Imogene’s story is layered, complex, heartbreaking, and ultimately, hopeful. In Gone Wolfe, Amber McBride blends genre to create a story that makes readers see and feel the impact of our history, and the power and responsibility we all have and share in making America a place that honors the lives and humanity of every single person. This is a family story. It is a story about the bonds that connect us and the world that can break us. It is powerful social commentary. It is a story that reminds us that the words we choose to use and embrace matter.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

This is a book that is going to require some patience and emotional intelligence to properly process. At first, it seems quite straightforward. The narrative about Inmate Eleven is clear and easy to follow. The messaging is accessible and the general thrust of the plot is simple enough. Then, at a pivotal moment, the focus shifts. And we begin to understand what this book is really about. That's the point that requires a great deal more reflection and careful consideration to properly process. It's a fantastic read, well worth the effort.

Amber McBride did it again! This middle grade read is haunting, heart-wrenching, and enlightening at the same time. I really enjoyed the different ways the sections of the book were laid out. Some in verse, some narrative, and some nonfiction excerpts. This is a beautifully crafted way to discuss mental health, the pandemic, and systemic racism in America.

Beautifully written genre bending book about trauma, fear, and hope. I like how it began in the future then went back into the past with a twist to connect each piece.

I thought Gone Wolf started out in an intriguing way. The premise of Blues and Clones was brilliantly executed; however, as I read, there were politically-charged elements that seeped through and made it difficult for me to enjoy. It seemed that the author had an agenda, which as a reader, I didn’t feel comfortable with.
I did appreciate the twists and turns throughout. It was very well-written. Yes, I understand it was meant to highlight racial issues, but I just wish the political elements would have been left out.

Part of this story, set in 2111, follows Inmate Eleven, a girl who is a biological match for the President's son. Confined to her room with only her dog for company, she wants to know what it is like to be free.

The second part of the story follows Imogen, living outside of Washington DC during the Covid pandemic. Feeling distant and distanced from everyone who isn't her mother or her therapist, Imogen struggles with feeling trapped and alone.

I had a really hard time getting into this book and found the suspension of disbelief required (especially while reading Inmate Eleven's story) was at times too much for me. Having also read The Probability of Everything, which has a similar twist, I felt that The Probability of Everything did it better.

I also fully acknowledge that I'm not actually the target audience for this book and think there are a number of students in my building who would really love this story.

This book was so good! It is a dual timeline dystopian. In 2111 we meet Inmate Eleven-a black girl referred to as a blue who lives in a tiny room with her dog and whose only purpose is as a medical match for the President's son in case anything goes wrong. The other narrative follows Imogen who lives during the pandemic in Washington DC. Imogen has severe phobias and nightmares exacerbated by being separated from everyone she loves during COVID except for her mother. What makes this book brilliant is the underlying commentary on racism and what it means to be Black in America -the level of which is usually not seen in a middle grade novel. The plot twist that comes at about the 3/4 mark that draws these two stories together was not something I saw coming at all. The ideas presented here and the way they are written (feeling blue, going Wolf, yearning for freedom) are written in a way that kids will get it but if you are a teen or adult reading it and have a greater understanding of these topics, this book is going to get you right in the feels no matter what age you are. READ IT!

Amber McBride just knows…

Writing phenomenal 10 out of five stars I cannot tell you how much I loved this book again the writing.

The metaphors of go wolf.
Makes me wanna go woof when I see something of injustice
I loved that. This was so realistic of today’s day and age of things that were dealing with in society of people of color.

The first half of the book I really thought that that was something that she was experiencing but to tackle mental health I was not expecting. This book is on PTSD and was beyond phenomenal on how she took a scene that she was dealing with that she was experiencing and playing it out for us and beginning of the book and then turned around and you know we jump back into reality. The main character was such an inspiration and inspired others around her
I love that the mother, who was dealing with the same struggles, was really doing all she can to help her child even her last penny, to be able to support her and find the correct therapist to help guide her
Amber McBride could have all my coins and then this book was phenomenal

Whoa whoa whoa! I read this book in less than 24 hours because I didn’t want to put it down. It is a dystopian novel that takes a turn in the middle that I DID NOT see coming, and I just want more people to read this so I can talk to them about it.

This book was even more chilling because of how real it felt. It captured and held my interest for the entirety of the book, which is rare. Once the reader realizes that the story of Inmate Eleven is how Imogen is processing her experiences, we sympathize with the main characters in a new and different way. I can see this book being popular with both middle grade and YA audiences.

In the future, 2111, a girl known only as Inmate Eleven is kept confined in a small room with her dog, Ida. Inmate Eleven is also known as a Blue, a biological match for the president’s son, Larkin, should he fall ill. When Larkin begins taking her out of her confinement, Inmate Eleven begins to see the world that’s been hidden outside her small room’s walls and it’s a great shock.

In 2022, Imogen lives in Charlottesville, VA. The pandemic has fractured and distanced Imogen from everyone but her mom and therapist, also causing her nightmares and intense phobias. Her brothers used to help her out, but now she’s on her own. Until a college student, Toni, helps her see differently.

I absolutely loved Me (Moth) when I read it, so I was excited to pick up this novel when I saw that it was coming out. That one punched me in the gut while reading it, so I was kind of expecting this one to as well - it sure didn’t disappoint. This book is a lot - it’s about race, diversity, equality, oppression, loss and grief, and most of all, trauma.

