The End of the Wild

by Nicole Helget

Overview

This timely coming of age novel takes on the controversial issues of fracking and environmental protection.

Stay away from my woods.

Eleven-year-old Fern doesn't have the easiest life. Her stepfather is out of work, and she's responsible for putting dinner on the table--not to mention keeping her wild younger brothers out of trouble. The woods near their home is her only refuge, where she finds food and plays with her neighbor's dog. But when a fracking company rolls into town, her special grove could be ripped away, and no one else seems to care.

Her stepfather needs the money that a job with the frackers could bring to their family, and her wealthy grandfather likes the business it brings to their town. Even her best friend doesn't understand what the land means to Fern. With no one on her side, how can she save the forest that has protected her for so long?

The acclaimed author of Wonder at the Edge of the World weaves a poignant story about life on the poverty line, the environment, friendship and family--and, most of all, finding your place in the world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316245128
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	04/11/2017
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Lexile:	610L (what's this?)
File size:	17 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Nicole Helget is the acclaimed author of the middle grade novel Wonder at the Edge of the World and The End of the Wild,as well as three adult novels, The Turtle Catcher, The Summer of Ordinary Ways, and Stillwater. She has also co-authored a middle grade novel, Horse Camp, and she invites you to visit her online at nicolehelget.blogspot.com and @NicoleHelget. She lives in St. Peter, Minnesota.

Editorial Reviews

…thoughtful and timely…Helget sets her plot in motion carefully and with so much attention to real-world detail, you can almost hear the difficult discussions it will provoke in our current polarized national landscape…Fern—her name, of course, can't help but recall the beloved character from Charlotte's Web—is an endearing character who feels deeply and sees more than the adults around her do…While the larger debate about fracking plays out across the book, this is ultimately a story about the complicated effects it has on the life of one girl, a child who has the misfortune of being forced to reconcile fundamentally opposing ideas.

The New York Times Book Review - Jennifer L. Holm

★ 01/30/2017
Fern, a sixth grader in the fictional town of Colter, Mich., understands the “constant itch of being poor, how it’s always a bug biting your back in a place you can’t reach.” Since the death of Fern’s mother and youngest brother in a car accident, her ex-military stepfather, who self-medicates to manage his PTSD, has struggled to hold a job, leaving Fern to juggle school, caring for her brothers, and foraging for meals in a nearby forest. As Fern’s grandfather attempts to gain custody of the children, a hydraulic fracturing operation brings additional changes; fracking offers steady, much-needed income for her family and others but will also result in the demolition of Fern’s forest. Inspired by her mother’s recipe book, filled with ingredients found in the forest, Fern aims to win an annual science fair by spreading awareness about the resources that may soon be destroyed. Helget (Wonder at the End of the World) confronts substantial subjects like poverty, environmentalism, and mental illness, injecting humor and hope to provide balance. Without lecturing, she encourages readers to be thoughtful and curious, like Fern. Ages 8–12. Agent: Faye Bender, the Book Group. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for The End of the Wild:
A New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice
A Parents' Choice Award Winner
A Charlotte Huck Award Honor Book
A New York Public Library Best Books for Kids
A Kirkus Best Middle-Grade Book
An Outstanding Science Trade Book for Students
A Best STEM Trade Books for Students K-12
A Georgia Children's Book Award Nominee
A Minnesota Book Awards Middle Grade Winner


"Helget sets her plot in motion carefully and with so much attention to real-world detail, you can almost hear the difficult discussions it will provoke in our current polarized landscape."—The New York Times

* "This nuanced take on a pressing issue is an important one. Middle-grade readers will find much to think about in this beautifully written story."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* "Helget confronts substantial subjects like poverty, environmentalism, and mental illness, injecting humor and hope to provide balance. Without lecturing, she encourages readers to be thoughtful and curious."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

* "Helget has penned a rich narrative, laced with astute observations on poverty, grief, forgiveness, and environmental concerns.... An uncommonly fine account of perseverance and understanding in the face of adversity."—Booklist, starred review

"A stunning take on the environment, broken families, poverty, forgiveness, and death. Helget writes with grace, elegance, and humor about coming of age in a flawed world filled with beauty and peril. A poignant, uplifting, and entirely gripping read."—Pete Hautman, National Book Award winning author of Godless

"A big-hearted, generous story about loving one's self, one's community, and the environment. Fern is a stellar heroine, full of grace, intelligence, and resilience."—Jewell Parker Rhodes, award-winning author of Towers Falling

