Title: Welcome to Paradise (Wolf Girl 8)
Author: Anh Doh
Illustrated: Lachlan Creagh
Published: December 2022
Publisher: Allen and Unwin
Readership: Middle Grade
Rating: ★★★★
RRP: $15.99
I received a copy of Welcome to Paradise from the publishers for review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Wolf Girl and her trusty pack are in for a really WILD adventure!
But saving themselves from certain death is only the beginning! Soon after, the pack is marooned on a mysterious island filled with wild animals. Why does it exist? And what could it possibly have to do with Gwen’s long-lost sister?
From jungle to savannah, it will be the most unlikely allies who come to their aid…
Anh Doh is perhaps one of the most prolific junior fiction writer’s currently releasing books for younger readers here in Australia, but his Wolf Girl series has a special significance to me. It was the first of his children’s books I read back when I was teaching Year 3/4 and the books really appealed to the students in my class. It’s a great action series with a female heroine and it really captured the attention of my students. Once I put a copy of the first book in our classroom library I don’t think I saw it again until the end of the school year.
Now 8 books in, Welcome to Paradise is about Gwen and her pack’s search for Gwen’s sister on a mysterious island. They’ve escaped the clutches of their enemies, but are marooned and need to trust some unlikely allies in order to stay one step ahead of the people chasing them.
As with all the books in the series, it is fast paced and every chapter leaves you ready to turn the page to keep reading. There are plenty of illustrations to highlight important events and characters – or just showcase some of the pack’s antics! – and use of text size and font to emphasise major plot moments. It’s funny and entertaining and perfect for this age group.
This edition of the book also includes a (sealed) bonus Wolf Girl adventure, along with profiles on two of the pack – Tiny and Sunrise.
Noveltea Corner 