THE WILDERNESS

Cautious Oktober avoids the unpredictable outdoors…until he finds himself face to face with the Wilderness.

The Vasylenko family has 12 children, each named after a month of the year. They’re adventure seekers who dream of wild things and places—all except Oktober, who prefers his journeys to be tucked between the covers of his books. He’s terrified of encountering the Wilderness monster—though Mom tells him the wilderness isn’t a beast but “a place filled with many stories and adventures.” After reluctantly heading outside, Oktober wanders off alone and finds himself lost…with the Wilderness, a hulking yet smiling creature made up of leaves. Confronting his biggest fear, Oktober realizes that the Wilderness is afraid, too. With help from his new friend, Oktober makes his way home. This story is an effective metaphor for conquering fears. Oktober is a likable, wide-eyed bookworm, stronger and more adventurous than he realizes. Fittingly, McCarthy’s sweeping landscapes are full of gorgeous earth tones with rolling fog, mossy waterfalls, and piles of autumnal leaves adeptly brought to life. The endpapers serve as an intriguing visual glossary of fictional plants and animals, like the screaming Susan and the rumble weed. Oktober’s father is light-skinned, while he and his mother are brown-skinned; the other children are racially diverse. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A rich, imaginative world inhabited by believable, endearing humans.