Author Mark Guillerman skillfully interweaves multiple storylines in this compelling YA novel combining the quest of American Indians to preserve their heritage with the tale of a mixed-breed wolf/dog who embodies the legend of Lakousa, the Wolf King.

In 1910, 12-year-old Joseph Cross and his 14-year-old cousin, Elizabeth White Cloud, are traveling with the Lakota Sioux from Montana to Pennsylvania’s Carlisle Indian School, whose stated mission is to “Kill the Indian to save the Man.” En route, they stop at the Johannsen ranch, where Joseph bonds with Big Black, a Newfoundland/wolf pup.

At the school, the cousins are separated but both strive to retain their Indian hearts even while forced to adapt to white ways. Joseph works with horses and meets the legendary athlete Jim Thorpe, while Elizabeth is trained as a domestic servant. But prejudice and danger lurk everywhere.

Meanwhile, Big Black, who ran away from the ranch seeking freedom and has joined a wolf pack, has a bounty on his head and a slew of hunters eager to kill him, especially Clyde Baxter and Moondog Burrows, who have ice running through their veins. But Big Black has other plans, and those looking to capture him have no idea what they’re fighting.

Varying viewpoints and storylines keep the action moving. The story is respectful of Lakota Sioux culture while also depicting the discrimination Indians faced. The anthropomorphized Big Black, his search for where he belongs, and his mission to defend himself and his family against the bounty hunters is riveting.

Some timeline issues are puzzling; for example, 25 pages after Elizabeth and Joseph arrive at the school, readers learn that a month has passed. Narrative discussing the same scene on the next page, though, indicates that six months have passed. Name Inconsistencies also distract, with both villain Dexter Talbot and Moondog referred to as Jake on different pages.

Regardless of these minor issues, readers will enjoy this historical adventure and its well-wrought, compelling characters.

Also available in hardcover and ebook.