Wolves and Men

 1990 seems like yesterday to me. I mean, it sounds quite recent until I remember that it was the year my son was born and  so, obviously, it was 33 years ago. 

I just watched an excellent documentary about Judy Blume - Judy Blume Forever - (it's on Amazon Prime) and I could hardly believe that Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret was published in 1970, a full 20 years before this month's 1990 Carnegie winner, Wolf, by Gillian Cross. And in 1990 it was books by Judy Blume that my 12 year old daughter was reading, and they were more frank, especially about sex, than any books published in this country for teenagers at that time. The young assistants in Waterstones, where I just bought a copy, were very excited about the upcoming film of the book, and they weren't even born when it was first published.

It's interesting to compare Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret with Wolf. The aspects of Margaret that attracted most attention were the frank depictions of twelve-year-old girls worrying about menstruation and the growth of their breasts. These are worries that are massive at the time they happen, but are in general simply resolved with the passage of time. But the story also concerns Margaret's family, which is divided by religion. On one side Margaret has hard-line Christian grandparents, and on the other a Jewish grandmother. Her parents say she should choose which religion, if any, she wants. They have none. That's a problem that is not so easily resolved and is really the heart of the book, hence the title. But it's important to say that there is something light, open, free and optimistic about Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. Whereas Wolf is dark, claustrophobic and frightening. 

Cassy, the main character, is nearly fourteen but in complete contrast to Margaret she seems to be completely solitary. Kissing, bras and periods do not feature in this book at all. In a way Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret befriends the reader, which is why so many readers talk about the book's characters as if they were their own friends. That's unlikely to happen with Wolf, although I certainly feel for Cassy.

It's a complex and poetic novel, full of symbolism but with a tightly limited cast of characters and what turns out to be quite a straightforward plot about which I intend to say nothing other than that an adult reader can see what's going on much quicker than most children would, and I wouldn't want to spoil it.

Running through the story are references to The Three Little Pigs, Little Red Riding Hood and, most importantly, werewolves. As we approach the book's climax we learn that 'there is no reliable record of any attack by a wolf on a human being in North America. Ever.' This is a line spoken by an actor in an exceptionally realistic recreation of a 'Theatre in Education' style performance, the point of which is to show that when people imagine wolves what they are often imagining are werewolves.

The wolves in Red Riding Hood and The Three Little Pigs are  symbolic representations of people. The fear in Wolf  is the fear of the werewolf, something unknown, savage, half human and male. It's a fear that animates Cassy's dreams, or nightmares. And with good reason.

But despite all the symbolism the story is told in a very down-to-earth way with convincing dialogue and deftly drawn characters, although Cassy is someone you don't so much warm to as fear for, and that makes this a less comfortable reading experience than I would have enjoyed as a child. It is a properly scary book.

PS - I thought this was a really
 clever cover. There are, of course, no texts or 
messages in Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret

Gillian Cross, of course, is still going strong and certainly doesn't need rescuing from obscurity unlike some other Carnegie winners of the past. Her website is here. There are many children's books about wolves so here are some of my favourites:

William's Version by Jan Mark (In Nothing to be Afraid Of)

Walk With a Wolf by Janni Howker illustrated by Sarah Fox

Ghost Song by Susan Price

Clever Polly and the Stupid Wolf by Catherine Storr (excellent for banishing any residual fear of wolves!)

Feel free to suggest others!

Originally published on An Awfully Big Blog Adventure May 2023