Gone Wolf is aimed at Middle Grade readers, but in all honesty, I can see all ages beyond that enjoying this as well. This isn’t an easy read, as mentioned above, this handles a lot of topics. This story invites readers to face heartbreaking realities that parallel events people of color have gone through (and are still going through), as well as those affected by a loss(es) caused by COVID-19.

*Thank you Feiwel & Friends and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

This book was not at all what I was expecting and to be honest, I felt a bit tricked for part of it and it was hard to go back to it. But it has a lovely ending and the prose is really beautiful.

Thank you @macmillanusa
Feiwel and Friends for blessing my shelves and imagination.

I felt this novel in my spirit. As a healthcare provider on the front lines the pandemic hit different in my family. As I read I was able to process my own thoughts and feelings surrounding health disparities, grief, and being Black in America. Add it to your classroom, counseling collection, and home library.

Amber McBride has quickly become one of those authors whose new releases automatically get added to my TBR pile. I absolutely loved Me: Moth and We Are All So Good at Smiling, both lyrical, magical masterpieces. When I saw that her newest offering was a middle grade prose story set in two time periods, I was intrigued.

And let me tell you--this is a not-so-thinly-veiled evisceration of a certain ex-leader and his political ideologies. So be forewarned. It's brilliant the way McBride approaches issues that have divided our country the last few years: pandemic responses, white nationalism, police brutality, and socioeconomic status.

I think my only gripe here is that the blurb promotes this as "two girls in different time periods," the stories are never really woven together in a way that satisfied me as a reader. I kept waiting for the second perspective, and when we finally get it about halfway through the book it felt SUPER jarring. Once that story begins, there is a little more weaving of the two girls together, but it still took me several chapters before I accepted the enormous change in plot.

Full of history and harsh truths, this is going to be one of those books that some people don't like. But I absolutely did.

I was honestly surprised by how quickly this boom took hold of me with its story and characters and held my attention raptly with each progression. The start of it has a near Hunger Games feel with undertones of history and is painful to read. It partially takes place in the mind of Imogen, partially in present day while she recovers from a devastating loss even gratuitously more painful than that of her fictional counterpart. This is powerhouse of a story that imparts logic, compassion, truth, and history on the reader in equal doses and is difficult to read, not because it isn’t fast paced because it very much is, but because the woeful cruelty and ignorance of man rings true from the perspective of a child in a way that is both hopeful and heartbreaking. Every lost soul is someone’s someone and every death from ignorance and COVID is equally tragic and felt most keenly, as this haunting tale reminds us. Beautiful. Important.

Did not finish. This did not work for me. Everything was so thinly veiled. President Tuba/Trump. A virus/CoVid19.
Slaves blue/black. Elitist/whites. All the wolves named Till/being lynched. And gone wolf meaning you pace? When I think of going wolf I think of going wild, being aggressive and single minded in suppressing an enemy or food source.

This book was very different from what I expected based on the description - it was better than I thought it would be. The futuristic dystopia is jarring and vividly depicted, and the way it’s counterbalanced with Imogen’s life in the present day as she deals with grief and uncertainty in the post-pandemic world is powerful. This would be a fantastic addition to a middle grade class library!

I can honestly say this is one of the best books I've read this year. I didn't really know what to expect, maybe a book that had some world-building going on, a futuristic setting, and some connection to the past, but damn, it surpassed that expectation. If you've ever read Shusterman's Challenger Deep then you might have an idea of what this book could be like, because it is not only on the level of CD (a magnificent book), but maybe inches it out as an award winner.

So, I read this alongside another book which shall not be named here and it just amazes me that one book could hold such a valuable story and lessons in life while the other was about as shallow as a zero-entry kiddie pool. Imogen was a strong and very developed character and her connections to Lark and Kin, Toni and Lovingood, and her mother of course, played in the story in such a wonderful way it's impossible not to appreciate all that she has been through and all that we've all been through.

I love the way the story was written and I love the way that everything comes together. Once I started reading the book I came home and pet my Husky dog Cass because I felt what Imogen felt and the security there with her Ira. That's how powerful this novel is. Make sure you recognize what you love in this world, what helps you, who helps you, and hold on to those things tightly. Imogen found her way. The world is a crazy place, for sure, but we can all band together, make it better, and find our way.

Synopsis:

In the future, a Black girl known only as Inmate Eleven is kept confined—to be used as a biological match for the president's son, should he fall ill. She is called a Blue—the color of sadness. She lives in a small-small room with her dog, who is going wolf more often—he’s pacing and imagining he’s free. Inmate Eleven wants to go wolf to0—she wants to know why she feels so Blue and what is beyond her small-small room.

In the present, Imogen lives outside of Washington, D.C. The pandemic has distanced her from everyone but her mother and her therapist. Imogen has intense phobias and nightmares of confinement. Her two older brothers used to help her, but now she’s on her own, until a college student helps her see the difference between being Blue and sad, and Black and empowered.

This book empowers listeners to remember that their voices and stories are important, especially when they feel the need to go wolf.

My Thoughts:
It’s official, Amber McBride is one of my favorite authors. Her way of storytelling has a way of eliciting so many emotions. As a former teacher, this is a book that I wish I could gift to my students. I think it’s such an important read that will resonate with not only children, but their families as well.