Review: The Wolves of Greycoat Hall: Boris in Switzerland

Boris in Switzerland, the second book in the Wolves of Greycoat Hall series, is full of imagination, humour, action, and clever language and visual elements. 

Boris is a wolf who lives with his mum, Leonora and dad, Randall in Greycoat Hall. There's also his horse, Vlad.

Boris is looking forward to seeing his friends, who have been away for the holidays, but is disappointed, and a little bit nervous, when he discovers he will have to live in Switzerland for a term.

Boris' great aunt has injured herself and needs help for a while, so Leonora and Randall will be looking after her while Boris attends a swanky boarding school called the Institute of International Excellence.

On the journey to Switzerland, Boris starts reading The Art of the Wolf, a book his dad is writing about a wolf artist. Though he doesn't know it yet, this will provide valuable information in solving a mystery that will soon start to unfold.

Boris juggles being himself, a linguistically talented wolf (he can speak English, French, Prussian and Morovian), with learning new subjects like heli-boarding (seriously) and digital media (wolf paws are not great with keyboards), and making new friends.

He also notices strange things happening. Eventually, and with help from his new friends, Boris (and readers) will uncover what's going on. 

As the mystery and its resolution unfold, readers also learn a bit about Morovian wolf culture. Did you know they like knitting and ghost stories? And they make cheese, but most are terrible bakers? These and other facts are shared in extracts from 'A Guide to Morovia' which are sprinkled throughout the book.

There are a generous number of illustrations included by author and illustrator Lucinda Gifford which help make this a fantastic book for newly independent readers, or for reading aloud to younger children. Adults will enjoy Boris in Switzerland as much as kids. Top marks!

Title: The Wolves of Greycoat Hall: Boris in Switzerland
Author/Illustrator: Lucinda Gifford
Publisher: Walker Books Australia, $16.99
Publication Date: February 2023
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781760655327
For ages: 6--9 year olds
Type: Junior Fiction

from Kids' Book Review https://ift.tt/IYt4o72