Brendon and the Wolves

Laurence Steven is Chairman of the English Department at Laurentian
University and author of Dissociation and Wholeness in Patrick White’s
Fiction.

This is Morgan’s seventeenth book for children. Morgan was inspired to
write this adventure story when, while staying at a cottage on
Ontario’s Georgian Bay, he heard a dog howl in the middle of the
night. He apparently hopes to teach children that life’s adventures
should help them grow, yet still return them to your their true home.

The story describes a boy named Brendon, who is camping with his
parents when he hears a howl that leads him into a mysterious forest.
Finding a pack of wolves howling in the moonlight, Brendon lets out a
howl, whereupon the changeling moon, with its magic light, transforms
him into a wolf. He becomes a member of a pack and lives with the wolves
for a year. Once again the changeling moon returns, reminding Brendon of
his past. He begins to cry and lets out a lonely howl, and the
changeling moon restores him to human form. So Brendon returns to his
home with his parents, and everything goes back to normal.

Brendon and the Wolves is a fantasy that most children between the ages
of five and nine will find enjoyable. Morgan’s use of characterization
is effective in keeping the reader’s attention. His plot, however, is
lacking in action, excitement, and suspense. It is Farmilo’s
illustrations that allow children to become involved in the action.
Farmilo, a gifted artist, has used her talents well in portraying
Morgan’s story. Without her illustrations, Morgan’s plot might not
sustain a child’s interest.