Timber Wolf

Caroline Pignat

• IODE Violet Downey Book Award, 2012 short list

Juvenile Fiction / Historical Fiction / Europe / Lifestyle
Ages 12+ • 214 pages • 5 1/4 x 7 1/2"
ISBN 0–88995–459–3 • paper
CDN 12.95 • USA 12.95

This is the third book in the story of the Byrne family, Irish farmers whose lives were overturned in Greener Grass, then tested so severely in Wild Geese.

In Timber Wolf, Kit's younger brother, is now the focus. Jack is determined to make his mark in the rough-and-ready lumbering industry up the Ottawa river from late 1840s Bytown. The young boy, not yet a teenager but full of braggadocio, is sure that he can quickly learn to be a hard-muscled and brave rafts-man. But as the story opens, we find Jack lying on a rocky floor in the deep forest, sore and bruised - and in fact totally unaware of who and where he is.

Throughout the story Jack gradually pieces together dreams, vague clues and reminders that tell him of his history - in the course of which comes to grips with mistakes he has made. One of the mistakes he remembers, was in leading his best friend Mick into a huge logjam whose explosion probably killed him. Guilt becomes the governing theme of Jack's recovery. At the same time he meets, is terrified by, and eventually guarded by a young wolf who appears out of the woods early in his ordeal - and also stumbles into a relationship with an aboriginal family whose young son's own stormy coming of age coincides with Jack's developing awareness.

In Caroline Pignat's more than able hands, this concluding piece of the Byrne family saga is engaging, funny, stirring, and ultimately most satisfying. Pignat's ability to weave well-researched historical details into her beautifully told tale is stunning. And the voice of the story - as was true in the previous volumes - carries an unmistakable lilt. This is an author who has learned how to create a yarn - this one especially appealing to middle-grade boy readers hungry for adventure.

Reviews:
"(Pignat's) astonishing ability to speak from a young boy's perspective and attention to detail transforms a good children's story into classic literature."
-- The Winnipeg Review

Caroline Pignat graduated from the University of Ottawa with a Bachelor of Education and a Bachelor of Arts in English and Religious Studies. After working with children and youth for over fifteen years in roles such as teacher, seminar facilitator, mentor and coach, she began her writing career. Her fiction, non-fiction and poetry for children regularly appear in Highlights for Children, Guideposts for Kids, Living Faith for Kids, and Clubhouse Magazine.

Caroline's humour columns for adults are published in the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, The Vancouver Sun, and The Ottawa Citizen. She currently lives in Kanata, Ontario with her husband, Tony, and their children, Liam and Marion.

Click here to visit Caroline’s web page at www.carolinepignat.squarespace.com.

Check out the profile of Caroline Pignat in the September 2008 issue of CM Magazine.