72 pages • 2 hours read
Rosanne Parry, Illustr. Mónica ArmiñoA Wolf Called Wander
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2019A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
During Reading
Reading Questions & Paired Texts
Reading Check and Short Answer questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.
CHAPTERS 1-5
Reading Check
1. Which of Wander’s siblings is his favorite, as established in Chapter 1?
2. At the end of Chapter 1, Wander tastes what kind of meat for the very first time?
3. Which wolf is the pup-watcher, whose primary responsibility is enforcing pack rules and boundaries?
4. In Chapter 5, Wander is disgusted as he watches a pair of yearling bachelors kill what type of animal?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. Why is Wander known to his family as “Swift”?
2. According to Wander’s mother, what is the main characteristics of a lead wolf?
3. How does Wander’s family mark their territory in Chapter 3, when another larger wolf pack is spied close to their turf?
4. In Chapter 4, how does Wander use his speed and cunning to steer a rival wolf into danger, thus steering him away from Mother and the sibling-pups?
Paired Resource
“A Wolf Called Wander | Behind the Story with Rosanne Parry”
- In this 12-minute video, Rosanne Parry talks to readers about the real-life story behind A Wolf Called Wander.
- Parry explains that Wander’s story is a tale of resilience, often a common feature of in The Coming-of-Age Narrative.
- Parry gives some conservation tips to help protect wolves like Wander. Which ones are you most likely to act on?
CHAPTERS 6-10
Reading Check
1. In Chapter 6, what birds circle around Wander and make him realize that he must regain his strength by any means necessary?
2. When Wander chases off a pack of coyotes standing over their kill, what does he discover that leaves him horrified?
3. In Chapter 8, Warm repeats what promise to Wander?
4. By observing a bear, Wander learns to catch what type of animal?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. How does Wander initially befriend a raven in Chapter 7? What does Wander recall about his father’s relationship with ravens?
2. What stops Wander from joining the bachelor wolves in Chapter 8?
3. How does Warm’s death motivate Wander? In a larger sense, what does it indicate about the relationship between humans and wolves?
4. In what ways does Warm prove himself to be one of the most courageous members of the original pack?
Paired Resource
- This is the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s official report on the story of OR-7, the wolf that inspired A Wolf Called Wander.
- The report gives greater scientific context for how wolves like Wander are situated within the natural world.
- Look at the map of OR-7’s path through California. Where do you think we are in OR-7’s journey right now?
CHAPTERS 11-15
Reading Check
1. What animal does Wander refer to as an “almost-wolf”?
2. What color is the female wolf that Wander spies in Chapter 13?
3. Who is the companion that Wander must say goodbye to in Chapter 14, after sharing a final meal of deer together?
4. Wander sees what type of animal give birth in Chapter 15?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. Why does Wander find it perplexing when, in Chapter 11, he sees his raven sitting on a fence?
2. What strikes Wander as nonsensical about the death of the buck in Chapter 12?
3. How does Wander use what he learned from observing Growl in order to keep the female wolf from crossing the black river in Chapter 13?
4. When Wander spies a multitude of birds in Chapter 14, how does following them aid in his survival?
Paired Resource
“How Wolves Use Complex Body Language to Communicate”
- This 3-minute video by the Smithsonian Channel looks at wolf body language communicates mood and social status within the pack.
- Understanding wolf body language gives greater depth to the book’s theme of Identity Within the Context of the Family.
- Of the wolves featured in the video, which ones remind you of Wander? Which ones are similar to Growl and/or Warm?
CHAPTERS 16-20
Reading Check
1. What predator does Wander encounter for the very first time in Chapter 16?
2. When Wander finds his new home in Chapter 19, he leaves his scent in the area. What single word best describes what declaration Wander’s scent makes?
3. What is the name of the female wolf that Wander meets in Chapter 20?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. Why do the horses in Chapters 16 and 17 cause Wander to feel a sense of loneliness?
2. When Wander encounters fire in Chapter 18, how do Growl’s teachings once again help him survive?
3. At the conclusion of the novel, what happens that makes Wander feel as though his trials and travails have all been worth it?
Paired Resource
- In this 2-minute video from 2013, local news station KTVL 10 reports on OR-7’s finding a mate in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon.
- In a real-world example of The Coming-of-Age Narrative, OR-7 establishes a new pack, a significant moment in his journey.
- How does this video touch upon the tension between wolves like Wander/OR-7 and human life?
