Wayward Creatures

by Dayna Lorentz

"As a story about community, healing, and family—both human and animal—this is one of the best." —Kirkus Reviews , starred review. In this heartfelt animal friendship story, a troubled young boy befriends a wayward coyote after a forest fire changes both of their lives. Perfect for fans of A Wolf Called Wander and Pax . Winner of the 2023 Charlotte Huck Award Twelve-year-old Gabe doesn’t know where he belongs anymore. His family is caught up in their own lives and his friends barely have time for him now that they’re stars on the soccer team. In a desperate plea for attention to impress his friends after school, Gabe sets off fireworks in the woods near his house and causes a small forest fire that destroys several acres of land. In the chaos of the destruction, a coyote named Rill—tired of her family and longing for adventure—finds herself far from home. Already on animal control’s watch for wandering into a backyard and snapping at a child, Rill crawls into a cave, where she nurses her wounds alone. Gabe and Rill’s paths irrevocably cross when Gabe is tasked with cleaning up the forest through the court's restorative justice program. The damage to the land and both their lives is beyond what the two can imagine. But together, they discover that sometimes it only takes one friend to find the place where you belong.

Genres: Middle Grade, Animals, Realistic Fiction, Fiction, Young Adult, Childrens, Juvenile

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2022

About the author

Dayna is a writer of children's, young adult, and adult literature.

Reviews

[Stephanie Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gabe is a pre-teen boy, who feels like his world is collapsing around him, but no one even cares. His parents argue, his dad seems to always be disappointed in him, and his two best friends are hanging out with an obnoxious new guy.
Rill is a yearling coyote, who doesn’t feel that she’s needed or wanted in the family pack. Since two of her pup siblings came to harm, her parents expect Rill to constantly watch over the remaining younger pups, and she has no freedom to do what she wants anymore.
Rill decides to strike out on her own; who needs a pack, anyway?
Gabe’s anger has been building up inside of him. And Taylor, the new kid, is the straw that breaks the camel’s back, with his snotty attitude. When Gabe’s anger finally erupts, the results are ugly.
The lives of these two “teenage” mammals collide when some poor choices and split-second decisions on both their parts lead to disaster…
What a beautiful book, inside and out! The cover reminded of me of Garth William’s art. There were themes inside about taking responsibility for one’s actions. And, about how there is no shame in asking for help and support when one is overwhelmed. There are nature conservation issues touched upon, and facts about animal rehabilitation are brought out. Overall , I think I would say the theme of this book was that humans and wildlife can co-exist peacefully, if they can learn to treat each other (and others of their own species) with respect and dignity.

[Ms. B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Families can heal in this story. The story is told in alternating chapters between Rill, a young coyote and Gabe, a middle-schooler. Their lives overlap due to a fire at a local park (that is more of a nature preserve).
In addition to being a compelling story, author Dayna Lorentz does a great job including more information about the restorative justice program and suggesting additional books that tweens and middle-schoolers who like her story. Suggested titles include It Wasn't MeIt Wasn't Me and Bobby Pyron's A Pup Called Trouble.
Give this one to fans of books like The End of the Wild or Cyclone which deal with tweens/young teens dealing with intense issues*. Or those who like stories about wildlife critters like Pax.
*End of the Wild deals with fracking. Cyclone is about a young person in a coma.

[Literary Redhead · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book for young readers to be poignant and redemptive. Out of frustration with family and friends, Gabe steals fireworks and sets them off in a forest, not realizing how widespread the impact will be, including injuries to a young coyote.

The community gathers ‘round to support and require accountability from this angry teen through service work to rebuild the burnt woods. He also works to save the coyote, sought by authorities because she nipped at a toddler when startled by the fire.

I felt so deeply for all the characters that I read this in one sitting and still find myself pondering it. A gem!

5 of 5 Stars
#WaywardCreatures #NetGalley

Thanks to the author, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Book Group, and NetGalley for the ARC. Opinions are mine.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! I’m a sucker for animal stories, but this one also had a very relatable main character. Gabe is lonely - social dynamics are changing and he’s on the outs with his friends and things are tense at home, nothing seems to be going right. I remember these days, my middle high school had the same class structure seen in the book where they suddenly split the grade into two “teams” (“houses” in this book) and suddenly I had zero classes with all of my friends.

Dayna Lorentz creates believable characters and beautiful emotional arcs full of development. I of course love the lessons of taking responsibility for your actions, the idea of restorative justice (vs punitive), looking deeper than reputations, being part of a community/ecosystem, rising from the ashes, and I love the specific coyote awareness!

