Howl
Overview
After saving her dog, Robin begins rescuing wild animals and she’s soon running an illegal animal shelter.
Short-listed for the 2012 CLA Book of the Year for Children Award and for the 2012 IODE Violet Downey Book Award
Twelve-year-old Robin will never get over her mother’s death. Nor will she forgive her father for moving the family to a small town to live with a weird grandmother. At her new school Robin is laughingly called "Green Girl" and is taunted relentlessly because of an award she received. She decides not to care about anyone or anything. But when her pregnant dog plunges into the frozen lake, she saves the dog and hence the puppies.
Robin finds she can’t stop herself from caring. She begins rescuing wild animals and rehabilitates them in the barn. Robin’s father forbids her to take in more, but she rescues some skunks, anyway, and hides them. Other animals arrive, and soon she’s running an illegal animal shelter. When she’s found out, Robin mounts a campaign to save her shelter. Will she have the courage to stand against the whole town?
Awards
Reviews
Hood-Caddy has created a believable scenario involving contemporary kids who do their best to deal with real-world problems... Give this satisfying and ultimately uplifting story to fans of Robin Stevenson's "Liars and Fools" (2010) or Kit Pearson's "A Perfect Gentle Knight" (2007).
Hood-Caddy's previous titles for adults focused on strong female protagonists against a backdrop of environmental issues, and Howl delivers a similar package, introducing young readers to a broad spectrum of ecology, animal rights, and political activism."
More than just an engaging story of a young girl growing back into strength after trauma, Howl presents the reader with a map both psychologically and logistically of how young people can grow towards maturity and efficacy within their world.