Wayward Creatures is definitely one of those “huggable” books full of all the feels, with a title that absolutely captures the sentiment perfectly. Rotating back and forth between the point of view of a boy named Gabe and a coyote named Rill, the reader gets insight into the experience of being/feeling “lost” as both an animal and a human. The book weaves their stories together well and demonstrates how interconnected we all are, both as a community of people and with animals and nature. My heart ached for the characters while reading, and I just wanted to see good things come to fruition for them. The story was engaging and satisfying. Many of the #kidlit and #Mglit readers I know are going to enjoy this book. Can’t wait to share it with some students in particular I know for certain this book will speak to. Once published and I get a hold of the completed copy, there were quite a few meaningful quotes I'd like to jot down the official version of.

Thanks for the digital advanced copy! #LitReviewCrew

This reminded me a bit of Pax and I am a sucker for human-animal friendships. Gabe sets off some fireworks which end up burning down part of a forest. Many animals are displaced and have nowhere to go. He ends up "meeting" a coyote named Rill and to say much else would be spoilery.

Thank you to Clarion Books and NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Gabe, age 12, is feeling alone and isolated. His father lost his job, mom is now working full-time to make up the lost income, older sister Liz is studying for the SAT’s, and his old friends Owen and Leo have drifted away after a summer at soccer camp. When Owen and Leo agree to hang out one afternoon at the park, they invite Taylor to come. Gabe sees Taylor as competition with his friends. Desperate to be relevant, Gabe steals some old fireworks from a convenience store and the boys proceed to set them off. When Taylor continues to tease Gabe, Gabe aims a firework at Taylor’s feet and the dry grass catches on fire. While the other boys panic and run off, Gabe attempts to put it out but it spreads into the forest. Meanwhile in the forest, Rill, a young coyote, is tired of trying to teach her young siblings how to hunt. She decides she’s had enough and tells her parents she’s leaving the pack. Rill is severely injured in the fire and takes refuge in a small cave. Gabe, doing community service for setting the fire, finds Rill and brings her food and water, keeping her secret so the game warden doesn’t find her.
This book is told in alternating points of view, Gabe and Rill. The two become semi-dependent on each other to survive physically and psychologically. This is a very moving middle grade novel and I would recommend this for grades 4 and up.
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I loved my ARC of Wayward Creatures! A lovely, imaginative read I will be sure to recommend to others!

Wayward Creatures is a heartwarming and meaningful story. A great read for all ages!

Thank you to Clarion Books and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in return for an honest review.

I greatly appreciate when an author can make a point through their book without coming across as preachy, but rather they use storytelling to communicate their point. I think Lorentz does a great job sharing about the value of restorative justice in a compelling way where you feel connected to the process, rather than just beating the point down. I liked that the story was told from two perspectives...a humans and a coyotes. I feel like this book will be particularly compelling for kids in California, where I live, to get a better understanding of the impact of the fires we have so often.

I received an electronic ARC from Clarion Books through NetGalley.
Told from two narrators' perspectives - one human; one coyote. Gabe Meyers is struggling with the social dynamics at school and the stresses from the last year in his family. He jumps at the chance to reconnect with friends who have been busy with other parts of their lives and makes a couple of foolish middle school decisions. Unfortunately, there are serious consequences when a firework sparks a forest fire and he finds himself in the court system. Readers see him mature and work to fix what happened. In the alternating chapters, readers meet Rill, a young coyote struggling to fit in her family too. She makes the decision to strike out on her own just before the fire starts. She is injured in the fire and cannot reconnect with her family. The two narrators cross paths and Gabe works to save this animal injured by his actions. In the end, both have matured and begun to see their respective support circles.
Middle grade readers will relate to the gamut of emotions involved in the middle school years. Both narrators come across as self-centered and show growth throughout the book. Though realistic, I'm not thrilled that the other young men involved get away with this because they ran. Nor the message that because Gabe didn't tell the truth when asked if others were involved brings the friendship back together. However, the author's point about taking responsibility for your own actions comes through.

This book is a wonderful coming of age story. Using restorative practice a young boy learns to trust the people around him and understand the situation he causes.

I think this is a great book for many kids. It was not my favorite but I loved the story line between the boy and the coyote.

Excellent book about Gabe starting a forest fire after stealing fireworks and throwing them while hanging out with friends. Rill, a coyote nearby, is injured and hides in a crevice. Gabe is forced to do community service in the forest with a ranger. As he works, Gabe finds Rill and realizes he’s responsible for his burned paws and singed fur. Gabe begins to bring Rill food and water. As Gabe learns more about the damage he caused, his anger toward family and friends slowly disappears. Gabe makes friends unexpectedly and good things begin to.happen. When the forest ranger finds Rill, animal control takes him away. Gabe wonders what will happen to him and realizes how the forest fire affected so many. Can he save Rill?