Truthfully, I don’t think the POV of Rill, the coyote, was needed in this book. I’m somewhat biased because despite loving animals and animal stories, I don’t love animal protagonists. I find them hard to connect to and it’s very hard to get the voice right. If you enjoy Pax, you may enjoy this structure as well (I do think Pax accomplished the POV better). But this book could have expressed the same story without the Rill chapters, Gabe’s POV is enough, is more well written and compelling, and has a stronger voice.

Slight note/inaccuracy - an animal control officer in the book says, “Coyotes are not rabies carriers…” This is inaccurate. I have taken wildlife rehabilitation classes. Coyotes are rabies vector species. Later in the book the Fish and Game Department release a statement that coyotes are only releasable if “there is no evidence of their being rabid…” which contradictorily (and correctly) implies that they can carry rabies. Not sure how the first statement slipped through, but I wouldn’t want readers to walk away with a false impression. Overall, the coyote messaging in the book was great!

Really appreciated the author’s note with information on the history of human’s relationship and attitudes towards coyotes in North America and especially the information on restorative justice.

[Barb Middleton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story about consequences of harmful actions and not thinking by a teen with anger issues. The two points of view alternate from the boy to a coyote that has left her pack and getting hurt. I liked the figurative language used particularly with the coyote. At times the teen characters’ maturity jumps too much and the plot gets tied up perhaps a bit too neatly, but I couldn’t put it down and the restorative justice instead of juvenile detention was interesting. It reminded me of Linked by Gordon Korman with someone doing something stupid and not thinking about the results on the community, family, and friends.

[WKPL Children's/YA Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ms. Lori gives this book a 4.5! Wonderful story with alternating voices per chapter. The voices are those of 12 yr. old Gabe whose family situation is rocky and Rill, a female coyote injured in a fire Gabe inadvertently set. Feelings of insecurity, loss of friendship, bullying, being "used" and misunderstood are issues dealt with by both Gabe and Rill. The crossover is an interesting way to communicate the tension in the story.
This is a great read for middle grade readers up through early high school years and beyond. I highly recommend.

[Teresa Grabs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wayward Creatures shares the lives of Rill (a coyote) and Gabe (a human) at a point of change for both. Rill doesn't want to care for his siblings and train them properly, and Gabe is feeling pushed out of the friend group by someone in the same group as his friends. Both make decisions that change their lives forever.

While there were parts of the book I enjoyed, I can't say that I was fond of either character or how they viewed life.

I can see this book being a hit for many readers, however.

Thank you NetGalley and HMH Books for Young Readers for the opportunity to read an advance reading copy.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Too intense for a read aloud, but good. Deals with restorative justice of a kid who accidentally burns down the park by his house, and the coyote his fire injures. It might be good for a 5-6 grade book club; it raises a lot of questions of how to right a wrong and why people act the way they do when they do bad things.

[Kassie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great concept! Good, solid beginning. Then it got preachy. And cheesy. And preachy again. I like the owl book she wrote better.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an electronic ARC from Clarion Books through NetGalley.
Told from two narrators' perspectives - one human; one coyote. Gabe Meyers is struggling with the social dynamics at school and the stresses from the last year in his family. He jumps at the chance to reconnect with friends who have been busy with other parts of their lives and makes a couple of foolish middle school decisions. Unfortunately, there are serious consequences when a firework sparks a forest fire and he finds himself in the court system. Readers see him mature and work to fix what happened. In the alternating chapters, readers meet Rill, a young coyote struggling to fit in her family too. She makes the decision to strike out on her own just before the fire starts. She is injured in the fire and cannot reconnect with her family. The two narrators cross paths and Gabe works to save this animal injured by his actions. In the end, both have matured and begun to see their respective support circles.
Middle grade readers will relate to the gamut of emotions involved in the middle school years. Both narrators come across as self-centered and show growth throughout the book. Though realistic, I'm not thrilled that the other young men involved get away with this because they ran. Nor the message that because Gabe didn't tell the truth when asked if others were involved brings the friendship back together. However, the author's point about taking responsibility for your own actions comes through.

[Kayla Pitoniak · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I did enjoy Gabe's story of making a mistake and being able to learn and grow from it (some of the most relatable and realistic depictions of mixed emotions, anger, and how to deal with it that I've read in a middle grade novel), I truly feel as though stopping those segments to focus on Rill brought the story down.

