Cover Image: The Boy, the Wolf, and the Stars

The Boy, the Wolf, and the Stars

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Member Reviews

THE BOY, THE WOLF, AND THE STARS is an enchanting middle grade fantasy. Bo was left in the woods as a baby, and the townspeople have rejected him because he was able to survive it. In this world, the wolf has eaten all of the Stars, allowing the Shadow Creatures to arrive in the dark and do terrible things. People have found a way to live around this fear, but the Creatures are getting bolder and more dangerous.

When Bo forgets to do a seemingly meaningless task, things escalate and his caretaker is killed, sending Bo on a journey to find the stars he was sure never existed and save the world before the witch and the wolf take over.

This book captures an enchanting adventure, and I loved the inclusion of all the mythology of this world in addition to Bo's story. As a hero, Bo is unassuming and not quite confident, but he believes in his caretaker and the mission he sent him on. As he forges ahead, his confidence grows, and he begins to come into his own. The other characters we get to know, such as Tam, are equally as compelling, but the world-building really blew me away. I would add a note of caution for sensitive readers that the book definitely has some dark and creepy parts, as Bo is faced with the many sides of human nature and death (particularly those via the Shadow Creatures).

THE BOY, THE WOLF, AND THE STARS is a compelling and enchanting middle grade fantasy with memorable characters and fantastic world-building. Highly recommend for fans of THE GIRL WHO DRANK THE MOON and THE WITCH'S BOY. Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

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tight prose and a fun fanciful adventure. The animal characters are especially well done. I look forward ot seeing more midgrade by this author

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I really enjoyed this book, although it was a bit darker than I had expected! As always, there is a lot of worldbuilding with fantasy, and the different regions and inhabitants of Ulv were pretty interesting, as was the mysterious myth of the stars. I like how it turned out to be more than a legend, and it was fun to try and separate fact from fiction along with Bo, with quite a few surprises along the way.

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I absolutely adored this book. My heart was utterly captured but Bo and his little fox companion Nix. Their friendship was endearing. From the beginning poor Bo meets misfortune after misfortune. From being abandoned as a baby to die, being outcasted by the townspeople who believe he is evil, to accidentally releasing evil beyond imagination, Bo has had it rough. Heartbreak after heartbreak made me want to whisk Bo away and protect him from all the evil. But alas, it’s just a book and that’s not possible. He ends up teaming up with two very unlikely friends on his quest to vanquish the evil and hopefully free the stars.
There was so much adventure and just amazing visual storytelling I couldn’t help but be sucked into this fantastical world. My emotions dipped high and low during this roller coaster story. I can’t wait to read this to my own kids as this book has earned its spot on my forever shelf.

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There's something <em>thoroughly</em> poetic about the premise behind Shivaun Plozza's <em>The Boy, the Wolf, and the Stars</em>. This is probably the most I've felt whisked away into a fairytale while reading a book in a long time. And it was amazing. I kind of entered this book not really knowing what to expect and I left it feeling like I'd experienced an entire world and made new incredible friends along the way.

<b>The Boy</b>

The story begins with Bo, an orphaned child who is ostracized by the village he lives near thanks to some unfounded rumors that he is in league with evil. In a world where the night sky is empty of stars and the setting of the sun brings about dark creatures of every sort, young Bo has been tasked with caring for a very important tree.

But despite his caretaker's vehement instructions, one evening as Bo finds himself envying the kids who have friends, he neglects his duties.

All in one night, magic begins to return to and along with it comes an evil that must be faced. The tale of the wolf who swallowed the stars is at the forefront of Bo's journey. It's a truly entrancing and harrowing tale. Though the directions he receives are simple, Bo is in for an incredibly difficult quest. One in which he is to return the stars to the sky and save their world.

<b>The Wolf</b>

<em>The Boy, the Wolf, and the Stars</em> has the most superb world-building through which the author has built Bo's story. I was incredibly captivated by the way the plot was interwoven with the lore. A number of chapters have excerpts from the histories of Ulv, slowly building upon your insight and knowledge of Bo's realm.

As the story progresses, it becomes incredibly easy to grow quite attached to the characters. For me, none was more endearing than young Nix, a fox who accompanies Bo on his travels. But there are also a bird woman called Tam and young Selene, a girl very impacted by the return of magic. Each have their own struggles to contend with, everything merging with the theme of families we build for ourselves.

