Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George

[louisak]

Wondering if anyone has read Julie of the Wolves and can you comment on its suitability for a 14-year old girl. My daughter loved Island of the Blue Dolphins and this seems like something similar, however the plot synopsis suggests there may be some content that might be disturbing to my daughter (regarding Julie’s marriage).

Thanks to anyone who has read the book and can comment.

 

[EnglishTeacher]

Wondering if anyone has read Julie of the Wolves and can you comment on its suitability for a 14-year old girl. My daughter loved Island of the Blue Dolphins and this seems like something similar, however the plot synopsis suggests there may be some content that might be disturbing to my daughter (regarding Julie’s marriage).

Thanks to anyone who has read the book and can comment.

There is a rape scene where her husband forces himself on her. (The heroine, Julie, is in an arranged marriage.) That part definitely could be disturbing for younger readers. For a 14-year-old, I would say it depends. The book is most likely at your local library; I would recommend checking it out yourself and at least skimming through it before deciding whether to give it to your daughter to read, since you know her best.

 

[ToeInTheWater]

Wondering if anyone has read Julie of the Wolves and can you comment on its suitability for a 14-year old girl. My daughter loved Island of the Blue Dolphins and this seems like something similar, however the plot synopsis suggests there may be some content that might be disturbing to my daughter (regarding Julie’s marriage).

Thanks to anyone who has read the book and can comment.

I have read the book, I think I was younger than your daughter when I did. Julie is indeed married off at age 13, as traditional in Inuit culture. Her husband is abusive, and she runs away from him, and eventually winds up alone on the tundra until a pack of wolves takes her in. Apparently the book has been “banned” or “challenged” due to a “marital rape” scene but I don’t recall anything too graphic. It’s been at least 20 years since I read the book and it probably went right over my head when I read it.

I also read the sequel, “Julie”. but I was disappointed I thought the ending, unlike the bittersweet but realistic original one, was too good to be true. In the sequel, Julie not only reconciles with her estranged father but somehow manages to convert him back to a more traditional way of life. She also has a romance that, again, seemed too good to be true. Ironically the author apparently researched Inuit culture much more before writing the sequel so apparently the depictions are more authentic than in the original.

 

[AbideWithMe]

I loved both Island of the Blue Dolphins and Julie of the Wolves, and reread them numerous times starting when I was probably 11 or 12.

 

[In_Hoc_Signo312]

I read it at age 12. The scene the other readers have alluded to might be a bit much, but I think the rest of it is fine. As a disclaimer, I should also point out that I’m a guy.