The Last Wolf
The Last Wolf is a children's book written by Michael Morpurgo and illustrated by Michael Foreman, published in 2002. It won the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize Bronze Award.[1]
Author | Michael Morpurgo |
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Illustrator | Michael Foreman |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Genre | Children's |
Publisher | Doubleday |
Publication date | 1 January 2002 |
Pages | 96 pp |
ISBN | 978-0-385-60222-8 |
OCLC | 59478600 |
Plot
Miya helps her grandfather, Michael McLeod, become interested in computers. Michael comes up with the idea to trace their ancestors back to the 18th century; while working to do that, they discover a story written by their great-great-great-great-great grandfather.
In the story, their great-great-great-great-great grandfather, Robbie McLeod, talks about his childhood. After being orphaned, his cruel uncle had looked after him; to escape the abuse, Robbie ran away into the woods. He found a male wolf pup who, similarly, had also been orphaned, and looked after him, naming it Charlie. A few days later, Robbie and Charlie made their way to America in hopes of a better life, but they were disillusioned; in America, there had been a war between the redcoats and the rebels. They encountered life-threatening situations.
As the years passed, Charlie's temperament naturally became wilder and more animalistic. Robbie noticed the change in Charlie and, reluctantly, let him go. He built a farm next to a lake where he occasionally saw Charlie. A couple years later, Robbie got married and had a son named Alan. The last time Robbie saw Charlie, Charlie had also started a family of his own.
After reading the story, Miya and her grandfather decide to travel to America to see where Robbie and Charlie lived.