Point of View

The novel is written in first person from the perspective of a wolf pup named Wander who grows up over the course of the story. There is a distinct Native American tone to the novel, and some of the phrases and stories have meanings that may not be immediately clear, especially to the young, immature reader. For example, Mother Wolf tells Wander and his siblings what their lives will be like when they are able to leave the confines of their tunnel by saying “The pack belongs to the mountains and the mountains belong to the pack … And the wolf star shines on us all” (5). She is expressing the idea that the wolf pack is at one with their natural habitat. The “wolf star” refers to the moon, a reference young readers will recognize if they know that wolves are believed to howl at the...