<b>And the Stars</b>

Admittedly, as endearing as I found this book, I didn't feel a lot <em>emotionally</em> toward it. That is, right up til the end. In a surprising turn of events, the conclusion of Bo and everyone's tale breaks your heart several times over before the quest's goal is fulfilled. It genuinely feels as though the author left all the emotional punches for those final chapters, hitting you one by one in a short span of time.

And it's really poignant in the end. Though I'll freely admit that the first big emotional hit really made me mad, the way it culminates was actually incredibly brilliant.

<em>I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.</em>

This review will be live on the Reader Fox blog on November 17, 2020.

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Such a beautiful tale of found family. The worldbuilding is amazing. The characters are so wonderful and I just want to hug all of them. Perfect for fans of magical quests.

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While this book was not for me, I can understand why so many other reviewers like it. This is an original fantasy novel for children that, while drawing on traditional tropes, manages to feel fresh and unique. The pacing is mostly solid and while the solutions to all of the clues and central mysteries are obvious, I could easily see a child not figuring them out along with the protagonists (which, fortunately, they do rather quickly every time). For me the pleasure of the book was entirely robbed by the virtually unending cruelty of nearly every adult in the book. This aspect of the story rapidly went from unbelievable to simply upsetting and I found myself skimming large sections of the text simply to avoid pages upon pages of adults blaming children for things that are not their fault and seeking to murder and dismember them in an effort to appease their apparently endless fears.

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THE BOY, THE WOLF, AND THE STARS is a perfectly magic, poignantly heartwarming, powerfully inspiring story about Bo, a boy whose mother abandoned him long ago who is now on a mission to save his community. All of the stars in the sky have been swallowed by a wolf, and Bo and his friends new and old set off on an adventure to release the stars and set the world right again.

There are witches, magical creatures, and messages about trusting yourself, the chosen family with whom we surround ourselves, and the importance and power of friendships. Plozza does a fantastically efficient and effective job world-building so we remain in the story and invested but also get a good sense of the characters, their environments, and their back stories. It helped me feel connected to the story and Bo and his comrades throughout the book.

I also loved the way the magic was so engrained in the world of Ulv that seeing it occur didn’t feel like it was overthought or contrived; it was a lovely balance of realistic experiences interspersed with magical ones. The magic felt believable even for my adult lens, and that’s remarkable!

I think this is a boon that middle-grade and YA readers will just devour. I also greatly appreciated that the wolves were not just vilified needlessly; that’s a hot-button issue for me based on what’s happening in the world, and too often children’s media shows wolves in a horribly violent light. The Boy, the Wolf, and the Stars was not reckless in its portrayal of wolves, and instead showed the pain and trauma of what they had been through as a way of increasing the reader’s compassion for them. This is a technique that’s being used more and more in children's lit and I am all the way here for it.

I can’t recommend this book highly enough! It’s creative, relatable, and fast-paced enough to keep younger readers engrossed. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this advance copy. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading THE BOY, THE WOLF, AND THE STARS.

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Thank you so much for allowing me to read this NetGalley copy. I loved the fantasy of this book. The story was a great read for students who have finished--and enjoyed--The Girl Who Drank the Moon. I will buy this book for my library, and promote it among my library colleagues and parents who are looking for titles to purchase for their children. I love the art on the cover. It will make it all the easier for me to promote this book.

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The cover and blurb definitely drew me in for this one. I hadn't read read The Girl Who Drank the Moon or Nevermoor before requesting this so I didn't have much to go on. I will say that before starting this I did try to read The Girl Who Drank the Moon and I did dnf it so I was wary about starting this one because of that.

The layout is quite similar to The Girl Who Drank the Moon because before chapters there is a page or two about the history of the myths. I always find parts like that interesting so I did enjoy those pages.

Bo had best friend who was a fox named Nix. I mean, who doesn't love foxes? I wish I had a best friend that was a fox. He hasn't had the best childhood at it shows. He does have quite the development and I was happy to see that. The thing is, I never connected with him or the other characters in this book. I wasn't super intrigued by them or their quest. Don't get me wrong, they are great characters and I can see this being a very enjoyable read for the intended audience.

I would say that the plot is cool and I did like aspects of it. The ending wrapped up nicely which is good to see in a standalone. I also didn't have an issue with pacing.

Overall, I can see this book doing really well. I definitely would have liked it more if I had made a connection but that's really my only problem with it.

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