➡Black History Month

➡The Diverse Baseline

May Prompt C: A book by a BIPOC author with a teenage main character

After consuming far too many YA dystopian novels during The Hunger Games era, I had to drop the genre after far too many of them were mediocre, e.g. Divergent. With the world the way it is currently, I'm not too sad they've made quite the resurgence.

I always seem to have an easier time relating to MG novels rather than YA. I tend to judge their youth slightly less. I wonder why that is. Inmate Eleven, a young Black girl, is kept confined. She is called a Blue, the color of sadness. Her one companion is a dog that acts more like a wolf.

There are clones in this world. They are in power. Of course, not everything is truthful. Beneath this veneer of lies, the truth begins to unravel. What is real? What is perceived? What is true?

Side note: Not that this is in any way a werewolf or wolf shifter book, but I realized I dislike the genre because I'm not a dog person. This was somehow news to me. Anyway.

Having loved Me (Moth), I was so excited for Gone Wolf. And it was 100% worth it. Gone Wolf almost immediately captivated me with its middle grade dystopia atmosphere a shade away from our own. A world with division, experimentation, and oppression. I only continued to fall deeper in love with Gone Wolf. Not to mention, there are some plot twists that legitimately had me gasping. I had to tell everyone about them. Ultimately Gone Wolf is a fabulous middle grade story that examines the effects of racism, privilege, and a divided society on kids.

I also need to specially highlight the audiobook. This production is unmissable. Ariel Blake does a stunning job at infusing Gone Wolf with sensitivity, vulnerability, and ghosts.

This is a book that is going to require some patience and emotional intelligence to properly process. At first, it seems quite straightforward. The narrative about Inmate Eleven is clear and easy to follow. The messaging is accessible and the general thrust of the plot is simple enough. Then, at a pivotal moment, the focus shifts. And we begin to understand what this book is really about. That's the point that requires a great deal more reflection and careful consideration to properly process. It's a fantastic read, well worth the effort.

I know I start most of the novels in verse that I read the same damn way, but I always go back for more. And That’s what led me to this one. I am NOT about to sit here and say this book was bad, but it wasn’t great for me either because of the formatting and just how novels in verse are. But who’s fault is that? How do I review this? This might be a long one while I talk out my feelings lol

Ok so I liked the concept and what I thought it was doing. I thought it was one girl who was learning about the harsh truths about the world we live in. While she’s learning this, she’s learning about Black history, the current pandemic, and some other American history. Now there’s another girl, Inmate Eleven, but I thought she was the same person as Imogen. Looking at some reviews, I’m not the only one. (Which confuses me more because if I had trouble and so did some other adults I know, what will MG readers think???) It is told in two different time frames, which is why I was having trouble understanding. Because either way how is she getting in the car with MLK? If I said that weird and it doesn’t make sense…………… Well that’s because it doesn’t to me lol

And I know I’m probably not the target audience for novels in verse, but here we are. I just don’t care for how they tell a story, but it seems to be like bits and pieces of a story all the time. I do like those that are longer and can tell a full story with more details, but this one just didn’t do it for me. I think I finished this book more confused than i was when i started it. My mom was around while I was listening to it and she heard me and even she asked what I was listening to because it wasn’t making sense. I think if this had been actual prose I would have liked it more.

The reason I didn’t DNF this was because I did like the messaging. Her finding out the truth about Black history is of course what I liked the most. I will always boost anything that turns the truth about what happened to my people. And of course, the COVID side because there’s people out there that are still saying it’s not real. I will boost anything that has the message that this is a real thing that’s happening and people being on lockdown and everything that the US has been through was real.

This book was hella weird. I might come back and change my rating because I’m so indecisive on this book. Hell I’ve already changed it like 3 or 4 times. But because of this, I settled on this one which makes me feel pretty neutral and smack dab in the middle.

Gone Wolf by Amber McBride is a dystopian middle grade novel set in the year 2111 that discusses the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and Black history - violence, racism, slavery, xenophobia, and generational trauma - from the eyes of a 12 year old. She has no name. She's simply called Inmate Eleven. The world Inmate Eleven lives in is cruel and fractured and we open the book to a scene where she's asked to choose which doll is better: a blond hair, blue-eyed, and light skinned one or a doll that looks exactly like her. We also see scenes through the eyes of Imogen in the year 2022 who explores the healing power of storytelling.

Amber McBride is a genius at storytelling. She is a master of her craft. The story is complex and layered, telling the true life dystopian experience that Black Americans live through. The prose is stunning and reels you in effortlessly.

While this is a middle grade novel, I highly recommend everyone from every age and all walks of life to read this book and truly understand the multitude of lessons that McBride tries to impart. This story targets your emotions and narrows down such broad, and far reaching topics to individual experiences, making the narrative accessible to readers of all ages.

Most striking to me was the significance of a name, and how essential it is that we don't forget names in history. This hurt, and beautifully so. This was extremely powerful and absolutely stunning.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio, Macmillan Young Listeners, and Netgalley for the ALC in exchange for an honest review

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing a copy for me to review.

