• Booklist Reviews : Booklist Reviews 2020 September #1
  *Starred Review* Wolf applies the same narrative treatment he expertly deployed in The Watch That Ends the Night (2011) to another infamous tragedy, that of the Donner Party. With a mixture of poetry and prose, the American settlers' westward journey is narrated by various members of the caravan, including children of the Reed family, Tamzene Donner ("The Scholar"), and, most chillingly, Hunger. Wolf's meticulous research—detailed in a hefty afterword—leeches into every word of his spare, evocative writing, which charts the journey's deterioration from hopeful to harrowing. Also among the tale's voices are two Native guides, who ensure that the deplorable treatment of Native Americans is not erased from the broader story of westward expansion. Though historical fiction, this book is truly slow-burn horror that sees relationships strained, loyalties fractured, minds shattered, and a body count that piles up like the snow relentlessly falling on the trapped travelers. While famous for resorting to cannibalism, the group's decision to eat its dead is agonizingly made and relayed without judgement. Wolf stokes empathy in the reader for these most unfortunate travelers, and those whose fascination is also sparked will want to dig into the book's back matter, which is packed with historical notes, biographies, stats, a time line, and resources on the Donner Party. Another bone-chilling, unshakable success by Wolf. Grades 8-12. Copyright 2020 Booklist Reviews.

Allan Wolf is an acclaimed poet and storyteller. Along with his two other historical verse novels, The Watch That Ends the Night: Voices from the Titanic and New Found Land: Lewis and Clark&;s Voyage of Discovery, he is the author of The Blood-Hungry Spleen and Other Poems About Our Parts and the young adult novels Who Killed Christopher Goodman? and Zane's Trace. Allan Wolf lives in Asheville, North Carolina.