, but these are very important issues that effect children and I think they need to be discussed.
Verdict: It was a great read!
Book: Wild & Chance
Author: Allen Zadoff
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 5/5
Publication Date: April 28, 2020
Genre: MG Sci-Fi
Recommended Age: 10+ (some adult topics mentioned like drug abuse, slight violence, some scary moments)
Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers
Pages: 256
Amazon Link
Synopsis: Sit. Speak. Survive the chase.
A girl wakes up trapped on a sinking ship with no memory of who she is and nothing but her instinct to survive. She fights her way to freedom, only to discover two incredible facts: She is a dog, and she can understand human speech. She soon befriends a thirteen-year-old boy named Chance who gives her a name of her own-Wild.
But Wild and Chance find themselves running for their lives, pursued by relentless Animal Control officers. Joined by a mysterious hacker girl named Junebug, the unlikely trio fights for survival while trying to solve the mystery of Wild's extraordinary strength, superintelligence, and high-tech collar.
Equal parts heart-pounding action and heartfelt journey, Wild & Chancegrabs the reader from page one and never lets go.
Review: I thought this was a very cute book overall. I loved the inner voice of the dog and I loved the story. I thought the book did well to tackle big issues that, unfortunately, children are facing. The characters were all well developed, the world building was fantastic, and I absolutely fell in love with how easy the writing felt and read.
The only issues I had with the book is that I thought that sometimes, like when talking about the mother’s drug addiction, that the book was a bit too adult for some middle graders, but these are very important issues that effect children and I think they need to be discussed.
Verdict: It was a great read!
November 4, 2024
Found at the library while looking for a completely different book.
Waking up on a yacht with a fire burning, an unnamed girl leaps off the boat and swims to shore, realizing, as she wakes up there that (a) she's hungry, (b) she's thirsty, and (c) she's a dog and other dogs don't understand her. But she definitely understands humans when they talk.
When she meets Chance, he decides to help her out by hiding her at the group home where he's currently living. Unfortunately, she's being tracked and there are some bad people posing as Animal Control officers looking for her.
With the help of Chance and a girl known as Junebug as her hacker name, the dog now known as Wild tries to figure out her past and why she's being hunted. This leads them around California and along the coast. This all leads them back to a group known as Maelstrom - and a mission Wild had been on previously. If she doesn't complete her mission, the kids could be in danger.
Is there a way to get her new friends out of danger - and herself away from Maelstrom? Or is Wild doomed to being a pawn in someone else's war?
A quick read, good for Middle School age kids who love fantastic animals. I think there are more books to follow.
Waking up on a yacht with a fire burning, an unnamed girl leaps off the boat and swims to shore, realizing, as she wakes up there that (a) she's hungry, (b) she's thirsty, and (c) she's a dog and other dogs don't understand her. But she definitely understands humans when they talk.
When she meets Chance, he decides to help her out by hiding her at the group home where he's currently living. Unfortunately, she's being tracked and there are some bad people posing as Animal Control officers looking for her.
With the help of Chance and a girl known as Junebug as her hacker name, the dog now known as Wild tries to figure out her past and why she's being hunted. This leads them around California and along the coast. This all leads them back to a group known as Maelstrom - and a mission Wild had been on previously. If she doesn't complete her mission, the kids could be in danger.
Is there a way to get her new friends out of danger - and herself away from Maelstrom? Or is Wild doomed to being a pawn in someone else's war?
A quick read, good for Middle School age kids who love fantastic animals. I think there are more books to follow.
January 3, 2022
After reading the first 20 pages thought, this is YA? Ok this is getting suspenseful. Why are these people after him? This has some twists and looking back I should’ve seen it coming, but I didn’t. I like these characters and how they interact.
Occasionally, it took a few sentences to make sure I had the right point of view of who’s speaking.
It wrapped up most things. There is a sequel, I may check that out too.
Occasionally, it took a few sentences to make sure I had the right point of view of who’s speaking.
It wrapped up most things. There is a sequel, I may check that out too.
April 27, 2020
I have this book the stars, but if I would have been a middle grade reader, it would have been much higher. Middle school readers are going to love this book!!
Thank you to NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
December 3, 2020
A fun action-packed popcorn read. Much like a blockbuster summer movie, don't overthink the details and just go long for the ride.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews