 O THER B OOKS
IN
J ULIE
THE WOLVES THRILOGY
# 2 J ULIE
# 3 J ULIE’S WOLF PACK
OF
Book
Club
Discussion Guide
Author Information
Jean Craighead George was born in a family of
naturalists. Her father, mother, brothers, aunts and
uncles were students of nature. On weekends they
camped in the woods near their Washington, D.C.
home, climbed trees to study owls, gathered
edible plants and made fish hooks from twigs. Her
first pet was a turkey vulture. In third grade she
began writing and hasn't stopped yet. She has
written over 100 books.
Her book, Julie of the Wolves won the
Newbery Medal, the American Association's
award for the most distinguished contribution to
literature for children, 1973. She received 20
other awards.
She attended Penn State University
graduating with a degree in Science and
Literature. In the 1940s she was a reporter for The
Washington Post and a member of the White
House Press Corps. After her children were born
she returned to her love of nature and brought
owls, robins, mink, sea gulls, tarantulas - 173 wild
animals into their home and backyard. These
became characters in her books and, although
always free to go, they would stay with the family
until the sun changed their behavior and they
migrated or went off to seek partners of their own
kind.
When her children, Twig, Craig and
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Luke, were old enough to carry their own
backpacks, they all went to the animals. They
climbed mountains, canoed rivers, hiked deserts.
Her children learned about nature and Jean came
home to write books. Craig and Luke are now
environmental scientists and Twig writes
children's books, too.
One summer Jean learned that the
wolves were friendly, lived in a well-run society
and communicated with each other in wolf talk—
sound, sight, posture, scent and coloration.
Excited to learn more, she took Luke and went to
the Naval Arctic Research Laboratory in Barrow,
Alaska, where scientists were studying this
remarkable animal. She even talked to the wolves
in their own language. With that, Julie of the
Wolves was born. A little girl walking on the vast
lonesome tundra outside Barrow, and a
magnificent alpha male wolf, leader of a pack in
Denali National Park were the inspiration for the
characters in the book. Years later, after many
requests from her readers, she wrote the sequels,
Julie and Julie's Wolf Pack.
In May 2012 children's author Jean
Craighead George, 92, died "peacefully and
Photos and author information taken from
painlessly", according to her agent Ginger
Jean Craighead George’s website:
Knowlton.
www.jeancreaigheadgeorge.com
Other Books by Author
The big book for peace
The talking earth
Shark beneath the reef
Water sky
Frightful’s mountain
The missing ‘gator of Gumbo Limbo
There’s an owl in the shower
My side of the mountain
On the far side of the mountain
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Who really killed Cock Robin?
The case of the missing cutthroats
Charlie’s raven
Tree castle island
The fire bug connection
The cats of Roxville Station
Dear Rebecca, winter is here
Dear Katie, the volcano is a girl
The cry of the crow
What’s it all about?
After Julie’s father disappears, Julie’s aunt arranges for her to marry.
Her middle school friends don’t seem to mind being married, so Julie
goes along until she meets her husband. Once she does Julie knows
marrying him will make her life unbearable so she runs off into the Alaskan wilderness. Julie quickly runs out of food and in desperation turns
to her neighbors, a pack of wolves, for help. Julie begins to learn more
about the wolves, herself, and what it takes to survive in the Alaskan
tundra.
Discussion Questions
1) Why has Miyax (Julie) run away
from home?
2) How is it that she is lost on the
tundra?
3) How does Miyax (Julie) feel about
American ways of life? How does
she feel about traditional Eskimo
ways of life? Do her feelings about
these remain constant throughout
the novel?
4) What has Kapugen taught Miyax?
5) What are the different seasons on
the Alaskan tundra like?
6) What does the author tell us about
the people and animals of Alaska?
7) What are some clues from the
author that tell the reader when the
story takes place?
8) What do you think is the most
important theme in Julie of the
Wolves?
9) Do you think that the traditional
Eskimo ways are better than the
more modern Eskimo ways? Why
or why not?
10) When have you had to be
courageous?
11) Which of the characters do you like
the most? The least? Why?
12) Is Miyax similar to kids you know
who are the same age? How are
they different?
13) Is there a character in Julie of the
Wolves who you think is a little like
you? How so?
14) Do you think any of the characters
are like the others? What
similarities do you see?
15) Should Jean Craighead George’s
book have won lots of awards? Are
there other award-winning books
you have read that were better or
worse? How so?
16) Are the messages and themes and
lessons taught in Julie of the Wolves
important now? Do you think they
will be more or less important in the
future? How so?
17) Is it okay that the author included
some sensitive issues and events in
Julie of the Wolves? Do you think
anything should have been left out?
The discussion questions came from Scholastic’s Reading Files for Julie of the Wolves
W EBSITES
TO CHECK
OUT
Jean Craighead George’s official
website:
www.jeancreaigheadgeorge.com
Harper Collins Jean Craighead
George’s website:
www.harpercollins.com/
authors/12122/
Jean_Craighead_George/
index.aspx?authorID=12122
Schmoop discussion questions’
website for Julie of the Wolves:
www.shmoop.com/julie-of-thewolves/questions.html
Scholastic’s Julies of the Wolves
Discussion Guide:
www.scholastic.com/teachers/
lesson-plan/julie-wolvesdiscussion-guide
Goodreads’ trivia and quizzes
for Julie of the Wolves:
www.goodreads.com/trivia/
work/778444-julie-of-the-wolves
Information and activities about
Alaska:
www.alaska.gov/kids/
United States of YA Image and
list of books came from Epic
Reads:
www.epicreads.com/blog/theunited-states-of-ya/