It is narratively important for Gabe to have Rill: a misunderstood creature that he both can relate to but also to show him yet another example of his poor actions. With this being said, I don't believe it served the overall narrative to have information told from Rill's point of view. It feels like a wrench that consistently gets thrown into the flow of a much more interesting story.

[Juliette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book with many difficult things to be done.

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

This girl right here has always hated coyotes. I don’t like that they stalk small animals in our neighborhoods in groups, and I don’t like that they seem mean for absolutely no reason.

Now I really like coyotes. They’re just doing their thing in nature, and I will never look at them the same after reading this story.

And ask for a restorative justice? I understand it in a whole new way. My respect for the amount that this middle grade book taught me, even as an adult, runs deep.

- - - - -

“Restorative justice is a compass, not a map.”

“I eat alone. Then lie in the dark of my room, listening to the world happen around me. “

“I burned this place down, but not forever.”

“It sounds like you have a great team behind you.”

“Inside, I feel the earthquake start to rumble, the pressure building, the explosion coming. My fingernails dig into my palms, forming tight fists, tighter. But it's weird because it doesn't feel nearly as big as what I felt when they took my coyote.
I can handle this earthquake. I can breathe in and breathe out, and watch the pressure meter inside me go down. I can choose something other than exploding.”

“He kicks a pebble, and it rolls past mine, down the trail. "It's like with rock climbing," he says. "When I face a wall, I have to pick my route really carefully. I try to plan for every hold, every place I put my foot. But in the end, I can only control so much.
Maybe the rock is slippery with a little moisture from the air, maybe my hand is sweaty and my finger grip slides. No matter how well I plan, there's a chance I end up hanging from my rope.
"But that's the point of the rope, Gabe. You do your best, or sometimes you just mess up and something bad happens, and you've got to have something holding you up. You don't want to just free fall every time you slip."
The wind rustles the leaves overhead. A few fall, helicoptering down to the forest floor. I can't let go of my girl. I can't stop trying.
What's my rope?”

“Thanks for helping us out, Cora," I say.
"No worries," she says. "I kind of like coyotes now. It's cool to be helping something that's not, you know, obviously what rould pick out to help."
"It's not hard to get people on board with rescuing a cute, fluffy bunny."

"I made a cake," Liz says, holding a hand out to the frosted deliciousness on the counter. "That orange box in the corner?" she says, pointing on the cake. "It's a coop."
"Oh," I say, "yeah, definitely." It looks more like a Cheez-It.

"Maybe we've all changed over the last moon cycle.”

"Thank you," I yip, and sneak a lick on the top of his head.
He hisses, straightens the fur around his ears. "Hey, now, dont go all slobbery on me."
"Not slobbery, just grateful for a packmate."

“It's weird remembering how awful and cold this room felt the first time I came in here. Now, it's just a room full of people who cared enough to make me care.”

[Logan S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

SPOILER FREE. This is a longer review with a bit of summary and quite a few critical thoughts as well as praise. That said, the second half may be best enjoyed after reading the book yourself.

Summary:

This is a captivating story from start to finish. With a strong premise, a plot to tug on your heartstrings, and a heartwarming message about community, it hits in more places than it misses. The story struggles to produce a story and message just as strong as Gabe’s when it comes to the coyote’s perspective, but still offers a lot in terms of it being a fun peek into the mind of an animal and the unlikely friendships they may need to form to survive.

The author set out with exactly what she acknowledges in the author's note, a grumpy preteen who's not very likable at first, who has a busy family full of apathy that's dragging him down. Affected by the pressures of fading friendships and desperation to find normalcy once more, he lashes out in anger and has a lapse in judgment. He steals a couple fireworks from the convenience store in an attempt to impress his friends—and to not so subtly get back at a jerk who invaded that friend circle—but instead sets a local forest aflame.

This doesn't just have consequences for the humans who enjoy the park. A coyote named Rill faces similar problems to Gabe, struggling to find her place in her small pack and hold up the pressures of being responsible for her siblings, along with the weight of past tragedy. Shortly before the fire starts, she runs away, only for flames to drive the wedge between her and her family much deeper.

Injured from the forest fire, she finds refuge in the park where Gabe is serving community hours to fix his mistake, part of a Restorative Justice Program. They form an unlikely bond as Gabe works to heal her, regrow the park, and eventually save the “nuisance” predator from certain doom.

