A Wolf Called Wander

Written in 2019 by Rosanne Parry, A Wolf Called Wander is a coming-of-age wilderness survival story based on the real-life thousand-mile journey of a young, lone male wolf who was known only by his GPS tracking identifier, OR-7. Sporting highly detailed grayscale illustrations by visual artist Mónica Armiño, as well as a map and appendices featuring information about wolf biology, Parry’s novel is written in the first-person limited perspective and takes on the imagined voice of the young wolf himself as he narrates the story of his birth, his tragic separation from his parents and banishment from his home ground, and his search for a new place and pack to call home.

Please note that Wander uses several idiosyncratic phrases to describe features of his interactions with human beings, and the following defines the most commonly used terms as they appear in the novel:

• Almost-wolf – livestock guardian dog
• Black River – a paved road
• Noisemaker – car
• Lightning Stick – firearm

This novel, while not graphic in its descriptions of violence, does depict the confirmed, threatened, and implied deaths and significant suffering of several wolves that are killed by fellow wolves and by human beings. The story also depicts the hunting and killing of several animals by wolves for the purposes of consuming meat to ensure survival. Similarly, the aftermath of the death of a deer by vehicle accident is addressed, and a forest fire occurs during which the deaths of many animals likely caught in its path are not depicted but are nonetheless implied.

This guide is based on the HarperCollins 2021 paperback edition of the novel.

Plot Summary

Born to a small pack of northwestern grey wolves, Wander, who is initially known to his family as Swift, begins his narrative when he is still deaf and blind, as all wolf pups are when they are first born. He is one of five pups, including his sisters, Pounce and Wag, and his brothers, Sharp (who is bigger and more aggressive than he is), and Warm (a sweet, docile, and affectionate pup who becomes very attached to Wander). From a very early age, Wander feels the instinct to take on the roles of provider and pack protector, so he shadows his father (simply called Father) every day, observing his hunting practices until the day that Wander and his siblings are able to join the hunt. Wander is discouraged when he is not allowed to play a role in the carefully orchestrated hunt, which would allow him the honor and prestige of killing the elk that are so essential to his family’s survival. However, he does not dream of leaving his pack to start out on his own as many young wolves his age might do.

When Wander is one year old, he is delighted when his mother and father welcome a new litter of young pups, but his happiness proves to be short-lived when a rival band of pale wolves crosses into his family’s territory and challenges Wander’s pack for dominance and control of the region. Although Wander fights valiantly to protect his father and tries to draw the enemy wolves away in hopes of keeping them from finding his mother and his new sibling-pups, his father is killed in the battle, and Wander is forced away from his home territory. He is unable to return under threat of death and is therefore unaware of what became of his parents, his aunt, his caregiver, and his young siblings. He begins to wander throughout the landscape, hoping that some of his family members might have survived the battle against the pale wolves, but as time passes, Wander worries that he may never see his family again.

He experiences a severe setback when he tries to hunt an elk on his own and suffers a broken sternum when his chest is cut open by a powerful hoof. He has no choice but to lie down and try to recuperate while he grows ever hungrier and more desperate. Eventually, he recovers enough to resume his travels. Wander is momentarily overjoyed when his brother Warm joins him but is devastated once again when his brother is executed by ranchers who believe that the young wolf must have caused the death of their calf, who was actually killed by two other rogue wolves. In his despair, Wander is at a loss for what to do when he meets a raven, who, true to their symbiotic relationship with wolves, helps Wander to find smaller game that he can catch on his own and consume in order to survive.

Aware that he may never see his family again, Wander’s primary goals shift to finding a new safe place to call home and joining other wolves with whom he can form a new pack. Along his journey, Wander traverses a diverse selection of different climates throughout Oregon and California and encounters many dangers, most of which are posed by humans. Throughout his many struggles, the tiniest bit of hope follows him around in the form of a mysterious black female wolf who always seems to be just out of reach.

At the climax of the novel, Wander, having traveled hundreds of miles, finds himself in a pristine place untouched by humans and unclaimed by other wolves. There, with his memories of his family and his determination to honor them, he declares himself owner of the landscape. Not long after achieving this triumph, he hears a howl and seeks out the female wolf who is calling to him. Finally, he finds the beautiful black wolf he has dreamed of since his first glimpse of her, and she consents to become his mate, hunting partner, and equal as they form the first wolf pack in western Oregon in over 50 years.