This month’s Author Spotlight is James Bird, author of Wolf Club, a big-hearted and adventurous middle grade novel about three kids who ditch detention to search for an elusive white wolf who may have the magical powers they need to face their challenges and heal their hearts.
We know from your past memorable middle grade reads that much of what you write is inspired by personal experience. How much of you is there in Wolf Club?
James Bird: There are many parts of my life woven into Wolf Club, from the fact I was always in detention to the parts where I was always seeking an adventure right in front of me. My mom was known as the crazy lady, and in Wolf Club, I made her the grandma character because I wanted to get a chance to spend time with my grandma, who died when I was only a month old.
Another similarity was that I was always the only Native American student in all the schools I attended in Northern and Southern California. I was often bullied and, like the main character, Okan, the bullying stopped when I started fighting back. An unfortunate similarity was I was also the smelly kid in school, since we were very poor and had to often wear the same clothes for days on end.
But I think the biggest similarity between my life and the lives in Wolf Club is the fact that even as a child, I decided that I was on a mission to save animals and connect to my ancestors. And I’ve been doing that ever since.
We love the three main characters you’ve centered here – Okan, Sarah, and Marcus. At the beginning of the book, each character is coping with their own personal sense of isolation and it’s clear that the friendship and the quest they embark on for an elusive white wolf is the key to their healing. How do these characters help each other?
James: I think the greatest way that these three characters help each other is by showing one another that they are not alone, and how everyone is dealing with hardships, even if they are really good at hiding it. And they learn that the best way to help themselves is to help each other. It’s a cycle of healing that they discover.
Their quest to find the white wolf is driven by the Ojibwe belief in mashkiki (animal medicine) and the wisdom passed down from Okan’s grandparents. How did you structure the narrative to ensure that these cultural and spiritual elements—such as interpreting animal cards—functioned not merely as plot devices, but as the authentic, indispensable maps that guide the characters toward self-discovery and collective healing?
James: What a great question. Animals represent and symbolize so many things in so many different cultures. I believe all these medicines used to be common sense, but over time, we as people forget this. We somehow have adopted the belief we are smarter, better, and more important than the animals around us.
Wolf Club shows us that we are not better, or worse than the animals, because WE ARE THE ANIMALS. There is no difference. We can share each animal’s attributes, and we will have the same strengths and powers and talents. My people believe we can learn and grow from all the animals around us, and coexist peacefully. And that is the message I will continue, as an author, to put out into the world.
What are you most excited for young readers to discover in this book?
James: What I am most excited for young readers to discover in Wolf Club is that being different is a gift. Being the weirdo is like being a superhero. And that the best way to navigate through life is to pack it full of friends and focus on having fun. Taking things too seriously can make life really stressful, but if you see it as an adventure, and convince others to go on this adventure with you, life can be blast.
Are there any books you’d recommend to readers after they’ve finished Wolf Club?
James: The books I’d recommend to young readers after Wolf Club would be my previous three titles, The Brave, The Second Chance of Benjamin Waterfalls, and No Place Like Home. And these wonderful books: Chester Cricket’s New Home, The Never Ending Story, Song for a Whale, Pax, The Year We Fell from Space, Odder, Coyote Sunrise, Walk Two Moons, and Wishtree. And anything by Christine Day, Adriana Mather, and Nic Stone.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
James Bird’s debut middle-grade novel, The Brave, was a Book Riot Best Book of 2020. He is also a screenwriter and director at the independent film company, Zombot Pictures; his films include We Are Boats and Honeyglue. Originally from California, James Bird is of Ojibwe descent, and now lives in Massachusetts with his wife, the author and actor Adriana Mather, and their son.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Wolf Club by James Bird
Ages 9-12
The Breakfast Club meets Hatchet in this middle-grade novel about three kids who ditch detention to search for an elusive white wolf, who may have the magical powers they need to face their challenges and heal their hearts.
A story of adventure and friendship from James Bird, an author whose work is praised as “big-hearted” by School Library Journal
What do a raccoon, a skunk, and a moose have in common?
Okan, the raccoon, is a 13 year old whose mom works so hard he never sees her.
Sarah, the skunk, has been teased relentlessly about her body odor ever since her mom died.
And Marcus, the moose, is the bully, the rich kid who seems to have everything, except his parents’ love.
When they hear a white wolf has been spotted in the nearby forest, this unlikely trio heads out on a quest that turns into an adventure of a lifetime.
PRAISE FOR WOLF CLUB
A Junior Library Guild Selection
★ “The book’s mixture of humor, heart, sad realities, and satisfying outcomes delivers a remarkably readable mystical adventure. Each character, encounter, and movement wonderfully expands this odyssey of understanding and resilience. A shining addition to the middle-school canon of survivor stories, Wolf Club needs to be shared and savored.” — Booklist, starred review
★ “Ojibwe author Bird infuses fantasy elements into an engrossing adventure novel about three middle schoolers becoming unlikely allies in a quest to protect an elusive white wolf. …Following a physical altercation at school, Okan, … bully Marcus, and … classmate Sarah become inextricably linked. When a white wolf is spotted in the Sawtooth Mountain woods surrounding his Minnesota town, Okan receives a message from the spirit world urging him to rescue the animal from hunters; his vision also suggests that major challenges in Okan’s, Sarah’s, and Marcus’s lives will be resolved if they protect the wolf together. Okan’s sincere first-person narration presents observations about his companions and their situation with endearing frankness as the children embark on their journey. Bird ratchets up the tension of this enjoyable action-packed offering—part survival expedition, part identity exploration—one swiftly moving chapter and increasingly perilous scenario at a time.”–Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Following the promptings from a dream and an unusual encounter with his grandma’s crow friends, Okan (the racoon), an Ojibwe boy, sets out to protect the wolf with antlers recently spotted in the woods near his home from eager hunters. Sarah Mills (skunk) and Marcus Gunth (moose) join him on his quest. The three 13-year-olds are not friends, but each has a reason to hope that the quest will lead them to solutions to their problems. …An eye-opening window or mirror story for collections that need more stories involving Ojibwe beliefs, relationships, and a touch of the supernatural.”–School Library Journal
“Bird…seamlessly interweaves Ojibwe words and stories into the story along with spiritual and cultural elements. Strong character development of all the teens elevates this work from mere adventure to a thoughtful exploration of Okan’s Indigenous ancestors’ perspectives on the world. While the Wolf Club sets out to find the wolf in the hopes of being helped in some way, each kid discovers pieces of their own inner strengths, validates each other’s struggles and humanity, and recognizes the power of friendship to make it through any challenge. “—Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (BCCB)
“The story includes thoughtful social commentary about protest, preservation, and gentrification. The main characters, who are coming to terms with deep trauma, enjoy an emotional and happy conclusion.”–Kirkus Reviews
