Lucinda Gifford, The Wolves of Greycoat Hall, Walker Books, September 2020, 224 pp., RRP $19.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781760651596.
Boris, Randall and Leonora Greycoat are a family of wolves who live in Moravia, but when they see an article in The Lupine Times announcing that wolves are to be reintroduced into Scotland, they travel there for the summer to explore their Scottish ancestry. Some aren’t happy about the sudden appearance of wolves, while others welcome them with open arms, but when the Greycoats discover an ancient castle they have links to is about to be turned into a luxury resort, they are determined to find a way to preserve the castle for all to enjoy.
This is a gentle story about a family of wolves who are polite, curious and LOVE cake. The illustrations are clever and funny, and along with the hardcover, give this book a classic feeling. There are lots of wonderful curiosities such as a recipe for Bannocks, an illustrated family tree and very eccentric extracts from the Guide to Moravia. There is so much to love about this book, including the eclectic townsfolk, the kind wolves, and the irrepressible son Boris, who, with his reading of the History of the Scottish Greycoats, finds a way to preserve and protect history and also teach the town that wolves may not be as scary as once thought.
Reviewed by Deborah Abela
