In this beautifully written story set in the north woods of Minnesota, four healthy wolf pupsLeader, Sniffer, Runner, and Thinkerare born one spring. And then one final, undersized pup emergesRunt. Despite his size, Runt manages to keep up with his brothers and sisters and learn the ways of the pack. But he finds it impossible to please his father, the pack's leader, and gradually withdraws from the others. When he ventures into forbidden human territory, Runt at last comes to understand his mistakes and to recognize his own worth. Award-winning author Marion Dane Bauer combines her gift for evocative writing with her in-depth knowledge of wolves to create a compact tale that has the power of an epic. Like the best animal stories, it reflects our own world and shows us what it means to be alive. Afterword. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Fans of Jean Craighead George's Julie of the Wolves and its successors will welcome Bauer's (On My Honor) tightly plotted, swiftly paced tale of a wolf pack. Runt, the diminutive last-born of a litter of pups, hopes to prove his worth to his father, King, and acquire a nobler name, like those of his littermates, Leader, Sniffer, Runner and Thinker. But his attempts backfire: he gets lost after following King and the others when they hunt for food, and loses his way again when he decides to brave a fierce storm outdoors rather than take refuge with his siblings in the pack's cave. His efforts to capture a porcupine have especially dire consequences: kind humans remove the painful quills from Runt's muzzle, after which most of the pack avoids him ("You've been with them again," an older brother rebukes him). Adding further dimension to the novel are such ancillary characters as a raven who advises Runt, a kind older sibling and the deposed former leader of the pack, Bider, who is also King's nemesis. As Bauer notes in an afterword, her view of wolves is based on scientists' observations (except for their ability to communicate in English). While some may wince at the descriptions of the wolves' hunting expeditions, the author encourages an informed sympathy not only for her underhero but, more generally, for wolves in the wild. Ages 8-up. (Oct.) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information