Analysis:

Granted, this story isn't perfect, and it had a few things in particular that I thought could be better. I've never read anything else by Dayna Lorentz (though I plan to!) but her style is quite intriguing and employs a lot of stylistic techniques not typical to traditionally published works. Whether it's the all-caps thoughts sprinkled throughout, or even the use of combined fragmented sentences and a few estranged vocabulary words. I'm not dogging (pun intended) on any of those things—though on the note of punctuation, I do think she uses waaaayyy too many em dashes—but it might make the style a little harder to get into for some.

The book is fast paced, has a lot of time breaks in Gabe’s narration, and a lot of places where the narration is crammed into a short paragraph to move the narration along and illustrate that it isn't important information to really have, which makes me wonder why she chose to include it at all. There are a lot of repeated day to day activities that I could take or leave. This book could've chopped off a quarter and been just as good.

Regardless of that, the plot keeps you hooked with such a strong voice. You really feel right along with Gabe, every tear, every bout of burning anger. Rill’s narration was less strong, which was kind of a let down with how much the description of the book seems to advertise her role. This is Gabe’s story first and foremost, and as an avid animal-pov lover, I was surprised to find that I really just wanted to skim over Rill’s chapters to get back to Gabe’s pov. And in the end, even Rill’s development both on her own and with her family felt a bit forced. Those ideas were not fleshed out, and I was left feeling like Rill nor her family didn't change, didn't really grow at all. And how they did change was drastic and had no emotion behind it. It didn't fit the wonderful theme and arc that Gabe’s family journey did.

Overall, it really is a story about community and family healing. I love the way it approaches educating its audience as well, both about the Restorative Justice Program, forestry science, coyotes, and more. Weaved perfectly into the narration, I actually learned a lot. I think this is a wonderful message to spread, about forgiveness and healing, making things right, and having a community to support you no matter what. Gabe’s narrative delivered that perfectly, tugging on the heart strings as he struggles to keep the pieces of his family together, only to find that when everyone does their part, like a true community, a forest can grow from ash and stand stronger than ever.

[Kenya Starflight · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a soft spot for animal books, and one featuring a coyote as one of its protagonists seemed like it would be cute. Well, "cute" perhaps isn't the right word for this book -- it imperils its animal character quite a bit, and is more about anger, consequences, and justice than cute animal antics. But it's nonetheless a far more powerful book than I was expecting, one that talks about the power of restorative justice and learning to accept responsibility when we've done something wrong.

Gabe feels unseen by both his family and his former friends at school, and is struggling to cope with his anger as a result. In a reckless act, he steals fireworks... and accidentally starts a fire that destroys part of the forest near his home. But rather than face juvenile detention, he's enlisted in a restorative justice program that will have him working to clean up and repair the forest he burned. And as he works to tend to the forest, raise money to rebuild structures burned in the fire, and tends to an injured coyote -- one who, like him, let her anger get the best of her and as a result was separated from her family during the fire -- he learns to take responsibility for his own actions and emotions, and mend bridges in the process.

There's a lot of emotion in this book, and it doesn't pull punches in showing how anger and resentment can build up and boil over into something drastic. But it also talks honestly about healthy ways to deal with anger, and how part of redeeming oneself after a mistake is taking responsibility for what you've done. It also shows how restorative justice -- the act of trying to repair what you've done wrong instead of just being punished -- can help heal both communities and those who have harmed them.

The characters feel real in this book too -- Gabe is a middle-schooler struggling with his family dynamics and the loss of his friend group, and while his emotions make him act recklessly, he still manages to come across as sympathetic and understandable. Rill, the coyote, is also a likable and relatable character, with her own issues with her pack that mirror Gabe's situation. And seeing their stories intertwine was fascinating and satisfying.

Wayward Creatures is a fantastic read about the power of restorative justice. It's great for teaching younger readers about understanding that our actions have consequences and that it's possible to come back from having done something wrong, but older readers will also enjoy it.

[Deke Moulton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty good read. Thankful for PJ our way for sending it to me and my family for free. I feel a little bad that this hadn’t been a book that I finished reading back when it published in 2021, but better late than never!

I was actually a little surprised that this was a selection for PJ our way because with the exception of two mentions of Hebrew school and mentioning his dad was Jewish and passing, that was pretty much the extent of all Jewish representation. Granted, this book is excellent, so it’s wonderful that they included it, just surprised!

I honestly really really loved the way that this book really shows how the “restorative justice” works. I think the main character, Gabe, comes off, is so relatable as a lot of things out of his control, but leaving him, isolated and alone, leads him to lash out. Even though you know, his actions are terrible, you can really relate to him and really understand where he is coming from.

