The publisher says...

Sometimes it's good to be wild. Sometimes you have to be wild. When the Russian Army marches into East Prussia at the end of the war, the Wolf family must flee. Liesl, Otto and their baby sister Mia find themselves lost and alone, in a blizzard, in the middle of a war zone. Liesl has promised Mama that she will keep her brother and sister safe. But sometimes, to survive, you have to do bad things. Dangerous things. Wild things. Sometimes to survive, you must become a wolf. 

The CBCA judges say...

The setting of East Prussia in the dying days of World War 2 (1944-1945) is vividly and realistically evoked. Liesl's voice as the narrator reveals an older sister working against all odds to keep her siblings alive and together. Nannestad’s writing deftly reveals the ways people of different ages cope with the realities of war and evacuation. The story is heart-breaking as the characters become aware that Germany is going to lose the war. The children's hunger is palpable. The tension in the story is brought to a nail-biting climax. The language has moments of lyrical and descriptive appeal. The characters are complex with conflicting qualities, giving rise to the themes of individual identity, but also exploring the notion that nationality does not determine goodness. The hardback presentation is high quality and appealing. 

The Reading Time reviewers say...

Teaching Notes for this book...

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Shortlist Books 2021