Thank you to the publisher, author, illustrator, and NetGalley for a copy of this book to read in exchange for honest feedback. This children’s book is about Gabe, a twelve-year-old boy who essentially makes a mistake and is called upon to repair the damages. Essentially, the boy, eager to impress some peers, sets off some fireworks and causes damage to nearby land. In the meanwhile, a secondary set of characters, including a coyote “Rill” and their family, are impacted. While repairing damages, Gabe runs into the coyote family and is shown the impact of his actions, vowing to help them. I thought this book had a unique plotline. It has a standard, common message of repairing the consequences of a mistake and learning lessons, etc. But it also includes the humanization of animals/nature, as well as the general message of helping others. I liked the illustrations, and I thought it was an interesting read.

Wayward Creatures shares the lives of Rill (a coyote) and Gabe (a human) at a point of change for both. Rill doesn't want to care for his siblings and train them properly, and Gabe is feeling pushed out of the friend group by someone in the same group as his friends. Both make decisions that change their lives forever.

While there were parts of the book I enjoyed, I can't say that I was fond of either character or how they viewed life.

I can see this book being a hit for many readers, however.

Thank you NetGalley and HMH Books for Young Readers for the opportunity to read an advance reading copy.

Love, love, love this book! It's one of the first novels I've read that encourages the reader to empathize with a coyote, and for that it is now one of my favorite middle-grade books.

Gabe is a bullied kid who just wants the cool kids to like him. So he steals some firecrackers and sets them off in the woods, unintentionally creating a horrible fire. Rill is a young coyote who's annoyed with her parents for making her care for her younger, silly, difficult-to-teach siblings. She also feels her parents are still angry with her - and she's angry with herself - for running from a trap that ensnared another brother and sister, leaving them to die at the hands of humans. Feeling bad and worthless, she decides to leave her pack and head off on her own. But once she does so, she is consumed by the fire Gabe has set. Injured and weak, she finds a small den made by rocks and hides.

As punishment, Gabe must do community service to help repair the damaged forest. At first he can't understand why the townspeople are so upset about a bunch of burned trees and dirt. But once he finds Rill sick and hiding in her small den, he understands and vows to help her. He brings her food everyday, and tries to devise a way to get her help before she is found by the park ranger who, due to news that a coyote had bitten a child during the fire, tells the public he will find her and put her down. Meanwhile, Rill realizes the error of her ways and only wants to find her family again. She vows never to turn her back on them again, if only they are still alive.

Can Gabe find a way to help Rill before it's too late for her? And will Rill ever be united with her family? This is a beautiful story and it's made all the more compelling by telling the two narratives in each character's voice.

I just can't wait till this is released so I can tell everyone about it!

This is a darling story, populated by real people who make mistakes and want to do better. Gabe is relatable and likable. The set-up and premise come across as very realistic and the pacing is great. I loved the redemption arc and the wild life. A wonderful message told in an entertaining way!

Gabe is feeling lost and alone. His family has its problems and they don't have time to worry about his. His friends have moved on at school and nobody pays much attention to him there either. But when his old friends have found a new one to include, he feels hurt and angry. He steals some Roman candles and takes them to the park. They are all having fun with them until he tries to hit the new guy with one and starts a fire. The others all run. The cop takes him down to the station.

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Books and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you). This book won't be published until 18th of January, 2022.

Gabe finds himself having to do community service and paying for the fireworks. That's better than being in jail. Nobody gives him a chance to say it was an accident. A group of concerned citizens help put together a plan for rehabilitating the park. He has his orders now.

When he's in the park working with another park employee he finds a hurt coyote. He brings it food and water and keeps it a secret. It got scared in the fire and it is rumored it bit a child. When it gets well enough to move, the other park employee finds it and calls animal control. Gabe doesn't want to see it euthanized.

If he wants to save the coyote, he's going to need help. He finds out the little girl wasn't bitten. He knows the fire was what scared the coyote. He starts gathering his family, his friends and his classmates to join in trying to save the coyote. Gabe learns a lot in the process. But will it be enough to save the coyote?

I found this book for young readers to be poignant and redemptive. Out of frustration with family and friends, Gabe steals fireworks and sets them off in a forest, not realizing how widespread the impact will be, including injuries to a young coyote.

The community gathers ‘round to support and require accountability from this angry teen through service work to rebuild the burnt woods. He also works to save the coyote, sought by authorities because she nipped at a toddler when startled by the fire.

I felt so deeply for all the characters that I read this in one sitting and still find myself pondering it. A gem!

5 of 5 Stars

Pub Date: 18 Jan 2022
#WaywardCreatures #NetGalley

Thanks to the author, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Book Group, and NetGalley for the ARC. Opinions are mine.