Recommended Next Reads
The Call of the Wild by Jack London
- The Call of the Wild is the classic wilderness adventure by American author Jack London. The book is told from the perspective of Buck, a sled dog making his way on a perilous trip through the frozen Arctic.
- The more that Buck becomes acquainted with the wilderness, the more he understands his Identity Within the Context of the Natural World.
- Like A Wolf Called Wander, The Call of the Wild is narrated from the first-person perspective of an animal making his way on a long journey.
- The Call of the Wild on SuperSummary
Winterdance: The Fine Madness of Running the Iditarod by Gary Paulsen
- Winterdance is Gary Paulsen’s real-life account of his experiences competing in the Iditarod, a grueling 1,180-mile dogsled race that traverses the Alaskan wilderness.
- In Paulsen’s observations of his sled dogs, he discusses how they function as a pack, as well as their Identity Within the Context of the Family.
- Both Parry and Paulsen have an appreciation for the natural world, but especially for the rugged wilderness throughout North America, which is evident throughout both books.
- Winterdance on SuperSummary
Reading Questions Answer Key
CHAPTERS 1-5
Reading Check
Short Answer
1. Because he is the first of his litter to stand and walk, his parents give him the name of “Swift.” (Chapter 1)
2. A lead wolf is not defined by any sort of physical traits. The main requirement in a lead wolf is his ability to feed the pack. (Chapter 2)
3. Mother and Father leave marks at strategic intervals around the perimeter of the family’s territory, indicating to the other pack that this region belongs to Wander’s family. They then have the pack join together and howl, to punctuate this message. (Chapter 3)
4. In the melee with the other pack, Wander expertly weaves through the trees, using his extensive knowledge of the territory to lead the rival wolf into danger. He goads the wolf into making a dangerous leap, and the rival falls to his death. (Chapter 4)
CHAPTERS 6-10
Reading Check
1. Vultures (Chapter 6)
2. They were eating a human’s pet. (Chapter 7)
3. “I would follow you anywhere.” (Chapter 8)
4. Salmon (Chapter 10)
Short Answer
1. Wander kills a racoon for food, and the remnants of its body attract the attention of a raven. Wander recalls that his father would collaborate with ravens to acquire food in his family’s home territory. (Chapter 7)
2. He happens upon his brother Warm, who is also observing the bachelor wolves from afar. Although both are injured and hungry, they are delighted to see one another and join forces. (Chapter 8)
3. Warm’s tragic death spurs Wander to pursue his long trek in earnest. His death also demonstrates to readers the many dangers posed to modern-day wolves by the growing human population. In addition to Warm, two other wolves are killed by humans in this incident, immediately demonstrating Wander’s mother’s warning that humans can “kill with a look.” (Chapter 9)
4. Even though he is smaller, weaker, and less capable than Wander, he still presses on to reunite with his brother despite his mortal wounds, his hunger, and his inability to defend himself. (Chapters 6-10)
CHAPTERS 11-15
Reading Check
Short Answer
1. Wander doesn’t understand the concept of “fence.” For him, the concept of a physical, human-made border is completely foreign. (Chapter 11)
2. The buck was killed by a passing car on the road. Wander does not understand killing a creature for no reason, without having any respect for its life. Murdering the buck and then abandoning it on the side of the road strikes him as nonsensical. (Chapter 12)
3. Wander needs to communicate across the black river to the female wolf that she will be in grave danger if she attempts to cross the road. He recalls how Growl would use his facial expressions, body language, and voice to prevent Wander and his siblings from crossing dangerous boundaries, and he mimics that posturing. (Chapter 13)
4. Wander is incredibly thirsty when he sees the flock of birds, because he has been roaming a drier, desolate area. He needs water. When he follows them, they lead him to the shore of a lake. He delights in drinking and swimming in the water. (Chapter 14)
CHAPTERS 16-20
Reading Check
Short Answer
1. He witnesses the horses—a family, with a young foal—acting as a unit. This causes Wander to remember how he is alone, without his pack. (Chapter 16-17)
2. Wander recalls Growl’s advice to seek water in the event of a fire. So when a fire erupts across the arid landscape, Wander runs as quickly as he can to a river at the bottom of a ravine. (Chapter 18)
3. He forms a new bond with Night, who eventually retreats to a den where she has three brand-new pups with Wander. Wander feels a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction at seeing this generation of new life; he feels his trials have been worth it, now that the legacy of his beloved family will endure in a new generation of wolves. (Chapter 20)