"Sensitive storytelling and richly drawn characters.... A thought-provoking, timely book that's sure to prompt lively discussion, and a powerful example of nature-writing for children."—Kate Hannigan, author of The Detective's Assistant

"An excellent book for readers interested in exploring a complex contemporary environmental issue.... A strong addition on a timely and important topic."—School Library Journal

"The discussion of fracking is balanced and leaves ultimate judgment up to the reader.... This book is well written and well worth inclusion in a collection."—School Library Connection

"With impressive pacing and precise, lyrical descriptions of the rural Michigan landscape and the diverse characters who make their home there, Helget crafts a remarkably even-handed story of a controversial topic."—BCCB

Praise for Wonder at the Edge of the World:A Bank Street College Best Children's Book

* "If ever a girl could make her mark on the world, it is Hallelujah Wonder.... With [her] at the helm, Wonder is full-blown adventure tinged with mysticism, intelligence, and the spirit of discovery."—Booklist, starred review

"As in Jacqueline Kelly's The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate, Lu's main focus is scientific exploration, and her informative musings will have readers wanting to do scientific research of their own.... An informative and richly detailed historical adventure."—School Library Journal

"Pulse-quickening exploits and taut descriptions will keep readers riveted.... Helget's tale celebrates the curiosity and mystery of life."—Kirkus Reviews

"Readers looking for a plucky heroine may find it a good fit."—VOYA

From the Publisher

02/01/2017
Gr 5–7—Eleven-year-old Fern has more responsibilities than most children her age. Since the deaths of her mother and baby sister in a car crash two years earlier, she has lived with her stepfather, Toivo, and her two younger brothers. Fern works hard to help keep her poor family together. Toivo, a veteran of the Iraq War, has been unemployed since losing his job as a mechanic, and although he does odd jobs to support his family, he drinks too much and it's a struggle to keep food on the table. Fern is central to the family's success. Their house is surrounded by a forest, which Fern treasures as both sanctuary and food basket. The woods are where she gathers ingredients to make dishes from her mother's recipe book, several of which are included in the novel. Fern has good friends, including her closest companion, Alkomso Isak, who wears a hijab, and she deeply respects her science teacher, Mr. Flores. Fern is struggling to select a project for the school's STEM fair when she discovers that her beloved woods are being considered as a wastewater pond for a fracking company. It is an especially complicated issue for Fern. Her grandfather, one of the town's wealthiest men, actively disapproves of Toivo and supports the frackers. To Toivo, the fracking company's arrival means he may be able to obtain a secure job. But as Fern learns more about the threat of environmental disruption, she decides on her STEM project and develops an unlikely friendship with a neighbor. Although some of the dialogue is improbable, this is an excellent book for readers interested in exploring a complex contemporary environmental issue. Fern is a likable character who is, in her words, figuring out "what kind of adult do I want to be." A worthy goal. VERDICT A strong addition on a timely and important topic.—Shelley Sommer, Inly School, Scituate, MA

School Library Journal

★ 2017-01-17
A struggling family in rural Michigan finds that fracking for natural gas can be positive and negative.In this moving story, ably told through the eyes of an 11-year-old "born naturalist," Helget weaves themes of poverty, parenting, appreciation for the natural world, and forgiveness through a balanced presentation of the complicated contemporary issue of energy supplies. Life has not been easy for Fern, a white girl who is sore-pressed to keep her family—stepfather Toivo and two younger brother­s—together. Her mother and a third brother were killed in an auto accident two years earlier. Wounded physically and emotionally by his service in Iraq, Toivo loves his children deeply but has had trouble finding and keeping work in a diminishing economy. Fern forages and Toivo hunts in the old-growth forest behind their home, the forest where Kloche's Hydraulic Fracturing wants to put a wastewater pond. Worse, Fern's grandfather supports the fracking; his company will sell Kloche's lots of piping. He's also demanding custody of the children. Fern's first-person voice is completely convincing. Her vocabulary and phrasing is rural Midwestern, and her imagery comes from the natural world she loves. The sense of place is palpable. The author demonstrates the poverty of Fern's family and friends (including a Muslim family from Somalia) with telling detail, and the tension and action arise naturally. Though occasional small details may pull readers out of the narrative, this nuanced take on a pressing issue is an important one. Middle-grade readers will find much to think about in this beautifully written story. (Fiction. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews