Wolf Girl #2: The Great Escape – Anh Do

Illustrations – Jeremy Ley

It’s been two years since I read the first book in this series. I’ve devoured multiple Anh Do books since then but I’ve been hesitant to return to Wolf Girl. It’s not because I didn’t enjoy the first book; I did. My reluctance to continue this series has been based solely on my fear that something bad will happen to one of Gwen’s pack. I can handle all types of mayhem occurring in the lives of human characters but one of my weaknesses, in life and my life in books, relates to animals being harmed.

When we last saw Gwen she had just encountered her first humans in four years. Rather than this being cause for celebration, Gwen was instead imprisoned in the back of a truck because, well, some humans suck. When they arrive at a camp, a quarry surrounded by a high fence, Gwen is imprisoned again, this time in a cell.

I had to escape this place!

In the camp, Gwen meets Fran, who seems to be in charge. She also meets Rupert, a boy about her age. He’s one of the many kids working at the camp. Gwen doesn’t know who she can trust, though.

Meanwhile, Gwen’s pack are on her trail.

This series remains darker than Anh Do’s other books. It hasn’t been spelled out what’s really going on in Gwen’s world but some humans are clearly dangerous. The camp where children and adults are forced to work brought to mind concentration camps. Although we know kids are put to work carting rocks from one place to another, the camp’s overarching agenda is unknown at this point.

While Gwen still doesn’t know the fate of her human family, she now has a potential human friend in Rupert and she still has her loyal pack.

A memory of her father gave me my favourite line in this book:

‘As long as we’re true to ourselves, and each other, we can fix just about everything’

So, was I right to be worried about Gwen’s pack? One of Gwen’s dogs is injured in this book but it’s not life threatening. Because of this, I’m going to proceed with caution. Fair warning, though… If any of Gwen’s dogs, her wolf or her eagle die, I’ll be bailing immediately.

Once Upon a Blurb

I held onto the bars of the truck and howled to my dogs as they fell further and further behind. 

Sunrise, Brutus, Zip, Nosey and Tiny all ran as hard as they could, but there was no way they could keep up…

At first, Gwen is overjoyed to see another human after four years alone in the wild. 

But all that changes when she is thrown into the back of a van and stolen away to a prison camp. 

The situation looks dire – how will her pack find her? Where is her human family? Are the other kids in the camp friends or enemies?

But Eagle is fast, the dogs are brave, and bars and fences are no match for the one and only Wolf Girl!