I Am Wolf

Alastair Chisholm's I Am Wolf is a big, bold adventure for 11 year olds set in a world where whole clans live on the backs of giant fighting machines.

What happens

Coll's home is Wolf, a thirty-metre steel Construct who runs, hunts and battles rivals like Hyena and Raven. Her crew ride on her deck. When they believe in her hard enough, they feel her heartbeat through their feet and become part of her (they call it the Call).

Coll loves Wolf with everything he's got. The trouble is, Wolf's crew don't much like anyone who's different. Coll's lower left arm and leg are prosthetics. One boy calls him "Faulty". And his mum is Alpha, the leader, who keeps pulling him off scouting trips.

Then Coll rescues a tiny, terrified boy being bullied in a town. The boy comes from a rival clan, so Coll gives him a new name and decides he's Wolf now. It's a really touching part of the story. Coll is gruff and bossy with him, and a total softie underneath.

In a battle with Raven, Coll's arm suddenly fails, and the crew's answer is that his faith must be weak. Before long he's thrown off Wolf and stranded on the ground. There he has to decide who to trust, and he starts to learn things about his clan that change everything.

Reading it is like being strapped onto Wolf's deck. The fights are loud, fast and properly thrilling. But the quiet moments get you too. Coll tugging his sleeve down over his hand. Coll sitting on a bunk, promising a crying boy that everything will be all right.

There's a lot to think about as well. Is it fair for a group to throw away anyone who's sick or different? What happens when you start asking questions? Older readers will have plenty of opinions.

Worth knowing before you hand it over

The battles are big and people get hurt. Crew fall from the Constructs and are left lying on the ground, and Wolf's clan is harsh about weakness. It's a hard world, and the book doesn't pretend otherwise.

What to read next

If they want more from the same author, try The Consequence Girl. Cora lives somewhere hard and hidden too, and she's been told to keep her own special difference a secret.