Being able to sit inside of his head, terrified of his actions, and watching how a restorative justice program can help him do actual works to make amends rather than merely punishing him, helps bring Gabe out of a darkness and into a society that he is willing to be a part of. Despite not having as much Jewish representation as I thought it would, this part of the book really was incredible. Humanizing those in our society we are taught to be angry with. Hopefully it helps young readers develop empathy, and that restorative justice becomes a lot more normal.

I honestly didn’t care much for the coyote point of view chapters. Although it was nice to also get the point of view of an animal that is commonly seen as a pest, I just felt like they were more of a distraction. The coyote herself was also angry with her family, but it just felt like a weaker side of the story. The story could’ve been a lot tighter without the coyote point of view, and perhaps even without the entire third act introduction of a climax that revolves around, trying to save the coyote from being put down. I honestly skimmed through the end because that part of the story mostly because it did not interest me as much and felt like a distraction from what I felt was the true breakaway of the entire novel, which was this program of restorative justice.

All in all, I really loved the book thou! And I highly recommend it.

[Leeanne G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rill just wants to get away from all the pressure. Who needs a pack anyway? She’s the only one who gets anything done around here. She catches the few meals that her younger siblings don’t scare away with their constant fooling around. After the tragic death of her litter mates Rill’s been forced to grow up quickly, but her parents treat her as if she isn’t doing a good enough job supporting the pack. So, she trots off to make a life for herself, a lone coyote in a forest about to go up in flames.

Gabriel Meyer just wants someone to see him, really see him. If they think he’s the bad guy, then fine, he’ll be the bad guy, but deep down it's not what he wants. He’s been trying to do it all himself, carrying what feels like the weight of the world on his shoulders without asking for help, but he’s barely keeping it together. His family is too busy focusing on themselves to notice that he’s falling apart, and his friends have moved on to being soccer stars. He’s got no one in his corner. He’s so desperate to be noticed that during an attempt to impress his old friends, he ends up burning down an innocent forest.

“They don’t even ask what happened. Not even here, parked in the driveway, where there’s no cop to judge their parenting. They don’t care that it was an accident. Or that if it wasn’t an accident, then it was Taylor’s fault, and Leo and Owen’s, not just mine. They don’t bother to ask if I’m okay or if I’m completely freaking out. It’s like I don’t even matter, like I’m just a problem they need to solve.”

Gabe and his family are given two choices: juvie or the community’s restorative justice program. They choose the latter, which is a really interesting concept. The focus is on repairing the harm caused by the crime and rebuilding the broken relationships. A conference is held with Gabe, his family, and all the community members who were affected by the fire. They all sit in a circle, everyone gets a chance to tell their story, and then they decide how the damage can be repaired. As the conference leader explains, “We’re not here to blame or punish anyone. We’re here to find a way forward together. Everything we do here is confidential, and everyone’s thoughts and feelings are valuable. Our goals are to deepen our understanding of what happened last Friday, to encourage accountability, to provide an opportunity to heal the community, and come up with a plan to continue the healing process.”

Part of the solution is for Gabe to do community service with the Parks Department that is working to rehabilitate the forest. It’s during his service that Gabe meets Rill. She became injured during the forest fire, snapped at a little kid she ran into, and was forced to find shelter in a small cave that she is now too injured to leave. By trying to help Rill, both she and Gabe begin to heal and open up to the people (and animals) around them.

“‘We’re going to get through this’. We, she says, like they are a part of this. Like now that the police are involved, they care. Like now that I’m going to juvie, I’m worth their time.”

All the characters in this story felt very authentic. I actually enjoyed the two different points of view - Gabe and Rill. Little do Rill and Gabe know, they kind of have the same problem. Neither of their families have noticed them struggling recently. Dayna Lorentz made everyone’s voices very distinct, especially Gabe’s, which felt very natural.

“Dirt is not just one thing. Dirt is minerals and bacteria and fungi, all of which make trees and plants possible, which make animals and hiking trails possible. It’s a system that starts with the invisible and leads to a park. This fire? It’s upset the system. Our job is to bring all the invisible parts of that system back to these roasted and toasted layers so the big parts can grow themselves.”

I loved learning about how forests are restored. People wonder why it takes so much effort to rehabilitate our natural spaces and why forests are so important. All the information was very valuable but explained simply enough that younger kids can understand. I appreciate the more detailed information in Dayna Lorentz’s author’s note, about America’s “uncomfortable history with the coyote,” and how restorative justice works, specifically in Vermont where Dayna lives and the story is set.

