Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt

Tell The Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Taking place in the 80s where AIDS has hit, June is a child of fourteen, who now knows her dear godfather, Uncle Finn, is dying of AIDS. As she spends Sundays at Finn's (with her mom & Greta) while a portrait of June & her sister, Greta is painted by Finn she begins to hear some disturbing bits of information. While her questions go unanswered, her uncle dies, and life without Finn is unbearable. I could not put this tear jerker down; I loved the characterization; author Brunt floored me with the ugliness of Greta, June's mom and society in general while I relished June, Finn & Toby. There were so many what-ifs you ask yourself while reading; I was crushed each and every page for June and how she struggled with shyness, finding out she did not know everything about her Uncle, being bullied by her sister and further alienated by a mother who wanted her brother Finn to suffer for the choices he made. Well, she made everyone suffer, most especially Toby, Finn's love (who June had no idea existed before his funeral) and this just brought further guilt and anguish and questions to June. This is a searing must read on so many levels!

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Threatened by Eliot Schrefer

Threatened by Eliot Schrefer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Many thanks to NetGalley and Scholastic for this gripping jungle adventure! Luc is a juvenile who lives in Gabon, Africa. His mother and sister died of AIDS and Luc is working off his debt to Monsieur Tatagani, a sleazy moneylender. He keeps track of all the orphans in his debt, through fear. Luc sees an opportunity to escape when an Arab, Professor Abdul Mohammed (Prof), arriving with a metal case and a monkey, asks Luc to accompany him into the lush jungle, known as Inside, to study chimpanzees for National Geographic. Prof pays off Luc’s debt, thereby freeing him from Tatagani’s ruthless servitude. Despite Luc’s young age, he is a character who is wise beyond his years and will continue to question and worry why Prof chose him for this chimpanzee mission. As Luc and Prof begin their research, Luc learns much from Prof and uses his school knowledge and his mother’s herbal remedies to survive the chaotic life that is the Inside and chimpanzee behavior. Schrefer’s story is compelling and like his first novel, Endangered, the threat to the jungle animals’ existence makes for heart-stopping reading. The reader will grow with Luc as they witness human predators, like Monsieur Tatagani, who kill, trap, and destroy chimpanzee babies, mothers and males. The reader will root for Luc as he forges a relationship with Drummer, the chimpanzee he frees from a trap and as he nurtures Mango, a baby chimpanzee who lost her mother. Will Luc remain Inside and call the chimpanzee community his family? This book will definitely be enjoyed by middle school and high school readers and I highly recommend this book to adults as well as animal lovers . Equally important is the Author’s Note at the end which has so much information and further reading on chimpanzees, Gabon, Jane Goodall, and the AIDS crisis in Africa.


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