An outcast boy and a young wolf against an Ice Age winter . . . Kai burns to become a hunter and to earn a rightful place among his people. But that can never be. He was born with a clubfoot. It is forbidden for him to use or even touch a hunter's sacred weapons. Shunned by the other boys, Kai turns to his true friends, the yellow wolves, for companionship. They have not forgotten the young human they nurtured as an abandoned infant. When Kai discovers a motherless cub in the pack, he risks everything to save her, bringing her back to live with him. But as winter draws near, Kai's wolf grows ever more threatening in the eyes of the People. When the worst happens, Kai knows that they must leave for good. Together, they embark on a journey into the north - a place of unimaginable danger - that tests the power of friendship and the will to survive. Award-winning author Susan Williams Beckhorn delivers a powerful tale set in Paleolithic times. Inspired by modern discoveries, Susan's careful research creates a vivid picture of a time when the first wolves came to live with humans and forged a bond that lives on to this day. "Set in prehistoric times, Kai's story is based on modern discoveries in France,where fossilized footprints of a boy and a canine were found walking side by side. VERDICT Strong writing and character development combined with a little-seen setting in middle grade historical fiction make this a first purchase."― School Library Journal (starred review) "Lyrically written and quietly told, this story about a boycoming of age at the beginning of the human world has no trouble speaking tomodern readers. The bond between boy and canine--even one that's just learningto be a dog--is timeless, and animal-lovers in particular will be touched bythis telling."-- Booklist (starred review) "Beckhorn (Wind Rider) deftly sketches caninebehavior, the bullying Kai suffers, and the oppressive suspicion of his people...strongadventure with a memorable central relationship offers insight into thebeginnings of mankind's long history with dogs."-- Publishers Weekly "In The Wolf's Boy , the clean, accessibleprose of Susan Williams Beckhorn ( Wind Rider ) draws readersinto prehistory at a time when humans were on the verge of domesticating dogs.Fans of adventure, survival and animal stories will love Kai's independentspirit and drive to live and thrive as he transcends his "bad foot"to find his own power in the world."-- ShelfAwareness Kirkus 2016 Best MG Novels, The Kirkus Prize 2016 Nominee, Young Readers ALSCNotable Book, (Older Readers) 2016 Bank Street Center for Children's Literature BestChildren's Books of the Year List Cybils Awards Nominee This book is a love letter to every one of the ten dogs that have walked or still do walk by my side, as well as canines everywhere. After writing Wind Rider (first domesticated horse, 6000 years ago in what is now Kazakhstan), I decided to tackle a "first dog" story. Initially, I thought it had been done, but when I looked around, I realized that it really hasn't been done much. Jan Brett has a lovely picture book, and Ruth Craig has one for younger middle readers with a girl protagonist. There is Wolf in the Clan of the Cave Bear series, but he's not a central character, and the books are for adults. For a year, I reread all my favorite dog stories and read books and articles on dog domestication, behavior, wolves, Cro-Magnon and Neanderthal people, the Ice Age, survival, etc. One of my favorite articles (with one of the best titles ever!) was a National Geographic story, From Wolf to Woof. I visited my friend Bob Berg of Thunderbird Atlatls, who is an expert on primitive skills and watched him knap flint and make fire various ways. I visited wolves at the Wolf Conservation Center in New Salem, NY, listened to them sing--and sang back to them. I watched my own two dogs, George and Curry.But where to set my story? Dogs were probably domesticated in more than one place in the world at different times. When I learned from author Mark Derr (How the Dog Became the Dog) about the fossilized footprints of a boy and a canine, apparently walking side by side, in Chauvet Cave in France perhaps 25,000 years ago, chills ran up my spine. I knew then where my story would take place. I traveled to Pont Vallon d'Arc in France, knowing I couldn't go inside Chauvet Cave. Discovered in 1994, it was never opened to the public in order to preserve the stunning 30,000-year-old art, fossilized footprints, and cave bear bones. I absorbed books and documentaries about Chauvet which record the paintings--but I needed to also absorb the landscape of Kai's journey--including the incredible stone arch that spans the Ardeche River gorge. In the Dordogne Valley, I was able to visit the National Museum of Prehistory, go inside some other caves and see actual cave art, visit Lascaux II (the reproduction of Lascaux) and visit Ooonie's roots at the Neanderthal Museum outside