“I want to keep close to my nose that a pack can be frustrating, they can make you want to leave them forever, but they also are the warm body beside you in the den on a cold night, they are the other set of jaws defending your territory, they are a part of your world, and you are a part of theirs. That maybe the world isn’t half as nice a place without their annoying fur rubbing in your nose in the morning and curling up beside you at night.”

[MyCatJeoffry Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love, love, love this book! It's one of the first novels I've read that encourages the reader to empathize with a coyote, and for that it is now one of my favorite middle-grade books.

Gabe is a bullied kid who just wants the cool kids to like him. So he steals some firecrackers and sets them off in the woods, unintentionally creating a horrible fire. Rill is a young coyote who's annoyed with her parents for making her care for her younger, silly, difficult-to-teach siblings. She also feels her parents are still angry with her - and she's angry with herself - for running from a trap that ensnared another brother and sister, leaving them to die at the hands of humans. Feeling bad and worthless, she decides to leave her pack and head off on her own. But once she does so, she is consumed by the fire Gabe has set. Injured and weak, she finds a small den made by rocks and hides.

As punishment, Gabe must do community service to help repair the damaged forest. At first he can't understand why the townspeople are so upset about a bunch of burned trees and dirt. But once he finds Rill sick and hiding in her small den, he understands and vows to help her. He brings her food everyday, and tries to devise a way to get her help before she is found by the park ranger who, due to news that a coyote had bitten a child during the fire, tells the public he will find her and put her down. Meanwhile, Rill realizes the error of her ways and only wants to find her family again. She vows never to turn her back on them again, if only they are still alive.

Can Gabe find a way to help Rill before it's too late for her? And will Rill ever be united with her family? This is a beautiful story and it's made all the more compelling by telling the two narratives in each character's voice.

I just can't wait till this is released so I can tell everyone about it!

I received an ARC on NetGalley in return for an honest review.

[Shella · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic book for 4-7 graders. It has very impactful themes and shows restorative justice practices in a realistic light. Gabe is a very dynamic protagonist. I’m surprised how much I liked him by the end of the story- he is quite an unlikable character at the start. I enjoyed the alternating viewpoint of Gabe and the coyote, Rill. That may be a deal breaker for some readers, but the author did a great job with these alternating first person POV. Some favorite parts were on pp. 204-205. He is referring to his emotional healing and his mother is showing him not only physical affection but also reconnecting emotionally. Gabe’s family has been in a dysfunctional downward spiral for awhile.
“It’s totally there for that moment and I hear her words, and they are like water soaking down into dry dirt. I lean into her hands, not sure what else to do, and she pulls me I to a hug, and I let her, because sometimes, even if it’s just 20 percent, you have to give in to the soft earth part of yourself.”
Another part is the story he finds the “rope” he needs to support him when he “falls”. The themes of taking responsibility for your actions, restorative justice, and learning to have peace with life’s hits that are not all in your control are quite distinguished and well done. This story should have wide appeal. May be an easy read for the older middle schooler, but the lessons are rich. I hope this will get some Newbery honor consideration. My only complaint is that it takes place in Vermont- so many middle grade stories keep selecting this state as the setting- does this have to do with the creative writing space that is at one of the universities there?

[Bethea Scovic · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful story about how one boys misguided actions impact his entire community. Gabe, a seventh grade boy, feels alone. His family life is chaotic and his former best friends have made new friends through a soccer league. When trying to gain back his friends by impressing them with stolen fireworks, Gabe accidentally starts a forest fire. His friends flee and Gabe is left alone to face the fallout of his actions. While completing community service, Gabe's path crosses with that of a young coyote, named Rill, who was injured from the fire and is also alone. The game warden ends up taking Rill away and Gabe, feeling responsible for Rill's predicament, works to get her freed. In a touching story about restorative justice (making things right), Gabe learns that he is not alone and that he has the power to make a change for the better.

