Gwen, Rupert and her pack are hungry and cold, but relieved to all have escaped the Reptile Park. With her parents in her mind, Wolf Girl worries and wonders where they might be?

Rupert has been working on stolen printouts and his GPS and decided that the enemy trucks all seem to travel to a village called Gulfoss. Getting there is even more dangerous than fleeing the Reptile Park, with cracking ice surrounding them. Eagle proves herself to be an important part of their pack again.

Gulfoss isn’t what they expected and when the sun comes up they learn more about where the trucks are going. Gwen wonders again if her parents are among those captives being walked onto an enormous ship at gunpoint. Rupert is sure he’s seen a familiar face, so they decide they must get on board.

Help comes from an unlikely source and they must all summon their courage to catch this moving ship. Once aboard they are keen to find a hiding place. Even at sea, the soldiers are armed, guns slung over their soldiers in the corridors, making them easy targets if seen.

A courageous pug called Pirate knows this ship like the back of his paw, and he aids their stealthy missions. Things seem to be going so well with Pirate as part of their pack, until the unthinkable happens. Shots ring out in the night.

Unable to shout their grief in fear of being caught, Wolf Girl, Rupert and the animals slink back to their hiding place to cry. Now they’re angry. Plans are made. Teeth are gritted and bared. This pack is going to fight back.

Wolf Girl 5 launches us straight back into the action we love. Gwen & Rupert are still keen to find their parents and so they follow the clues they’ve found. Boarding a ship as it pulls away from its port is suddenly part of their plan, putting them again in dangerous and unfamiliar territory. This gets the heart pumping and I even wondered if someone would be left behind.

Believing someone they know is somewhere aboard is a quiet torture for them, as they know the enemy is armed and they can’t search for them just yet. The spunky antics of the tiniest of their crew aids in their plan and adds some humour to the rising tension.

When shots ring out and one of their pack is down, even I cried out “No!” This pack loses more than one member in this episode, but gains one too! Chocka with Lachlan Creagh’s signature illustration style.

In the back of the book is a sealed Bonus Wolf Girl Adventure – a treat for avid Wolf Girl fans. 

Author – Anh Do

Illustrator – Lachlan Creagh

Age – 7+

Read the rest of the series (Click on a cover to read a review)

(2021, Allen & Unwin, Series, Courage, Friendship, Parents, Animals, Wolf pack, Humour, Conflict, Mystery, Soldiers, Control, Escape, Prisoner, Ship, Grief, Loss, Captured, Sea, Ocean, Funny)