The Wolving Time by Patrick Jennings (0-439-39555-0)
Laszlo is a shepherd who lives in a loving home with his mother and father. He spends his days looking after the sheep with his dog Gizi. He also protects his parents’ secret. They are werewolves. The danger in this story doesn’t come from the werewolves, but from the Inquisition where people were accused of being witches and werewolves and were tortured and burned at the stake.
It is the setting of 16th-century France and the Inquisition that makes this story work so well. It provides the horror and the werewolves provide the humanity. A great juxtaposition that gets the reader thinking about who are the monsters and what it means to judge before understanding.
Recommended for both boys and girls. The werewolves will sell the book, but kids will come out thinking. It would also be a great book talk choice, especially because the cover may not sell it to kids, but the story will.

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