I recommend this book for upper elementary and middle school students to help teach about anger management, restorative justice, and the connection between self and others. The story of Rill, built into the novel with alternating chapters between Rill and Gabe, helps to draw attention to the fact that human choices impact the lives of animals. It shows that all animals have an important place in nature that humans need to respect.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #ClarionBooks for an ARC of #WaywardCreatures by #DaynaLorentz in exchange for an honest review.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

12-year-old Gabe and his family are a nest of negativity. Each is undergoing big challenges at the same time and Gabe enters 7th grade with none of his buddies in any of his classes. When a small group of guys goes to the park, Gabe tries to gain attention by lighting firecrackers. Sparks quickly start a small fire which destroys several acres of wooded land. When sirens are heard, the other three guys run off. Gabe is arrested and recommended to a restorative justice program.
As Gabe begins his community service work, it doesn't look like his family will be much help and his friends keep their distance. He gets a lot of grief at school and withdraws further into himself.
The beauty of this story is how Gabe eventually rises well above the minimum and his actions contribute to the revival of his family.
Alternate chapters are about a coyote who is injured and separated from her family by the fire. Gabe feeds her and keeps her hidden from wildlife experts who may put her down for rabies.
I believe there are two inaccuracies here. The picture of the boy feeding a coyote on a log was never described in the book. Gabe found her in a cave, where she stayed. The other inaccuracy is that Gabe was sent to the hospital for a rabies shot as a precaution, although he was not bitten. The fox was by then in custody and showed no signs of having rabies. The shots are given as a course of 4 after determining rabies is present or the animal is not located.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

12 year old Gabe is having a tough year: his parents are too busy to pay attention to him, probably because his dad is looking for a decent job and his mom is busy working and trying to run the house, and his sister, well she is too busy living her best life, most of it on her phone.
And things are no better at school. Gabe doesn’t seem to fit in with his old friends , they have moved on rarely including Gabe in their plans. They seem more taken with the new “cooler” guy who has started attending their school. In an attempt to fit in with this new friendship dynamic, Gabe shoplifts fireworks, lights them and proceeds to throw them at his “friends” as they perform stunts in the bike park. Unfortunately the fireworks cause the nearby woods to catch fire, trapping and injuring a juvenile fox named Rill.
What I absolutely loved about this novel is the alternating chapters, some written in Gage’s point of view and others in Rill’s.
Gabe eventually learns of the devastating consequences of his careless actions and how they not only affect the people of his neighbourhood but of the devastation it has caused to the wildlife in the woods around their home.
I thought I would find the chapters written from Rill’s perspective childish but they are so well written, and juxtaposing her voice beside Gage’s voice creates a deeper sense of empathy in the reader.
This is a wonderful book for upper elementary and junior high students.

[Beth Mendelsohn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Clarion Books and NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Gabe, age 12, is feeling alone and isolated. His father lost his job, mom is now working full-time to make up the lost income, older sister Liz is studying for the SAT’s, and his old friends Owen and Leo have drifted away after a summer at soccer camp. When Owen and Leo agree to hang out one afternoon at the park, they invite Taylor to come. Gabe sees Taylor as competition with his friends. Desperate to be relevant, Gabe steals some old fireworks from a convenience store and the boys proceed to set them off. When Taylor continues to tease Gabe, Gabe aims a firework at Taylor’s feet and the dry grass catches on fire. While the other boys panic and run off, Gabe attempts to put it out but it spreads into the forest. Meanwhile in the forest, Rill, a young coyote, is tired of trying to teach her young siblings how to hunt. She decides she’s had enough and tells her parents she’s leaving the pack. Rill is severely injured in the fire and takes refuge in a small cave. Gabe, doing community service for setting the fire, finds Rill and brings her food and water, keeping her secret so the game warden doesn’t find her.

This book is told in alternating points of view, Gabe and Rill. The two become semi-dependent on each other to survive physically and psychologically. This is a very moving middle grade novel and I would recommend this for grades 4 and up.

#WaywardCreatures #NetGalley

[Martha Meyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a powerful and affecting story about restorative justice and how it worked for one angry boy. I was really engaged with Gabe’s story! The book alternates chapters between Gabe and a coyote named Rill, who is affected by the fire Gabe set accidentally. A bit like Pax. However, the author does not have the coyote act like a coyote. She wants the coyote to mirror Gabe’s story so Rill gets angry with her stressed parents and runs away from her pack. This part seemed ridiculous and the author is anthropomorphizing badly, but it does explain the plural of the title. Later in the book, Rill the coyote makes friends with a possum named Teeth. Teeth talks like a New York cabbie or small time criminal, and is written mostly for laughs. These plot points are not respectful of or even interested in nature, even though Gabe by this point is working on ecological restoration of a forested park. So – the author has a future writing about kids caught in the criminal justice system, but maybe she should leave the nature writing to someone truly interested in real animals. Is Gabe’s story good enough to overcome the silly missteps with the coyote? Not for me. Still, I enjoyed this one a lot.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc of Wayward Creatures by Dayna Lorentz.

