Listen, any story that involves kids having ultra-meaningful relationships with their animals (preferably wild ones) means that I'm automatically obsessed*. I remember sitting in the theater when I first saw the trailer for Anna Paquin's Fly Away Home, you know, the one where she teaches a flock of goslings to migrate. My eyes widened to the size of dinner plates and I'm pretty sure I dragged my mom there on opening day. My parents recently asked what I was reading and I described this book. "You see, it's about a girl named Feodora in the wilderness of Russia. Her and her mother train wolves not to be tame, but to be wild again. Aristocrats would attempt to domesticate wolves for their personal enjoyment, but sometimes, it never worked. Wolves don't often take kindly to being tamed, but they also didn't know how to be real wolves. The local general, servant to Tsar Nicolas, doesn't like what they do and intends to take it out on Feo and her mother. But Feo and her wolves have different plans in mind." I rattled off the synopsis and they laughed indulgently. Yes, that sounds like our same Gretchen. 
 So, yeah, I was gonna love this book. Delightfully, I would love it even if it wasn't my usual fare. The Wolf Wilder is a beautiful piece of middle grade fiction. Hell, fiction, period. Granted, the story beats do tend to follow the typical pacing and exaggerated third act of middle grade novels, a la From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. Although unrealistic, it doesn't need forgiving. It's just another kind of fantasy. 
 The story begins, "Once upon a time, a hundred years ago, there was a dark and stormy girl." Wow, how's that for a start? Feodora, the stormy girl, and her mother mind their own business in tsarist Russia. The wolves that they train go back to the wild, but a nearby general has grumpy neighbors complaining about slaughtered wildlife. Reasonable, but it's also not really their fault and possibly not even their wolves. General Rakov, hideous and cruel, forbids them from wolf wilding, but it's not long before Feo and her mom get another wolf--this time, a pregnant one. Ilya, a foolish-yet-friendly young soldier assigned to their watch, can't resist the lure of the wolves and a friendship with Feo. He becomes clandestinely helpful, but it's not long before they get caught. Feo, Ilya, the pup, and the three half-wild wolves that adore Feo, set off for Saint Petersburg to free her mother. 
 Lovable characters, nasty snowstorms, and a race against time make this book a memorable read. There's a gentle humor to it, too. ("Toddlers, like wolves, are unpredictable.") Feodora herself is an inspiration to young girls and not-so-young-anymore-girls like me. ("Feo said a prayer to the saints of good aim and wild ideas.") Surprises and wolves abound, so it's no wonder I'm enamored. 
 This book pairs wonderfully with Kristen Chandler's 
 Wolves, Boys and Other Things That Might Kill Me 
 . 
 *I have Sara Pennypacker's 
 Pax 
 sitting in my to-read stack and it promises to hit the same notes. 
 Initial Review: Classic Gretchen bait. Full review TK.