Review by Booklist Review
Abby Wambach's 2018 commencement speech to Barnard College not only went viral but led to her follow-up book, Wolfpack. In this young readers' edition, the two-time Olympic gold medalist and FIFA World Cup champion delivers eight guiding principles for leading, working through life, and changing the world. In her introduction, she explains how the wolf pack concept derived from wolves reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park. Once feared to be a threat, they became the ecosystem's salvation. The first chapter reaffirms this symbolism as Wambach encourages young people to refrain from staying on the guided path like Little Red Riding Hood and instead, create their own path like the Wolf. Successive chapters spotlight such values as finding motivation from failure, championing each other in times of triumph, and how everyone can find ways to be positive leaders. Wambach makes each point salient and accessible through short, personal stories of strife and success while also highlighting ways that young people can work toward overcoming gender, racial, and other forms of injustice. An inspiring call to personal action.Women in Focus: The 19th in 2020
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 5--8--Wambach is a two-time member of the Olympic Women's Soccer Team, and a true leader for not only her teammates but for young girls around the world. She is a FIFA World Cup champion and has the highest all-time international goal-scoring record for male and female soccer players. Adapted from her adult book, which was inspired by her commencement speech at Barnard College, in this edition she offers her message to younger girls. She believes the rules of engagement for girls have changed. Wambach starts each chapter with the old rule, and the new rule followed by an illustration. For example, she starts in chapter one with "Old Rule: Stay on the path. New Rule: Create your own path." She ends each with a call to the "wolfpack," helping them find a way to lead. Read by the athlete herself, the book's message rings true with a serious and matter-of-fact approach. She reads with assurance and her good experience is one to share. It is as if Wambach is standing in front of the listener and speaking. Even though each example is from her experience as a soccer player and deals with team-building, perseverance, and good sportsmanship, listeners of all ages will benefit from her advice in many situations. Wambach is also an activist for gay rights, making this audiobook a good choice for an even broader audience. VERDICT Listeners of all ages will find ways to apply Wambach's advice whether they play sports or not.--Karen Alexander, Lake Fenton H.S., Linden, MI
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Soccer star and activist Wambach adapts Wolfpack (2019), her New York Times bestseller for adults, for a middle-grade audience. "YOU. ARE. THE. WOLVES." That rallying cry, each word proudly occupying its own line on the page, neatly sums up the fierce determination Wambach demands of her audience. The original Wolfpack was an adaptation of the viral 2018 commencement speech she gave at Barnard College; in her own words, it was "a directive to unleash [the graduates'] individuality, unite the collective, and change the world." This new adaption takes the themes of the original and recasts them in kid-friendly terms, the call to action feeling more relevant now than ever. With the exception of the introduction and closing remarks, each short chapter presents a new leadership philosophy, dishing out such timeless advice as "Be grateful and ambitious"; "Make failure your fuel"; "Champion each other"; and "Find your pack." Chapters utilize "rules" as a framing device. The first page of each presents a generalized "old" and "new" rule pertaining to that chapter's guiding principle, and each chapter closes with a "Call to the Wolfpack" that sums up those principles in more specific terms. Some parts of the book come across as somewhat quixotic or buzzword-heavy, but Wambach deftly mitigates much of the preachiness with a bluff, congenial tone and refreshing dashes of self-deprecating humor. Personal anecdotes help ground each of the philosophies in applicability, and myriad heavy issues are respectfully, yet simply broached. A powerful resource for young people itching for change. (Nonfiction. 10-14) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
