Oldenglen is a special place near Jax’s home in southern Oregon. It was difficult for him to have his life uprooted from life in England. However, the school was not his salvation, but the magical relationship he discovered with this unique forest and the creatures that live in it, as well as the trust and friendship between them.
Maintaining the protected area is always a constant challenge. With ever-expanding new housing developments for humans threatening the natural habitats of wild creatures while maintaining nature’s balance between the expanding population of people and nature.
Balances within Oldenglen are also difficult to maintain. Providing food for all creatures requires the right ratio of predators to prey. Too many prey demand massive amounts of plants and small creatures, while predators must rely on an abundance of prey, otherwise they starve.
Oldenglen now faces two challenges.
The first involves some new visitors, eleven wolves. The problem is that this area of the glen cannot feed that many without decimating the population of prey animals. How does someone convince the wolves to leave the area? How many creatures will be food for this group? With their food needs, local ranchers who raise sheep and cows fear for the survival of their herds. They see that the only solution is to kill the wolves.
Another problem that bothers Jax and Sarah is the existence of two nearby poachers who rent from Sarah’s grandfather. Is it possible that they can save the young eagle that was captured?
Rogue Wolf is the third book in this projected series of five books. This Oldenglen series should be read in order. At a minimum, all readers should read the first book, Oldenglen, to understand the characters and their relationships and history individually and with each other.
Oldenglen, the first book in the series has received numerous awards, including a silver medal at the 2016 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards for the Bill Fisher Award for Best First Book: Young Adult Children and second place at the 2015 Reader Views Literary Awards. . / 2016 for ages 12 to 16.
Book two, lonely wolf it also won numerous awards. She was a Red Ribbon Winner in The Wishing Shelf Book, a Finalist in the 2016 Foreward Indies for Juvenile Fiction, a Silver Medal in the 2017 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Young Readers Awards, and Honorable Mention in the 2016/2017 Readers Views Literary Awards. .
In all of these books, including this one, all the characters are believable and realistic, including the animals that stay true to the creature and have personalities while magically communicating with Jax.
With the theme of balance, friendship and the fight against bullying, the pace is fast and the reader wants more with the ends of its hanging chapters and the book that truly expresses the harmony of nature.
Even the cover is beautifully illustrated by artist Chris Beatrice.
The Oldenglen series was started by author Robin Mason and his father, Michael Mason. Robin completed books two and three completely on his own. Robin was born in England but spent considerable time in his childhood exploring a farm in British Columbia while his father read numerous books to him, including The Chronicles of Narnia, The Hobbit, The Wind in the Willows, The Hobbit, Y The Lord of the rings trilogy.
This book is recommended for children ages eight to twelve. Personally, this book would be difficult for an eight-year-old to read independently and I think at this age level he would love to read it aloud.
I also recommend that this book be extended to readers through high school. Actually, readers of all ages, adults and children would thoroughly enjoy Rogue wolf.