KJ lives in a small town near Yellowstone. Wolves didn't really cross her mind, except for when she's guiding tourists around the park. But then a wolf biologist and her son, Virgil move in. The crazyness starts when KJ is asked to write a section in the school newspaper about wolves, with Virgil as the photographer. Everyone reads the newspaper, from ranchers to wolf enthusiasts, which of course sparks some arguments among the folks of this small town. Okay, HUGE arguments. To the point of burning buildings and shooting at things. While KJ is caught in the middle of this, she finds herself falling for Virgil. That doesn't get a good reaction from her dad. To make matters even worse, there is a petition being signed to get rid of wolves in Yellowstone. KJ and Virgil do everything a couple of teenagers can to save wolves, before Virgil moves at the end of the school year.
This is one of those books where every once in a while it gets so intense you have to catch your breath, but it's not fighting monsters type intense, it's real. The author doesn't try to personify wolves or make them into something they are not, which makes it feel so real. Plus, this is an actual political issue as far as I know. It's admirable how KJ tries to protect these creatures. She's just like any awkward teenage girl, and proves that we can do more than we think, for better or for worse.
So, has reintroduction of wolves helped Yellowstone? Tourists come to Yellowstone to see wolves all the time, helping the park raise millions of dollars a year. Other animals survive with the help of wolves, like bears that eat remains of wolf kill. Elk were once overpopulated until wolves came back. But hunters are angry, because now they can't kill as many elk. Ranchers will never get along with these predators, which took an estimate of 4,000 cattle in Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana in 2010. (these could be just dumb rancher stories though...) Last fall, wolves were taken off the endangered species list in Wyoming, which allows them to be hunted legally within Yellowstone Park borders. Tragically last December, the alpha female of a popular pack was shot by a hunter. Wolf enthusiasts were devastated, and thus, the debate on wolves continues.
To sum up, this book was AMAZING! I loved it! I learned a lot about wolves from reading it, and it led me to research wolves in Yellowstone a little bit, because it is such an interesting topic. The author did their research too, the information she put in this book is correct. The main character is super likable, and the plot is great. A
2 comments:
I read this book too (see "This Book was SO Good, It Almost Killed Me") and really enjoyed it. I totally agree about KJ; she cracked me up. =)
This sound fascinating from a political and ecological standpoint. My husband's family were sheep ranchers and they have never had issues with wolves...its coyotes they hate. I would be curious to see the statistics on wolf kills vs. coyote kills and see how they correlate to those missing 4,000 animals.
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