Wayward Creatures by Dayna Lorentz

Wayward Creatures

Dayna Lorentz

HarperCollins · Paperback · July 11, 2023

"As a story about community, healing, and family—both human and animal—this is one of the best."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review.

Buy on Amazon

We earn from qualifying purchases.

Who it’s for
A warm, searching animal friendship story where belonging and healing take shape after a forest fire.
Themes
Community and belonging, Healing, Family
Genres
Wolves & Coyotes, Friendship, Growing Up

About this book

"As a story about community, healing, and family—both human and animal—this is one of the best."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review. In this heartfelt animal friendship story, a troubled young boy befriends a wayward coyote after a forest fire changes both of their lives. Perfect for fans of A Wolf Called Wander and Pax. Winner of the 2023 Charlotte Huck Award Twelve-year-old Gabe doesn’t know where he belongs anymore.

Continue reading

His family is caught up in their own lives and his friends barely have time for him now that they’re stars on the soccer team. In a desperate plea for attention to impress his friends after school, Gabe sets off fireworks in the woods near his house and causes a small forest fire that destroys several acres of land. In the chaos of the destruction, a coyote named Rill—tired of her family and longing for adventure—finds herself far from home. Already on animal control’s watch for wandering into a backyard and snapping at a child, Rill crawls into a cave, where she nurses her wounds alone. Gabe and Rill’s paths irrevocably cross when Gabe is tasked with cleaning up the forest through the court's restorative justice program. The damage to the land and both their lives is beyond what the two can imagine. But together, they discover that sometimes it only takes one friend to find the place where you belong.

Wild Belonging

A warm, searching animal friendship story where belonging and healing take shape after a forest fire.

Come here for

  • The bond between a boy and a wayward coyote
  • A thoughtful look at belonging, family, and repair

Expect

  • Both human and animal perspectives
  • Tenderness alongside the consequences of a fire

Where it sits

Wolves & Coyotes97%
Friendship89%
Growing Up60%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • Survival Stories
  • Dog Stories
  • Wolves & Coyotes
  • Girls & Young Women
Show all 8 publisher categories
  • Magic & Fantasy
  • Growing Up
  • Big Feelings
  • Friendship
Authors
Dayna Lorentz
Publisher
HarperCollins
Published
July 11, 2023
Format
Paperback
Theme
Community and belonging · Healing · Family
Reading lane
Survival Stories