The End of the Wild

Starred review from January 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.

Starred review from February 1, 2017
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 brother-s--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)

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February 1, 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.

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from March 15, 2017
Grades 3-6 *Starred Review* Incredible things can be found in the woods if you know where to look. Fern loves wandering among the trees, which remind her of her mother and help feed her family while Toivo, her stepfather, is between jobs. The past year has been tough on them all since the accident took Fern's mother and baby brother, but Fern helps Toivo by cooking, minding her two little brothers, and foraging for food. It's a lot of pressure for a sixth-grader, and the calls from bill collectors and Child Protective Services only add to her worries. When a fracking company comes to town with plans to turn her woods into a wastewater pond, Fern decides to use her STEM fair project to showcase the useful flora the community would lose if the frackers chop down the trees. Helget (Wonder at the Edge of the World, 2015) has penned a rich narrative laced with astute observations on poverty, grief, forgiveness, and environmental concerns. Many stories would buckle under such weighty themes, but Fern proves a stalwart protagonist who bears this load admirably. Her fortitude and big heart give the story a determined hopefulness, even as she comes to realize many of life's problems don't have simple or straightforward solutions. An uncommonly fine account of perseverance and understanding in the face of adversity.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2017
Eleven-year-old Fern lives with her brothers and her out-of-work stepfather in a ramshackle house in rural Michigan. She takes pride in supporting her family by foraging for food, but a fracking operation threatens her beloved woods. The plot is uninventive and characterization is weak, though this novel achieves the noble feat of presenting both sides of a complex environmental issue.

(Copyright 2017 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)