BooksforTopics Reading for Pleasure Recommendations

Today we are delighted to share more about Michelle Paver’s new book, Skin Taker – the latest in her return to the legendary Wolf Brother children’s series, following the publication of Viper’s Daughter last year.

The Wolf Brother series was a phenomenon when first launched and each of the titles in the six-book series became Top 10 bestsellers, with Wolf Brother selling over 250,000 copies. Fans have been delighted to see a return to the series since Viper’s Daughter, and many new readers have discovered the gripping pre-historic adventures afresh this year.

In Skin Taker, disaster strikes the Forest and a new evil haunts the devastated land. To save their world, Torak, Renn and Wolf embark on a dangerous, magical, and heart-stopping adventure that will test them like never before. Set in the Stone Age, the themes of friendship, kinship and respect for the natural world continue to resonate – perhaps now more than ever.

Read on for our review panelist’s thoughts on the book…

Book Title: Skin Taker (available here)

Author: Michelle Paver

Publisher: Head of Zeus

Publication Date: April 2021

Most Suitable for: Years 5-6+

Review by: Natasha Kendrick

It is Midwinter and Torak, Renn and the wolf pack are living their lives; hunting, ice fishing and surviving – until disaster strikes in the form of a Thunderstar. The Thunderstar, unseen by the clan’s Mage, causes chaos across the land and destroys the forest. Torak and Renn, lucky to survive, locate other surviving clans and together with Dark and Wolf plot a way to bring the forest back to life, but a well-known Demon stands in the way as well as the monstrous Skin-Takers. Will they manage to find their way to the Sacred Grove and manage to complete the Rite without being captured by the Chosen Ones and their leader?

The story, which is the eighth book in the Wolf Brother series, continues to follow Torak, Renn and Wolf and their adventures. Characters from past books reappear as well as references to the previous stories from the series. This novel can be followed and understood by new readers to the series, working well as a standalone story too.

I would recommend this book for children in Upper Key stage 2 and Key Stage, due to its challenging themes and at times gory nature. It has links to the history curriculum and explores the way of life in prehistoric times, offering fascinating insights into the characters’ understanding of the world they live in.

The story is one of adventure, mystery and suspense; the reader is hooked into the plot and will find themselves willing Torak and Renn on with their quest.

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Skin Taker by Michelle Paver is published 1st April 2021, published by Zephyr, an imprint of Head of Zeus, price £12.99 in hardback.

Order Skin Taker online from Amazon or Bookshop.

Many thanks to the publishers for sending us a review copy. Follow along with the other stops on the blog tour for more about the book.

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