Rill is a coyote who is a year older than all her brothers and sisters and feels like she has to be in charge of everything about them. Gabe is newly in middle school and his family and everyone around him seems to be ignoring him. When Gabe sets off a firework at Rockridge Park to impress his friends little does he or Rill know how much this will affect them.

I am not the target audience for this story, however, I found it enjoyable. The parts that I often don't find enjoyable as an adult, where teenagers feel misunderstood by everyone, still took place in Wayward Creatures but the book is fast-paced and Lorentz has excellent character growth so it never feels like Gabe isn't making progress out of those feelings.

I really enjoyed the overall theme of restorative justice and responsibility and how your actions have consequences whether you think about them or not. This was a great book and I think it would make for a great read aloud to draw all students in and have some great discussions.

[Justine Ridder · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author's note sets the tone for this story..."Wayward Creatures began with the idea of writing the story of an animal and a boy who on the surface were not very likable. I knew who my boy was right away - he was angry at the world, and the people in his world did not know what to do with him and his anger" (p. 288). I think a lot of kids will relate to feeling not understood by their family, friends, teachers, town, etc.

I think this story does an amazing job at showcasing how what seem like small actions (lighting fireworks) can have huge consequences (forest fire). I hope kids will think twice about lighting fireworks (or fires in general) unsupervised by an adult.

I also had never heard of restorative justice. "Restorative justice isn't about punishment or proof. Restorative justice takes a totally different view of crime, seeing it as a violation of people and obligations - a breakdown of the community - and that justice means bringing those people together to repair the harm" (p. 290). I think a lot of children/teens could really benefit from this type of "legal action" for the mistakes they make.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wayward Creatures is a really interesting dual narrative between a boy who is facing a lot and lashes out as a result- resulting in a lot of unintended consequences- and the coyote who his actions directly affect. I wasn't sure I would enjoy a novel written half in the point of view of a coyote, but it worked much better than I thought! More importantly, this novel is a really good depiction of how challenging middle school and family issues can be, without ever talking down to the intended readers or assuming they know more (or less) than they really do. The discussion of a restorative justice program was pitch-perfect- it doesn't mean that someone is absolved, but has the chance to seek absolution and forgive themself as well as seeking forgiveness. I would absolutely hand this to an upper elementary or middle school student and think that the gentle prose and really interesting perspectives would go over well. Four stars (maybe 4,5 if I were more of the target audience... and it did make me sniffle!)

[Thistle · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really did not enjoy this book. I should have DNFed it, I'm not sure why I stuck with it.

Chapters alternated between the POV of a coyote and of a 12 year old boy with anger issues. Unfortunately the coyote was so anthropomorphized it was just a teenager in a fur coat.

By mistake, the boy sets a park on fire with some stolen fireworks (a lot more drama behind it than that, a ton of 12 year old boy friendship issues zzz). The book deals with the restorative justice program that some states in America have (instead of sending him into juvenile detention center, he's entered into a program that makes him help fix all the damage the fire caused).

Both the 12 year old boy and the coyote were such unpleasant characters to spend time with. I was actually angry when I finished the book.

Note I'm not the target audience for this book (it's a middle grade book), so maybe kids might like it better than I did.

[Ellee Nichols · Rating 4 out of 5]

Copyright date: 2022
Star rating: 4
Award: NCTE Charlotte Huck Award
Genre: fiction
Summary w/ themes: In this book the main character is an angsty teenage boy who accidentally starts a forest fire. He is required to do community service for the park he accidentally lit aflame. As the book progresses, he managed to save a wild coyote who they almost put down, and discovers that taking a step back can help him and his big emotions. This book has themes of restorative justice, friendship, and controlling your emotions.
Use for future classroom: I think this will be a book that I just keep on a bookshelf.
Thoughts of book: I enjoyed this book, until the coyote got hurt and almost got put down. I liked that it was in the coyotes perspective as well as the boy's perspective since the stories between them kind of get intertwined.

[Cat]

A heartrending story of the law of unintentional consequences. Gabe is at that age where everything around him is changing, his family is too busy for him, his friends are growing apart from him as their lives change, and Gabe is feeling very neglected and alone. One seemingly innocuous act affects not only his life, but the lives of people and animals around him. My heart just broke for Gabe and those affected by his bid for attention.
Great addition to a library. Readers of books such as Pax, or War Horse, to name a couple, will appreciate this story. Well written tale sure to make an impression on those who read it.

I recevied a Kindle arc from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review.