I love Amber McBride. (Me) Moth made me cry and so did this one! The story of a 12 year old girl dealing with being blue in a world that's repeating history due to a pandemic was sad and beautiful at the same time. By the time the tears came, I knew what was happening, but I guess I was blown away by the emotions that went behind the reveal. The layers and the unveiling with how everything related- Amber McBride is easily becoming an author whom I'll snatch up anything she puts out.

This book was amazing. I couldn't stop listening to it. I enjoyed the talk of grief, ptsd, the pandi, and black history in a fresh new way. I think all middle graders should read this one.

thank you to netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I am really late on this one, it came out weeks ago, but honestly I had marked it as "choose not to give feedback" because I had requested the audiobook and between my auditory processing disorder, the noise of the new york subways, and my already limited attention span for audiobooks, I realized I would never be able to finish on time for an early review.

however! the limited amount I was able to listen to gripped me so much that I eventually caved and bought a copy (at Books Are Magic, in case you are curious. not an ad. I just love them). and I'm so glad I did! Imogen's story gripped me, and I was hooked straight away by the dystopian world Inmate Eleven lives in.

both Inmate Eleven and Imogen are going through extreme traumas as a result of two separate pandemics that have completely upended their lives and isolated them from the people who truly understand them. (gosh, describing this book without giving spoilers for the second half is <i>extremely</i> difficult.)

in the future, Inmate Eleven is a young Black girl whose skin and hair is entirely Blue — for reasons you will simply have to read about yourself — who has been raised entirely in isolation, to one day be used as a biological match for the future president of the Southern States of the Bible Boot. that means whatever he needs, she will donate to him — blood, a kidney, even limbs if necessary. she is fed a steady stream of propaganda as she grows up, but even despite this, she begins to realize something is deeply wrong with the way she's treated.

in the present, Imogen is a young Black girl who is suffering from a cocktail of mental illnesses after losing loved ones to the pandemic that has ravaged her world and being forced to isolate from other people thanks to her compromised immune system. she has gone to multiple doctors to talk about her anxiety, nightmares, guilt, and maladaptive daydreams, but no one seems to know what to do with her.

the world-building was super fascinating. something to keep in mind while reading is that the plot and world-building are both very emotion driven, and personally I thought it was really compelling. the one thing that I thought was an interesting (weird?) choice for this book was that (as you can tell from the synopsis) there are two stories happening, one in the future, and one in the present, and they happen in that order. the story in the future concludes, and the story in the present starts. for so much of Inmate Eleven's story, I was waiting for Imogen's story to start, until I finally skipped ahead in the book and found where hers begins, and ended up spoiling myself in the process. (said spoilers ahead: I have to say, <spoiler>when we find out that Inmate Eleven's story is actually made up by a young girl, Imogen herself, the world-building began to make a lot more sense. I was willing to suspend my disbelief considering it's a middle grade novel and I've certainly read more far-fetched sci-fi, but once that was cleared up, everything sort of fell into place.</spoiler>) I imagine that had the chapters been alternating (like I had expected) the emotional impact of the future story might have been lessened, but I'm not exactly sure where I stand re: emotional impact vs. coherency. still, I clearly wasn't that bothered by it, considering I'm giving this five stars, lol.

for middle grade readers, this is an absolute must-read. for older readers — if you are even at all interested in middle grade, I wholeheartedly recommend this! the pandemic has inspired some very engaging art, and this is an incredible analysis of how Black people and their bodies have been used by white people for centuries, full of true Black American history in kid-friendly chunks. definitely worth the read!

YA Dystopian fiction meets racial tensions and Black History in this amazing surreal story of Imogen, also known as Inmate 11. Kept as a futuristic person who is enslaved, Imogen dreams of "going wolf" like her pet wolf Ira. Just when it feels like history has repeated itself and we are doomed to suffer another reckoning of civil rights in America, the author shifts the narrative and leaves the reader questioning everything. So realistic it was almost too on-the-nose (President Tuba is the leader in the future who touts racial divide, and enslaved people are to provide organs if needed for the white clones as a virus takes over), this story has a major twist that I didn't see coming. Amber McBride can do no wrong for me as an author, and I love everything she writes. Add to the story a fantastic narrator, and this is an audiobook I highly recommend for teens and adults.

Gone Wolf is a powerful book about Black history, mental health, and so much more. It has elements of Stranger Things, The Handmaid's Tale, and Colson Whitehead's The Underground Railroad all rolled into one masterfully crafted middle-grade/young adult novel. In the future, a girl named Inmate Eleven lives in a cell with her dog as her only companion. Her dog has increasingly "gone wolf" meaning that he is agitated and anxious for freedom. In modern times, a girl named Imogene is living in the midst of a pandemic which has left her feeling scared and isolated. As the story unfolds, readers/listeners see how Inmate Eleven and Imogene's lives intertwine. This book covers some tough but important ground and tackles things that impact so many kids. It was a 5-star listen for me.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for a review copy of this audiobook.

