Books to Borrow Martinsburg Community Library Recommends

When Chester Greene, police chief of Kokanee Creek, Idaho, responds to a break in at the Grizzly Grocery and Bait Shop, he is not at all prepared for what he finds. The report from dispatch was wolves. The front door looks like a bear caused the damage. What he actually finds are two kids, a boy and a girl, rough looking and wild-eyed, growling at him like wolves. And that, after all, is their story, when they finally begin to talk at the police station. They were raised by wolves, living alone in the wild with animals as their only family. Kai and Holo prove to be more than a handful, even behind bars. They will not let a doctor look them over, and they refuse to speak with a social worker, resorting to snarling and biting. What is to be done with these two?

Having no known guardians or relatives, the children are taken in by Chief Greene and his wife Lacey, much to the chagrin of the county agencies. They try to give the kids a normal life, guiding them through the process of adjusting to life in a small town, and enroll them in school. High school is tough enough for normal teenagers, but for Kai and Holo, who have never been around other teenaged humans before, the experience is less than pleasant. Most people just stare and whisper. Others are outright mean, making Kai wonder if humans are more beastly than animals. Only Waylon Eugene Meloy, who Kai met briefly in jail but has not been able to forget, slowly starts to worm his way into their lives. When both Kai and Holo score off the charts on standardized exams, everyone wonders how these wild children could possibly be so intelligent.

Things become even more complicated when FBI agents show up, asking Kai and Holo questions that they will not answer. Chief Greene cannot help but wonder why a federal agency would show so much interest in two kids he can only assume are runaways. What is the real story behind these two kids?

Raised by Wolves is an addictive read that leaves readers contemplating what it truly means to be a family and if humans and animals are all that different at times. There are several plot twists in this book, including the ending, which may or may not sit well with readers. Adults and teens alike will enjoy this book.