RATING: 4 STARS
(I received an ARC from the NETGALLEY)
(Review Not on Blog)

Wolfie and Fly is a funny story about two kids who are different as day and night but come together with their love of imagination. This is a early chapter novel for the little ones learning to read. I believe this may become a series, but not sure if I will continue as this definitely geared towards the young ones.

Renata Wolfman doesn’t have friends, she’d much rather play all alone because then you don’t need to share or compromise with others. Even her parents can’t get her to go out with them, she’d rather stay home and read her factual books about sea life. When Renata is left alone at home one day, a boy comes over. Livingston Flott, known as Fly at school, wants to hide from his older brother. Renata, called Wolfie by Fly and others at school, reluctantly lets him in, interrupting her building of a submarine out of a refrigerator box. Soon the two of them are starting to play imaginary games together, something entirely new for Wolfie. But when real water starts to pour into the windows, can they imagine their way right into the sea?

This early chapter book features a girl who loves control and facts and a boy who wants to create songs and loves to imagine. The two together are a dynamic mix, creating just the right amount of tension between them and showing how opposites can actually make the best playmates as long as ideas are shared and there’s a willingness to try new things. I particularly enjoyed the fact that the water turns out not to be entirely imaginary, something that underlines that fact that imagination and reality mix to something entirely extraordinary.

Si’s illustrations are playful and add exactly the right amount of pictures to break up the text, making this a great pick for newer readers. Her art is playful, done in black and white and shows the submarine that Wolfie made and the adventures that the two have together with a jolly merriment.

A strong pick for early chapter book collections, fans of Ivy & Bean and Bink & Gollie will find another pair of playmates worth knowing here. Appropriate for ages 5-7.

I'm always looking for fun new beginning chapter books, because they're very popular with my students. This is a different take on the typical friendship story. I think my kids would enjoy it. Wolfie's not the nicest kid ever, but persistent Fly wins her over, and their adventure is one I think many kids can identify with.

A cute little book about a girl who likes to be alone finding out out that having a friend to share adventures with really isn't a bad thing.

I at first thought Wolfie to be such an arrogant brat, but in the ninety or so pages, her character changes to one of someone who is willing to compromise.

Loved that the story centered around having a good friend and using imagination.

'Wolfie and Fly' by Cary Fagan with illustrations by Zoe Si is a chapter book for young readers with lots of imagination and a couple really likeable main characters.

Renata Wolfman is a very imaginative young lady. She is also quite content to play all by herself. Her parents would like her to make friends with the next door neighbor Livingston Flott, but Renata would rather not. One day, when she is left alone, she decides to build a submarine out of a large cardboard box. Livingston shows up because he is looking for his brother's baseball, and it went under Renata's house. Before long, and thanks to a lot of imagination, he is going on an adventure with her under the sea in their new submarine. Renata is reluctant, but realizes that having someone else along just makes the journey more fun, even if Livingston has to write and sing songs along the way. They even use the nicknames for each other that people use for them at school. She is Wolfie, or Lone Wolf, because she likes being alone at recess. He is Fly because he buzzes around annoys people.

These characters were fun. I loved their imaginative play. I liked how they became friends, even though they don't seem to have much in common. I liked the illustrations too. This took me back to the days when I could take my own cardboard box on trips into outer space. I think young readers will love these two.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Tundra Books, Penguin Random House Canada, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.