“Gone Wolf” is a beautifully written, powerful story about race, diversity, equality, oppression, and coping with loss. Two girls, Inmate Eleven and Imogen, one living in the future and the other the present, tell their story of feeling trapped, sad, and “going wolf” aka being free.

McBride’s prose in this middle grade novel is effortlessly emotive. The two girls’ stories are intricately woven together creating tension throughout the entire book. McBride masterfully threads elements of Black history, American history, and current events seamlessly into this impactful story.

Fans of “Me (Moth)” and stories in the same vein of “Dear Martin” and “The Cost of Knowing” will resonate and love “Gone Wolf”.

I’m still feeling teary as I write this. I finished Gone Wolf a while ago, but the powerful scenes throughout and the last few chapters and their big moments…


Honestly, I could sit with all of these large feelings; my empathy, what I know, and all that I (as a white person) can never know…and I won’t find words enough.


This book should be in every classroom where kids read at Middle Grade level. I wish I could buy it for all of my teacher friends, for my friends with children, for all of your Little Free Libraries etc.



Gone Wolf blends dystopian fantasy with past and present events and shines a bright searchlight to illuminate Black history, those that seek to deny and deflect the true history of this county and the world, on racism, hate, grief, on this ongoing pandemic - and it does so with the most beautiful metaphors and similes and a refrain of “…but that is what it FEELS like.”


I know this talented narrator’s soothing voice will be in my head for a long time, and that this story will live in my heart always.


I cannot recommend more strongly that y’all read this MG masterpiece. Request it at your library. If you’re able to, buy a copy and after you read it: gift it to an LFL, to a classroom, to a child you love.


This author is new to me but I will surely seek her past and future work.


Whew.


⚠️CW/TW: True and fictitious depictions of hate crimes-violence and killings, animal cruelty, grief, loss of loved ones including a pet/fur family member, systematic racism, slavery etc.

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the audio ARC of this!

What an emotional ride, this book packed a punch and then saved up to hit you again. I really liked the way that it was set up and seeing her “go wolf”. Overall, a sweet, sad, and necessary story.

This was a great book that encompassed many parts of the global shutdown and how people handled that trama. Gone wolf starts as a dystopian take on a world that verged down a different path than what happened. It includes many historical figures and real events and sounds very logical.

Imagine is coping in her own way with the events she has witnessed in her life. I love the support and the guidance to tell her story and her truth. Such an impactful story.

I will read anything this author writes. I am never disappointed. This one had my heart for sure. I just wanted to hug Imogen. This was a hard read. I hurt for her. There were some really heavy subjects but they were handled so well. I am so happy I was able to read this. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

This about killed me. I loved every word in a painful sad way. It reads dystopian/sci fi but it is real. Or close to real.
I love Imogen. I love Ira. I want her to be free.
Imogen (Inmate 11) has spent her entire 12 years of life in isolation. She has only met her doctor and some guards. She has been in one room. She's been granted a dog to be her pet to keep her from going mad.
She is a bright girl so she is assigned to the son of the president. She has been told that the white people are clones and that she is a blue person.
But in reality white people are white people and blue people are black people. They have been enslaved. Again.
I am soft so I will tell you now that Ira (the wolf) does die and it is sad. The saddest.
The book is both sweet and sad.
And I LOVED the narration. It was so good. This is amazing.

Synopsis:

In the future, a Black girl known only as Inmate Eleven is kept confined—to be used as a biological match for the president's son, should he fall ill. She is called a Blue—the color of sadness. She lives in a small-small room with her dog, who is going wolf more often—he’s pacing and imagining he’s free. Inmate Eleven wants to go wolf to0—she wants to know why she feels so Blue and what is beyond her small-small room.

In the present, Imogen lives outside of Washington, D.C. The pandemic has distanced her from everyone but her mother and her therapist. Imogen has intense phobias and nightmares of confinement. Her two older brothers used to help her, but now she’s on her own, until a college student helps her see the difference between being Blue and sad, and Black and empowered.

This book is a powerful and moving read. It has many societal undertones relevant to current events. I couldn't help but notice the dystopian vibes that I got from the book; it reminds me of the Hunger Games. The issues explored in this story are deep and tough, but the author handled them with ease, making it difficult to put the book down while being challenged by the truths explored in the story. This was my first book by Amber McBride and I can't wait to read more. Special thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for providing access to this book.

Wowza! I have read both Me Moth and We are all so Good at Smiling, so I knew Gone Wolf would be on my TBR. I loved this new and interesting way to tell America's brutal history along with our experiences with Covid. I forsee this title winning a number of awards for its moving story and rich characters. Thanks so much for the chance to read it right away - I promise, no spoilers!

This book truly has so many societal undertones for the current events going on. But it also feels a bit like hunger games. Very dystopian. Amber McBride always knows how to lure someone in to heavy hitting subjects and beautifully talks them into understanding how the world can be cruel.

Such a powerful and moving read. Although the issues are deep and tough topics to delve into, McBride did it with such an ease and flow that I just wanted to keep going while also being challenged by the truths explored. Such a beautiful YA book that all middle grades and beyond will enjoy!