For the child grappling with profound loss or feeling utterly alone, this book explores survival, resilience, and finding belonging in the most unexpected places.
A parent might reach for this book when their child is navigating the profound grief of losing a family member and is struggling with feelings of loneliness and disorientation. "The Pack" tells the story of Swift, a loyal pet dog whose comfortable life is shattered by a catastrophic earthquake that separates him from his people. Alone and terrified, he must learn to survive in a ruined city, eventually joining a pack of stray dogs. This allegorical tale powerfully explores themes of trauma, resilience, and the difficult process of building a new family while still mourning the old one. It is an intense but ultimately hopeful story for middle grade readers ready to process complex emotions through a compelling animal survival adventure.
Contains realistic descriptions of dog fights for territory and dominance, as well as hunting scenes.
Scary ScenesModerate
The opening earthquake scene is intense and frightening. Other scenes involve peril and danger.
Sensitive Topics
The book deals directly with catastrophic loss and death. The death of Swift’s human family is the inciting incident and the core of his trauma. The approach is secular and metaphorical, using the natural disaster and animal survival to explore human grief. Other dogs also die due to fights, starvation, or accidents. The resolution is realistic and hopeful: Swift does not find his old family, but forges a new one with the pack, accepting his new reality while still carrying the memory of his past.
Ideal Reader
The ideal reader is a 10 to 12-year-old animal lover who is grappling with a significant personal loss, such as the death of a parent, sibling, or close relative. It is particularly suited for a child who finds it easier to process difficult emotions through the filter of an animal’s perspective. It also strongly appeals to fans of intense, realistic survival stories like “Hatchet” or the “Survivors” series.
Parent Prep
Parents should preview the opening chapters depicting the earthquake and its immediate aftermath, as it is frightening and chaotic. Be prepared for scenes of realistic animal violence, including dog fights and hunting. The emotional weight of Swift’s grief is present throughout the entire book. It is a book that benefits from discussion, not one to be handed to a sensitive child to read alone without context or support. A parent has witnessed their child become withdrawn, sad, or angry after a family tragedy. The child might say things like “I’m all alone now,” or “Nothing will ever be the same.” The child is struggling to articulate their grief, and a story like this can provide a safe narrative distance to explore those feelings.
Age Experience
A younger reader, around 9, will likely focus on the high-stakes survival plot: the adventure, the danger from rival packs, and the details of life as a stray dog. An older reader, 11 or 12, is more likely to connect with the deeper allegory of grief and trauma. They will better appreciate Swift’s complex internal conflict between his past and present identities and the nuanced social dynamics of the pack as a metaphor for finding one’s place after a life-altering event.
What Makes It Special
Unlike many animal adventure stories, “The Pack” uses its premise to create a raw, unflinching allegory for childhood grief. Its primary focus is the emotional journey of recovering from trauma, not just the physical act of survival. It is more emotionally direct than the “Warriors” series and more grounded in realistic animal behavior than books like “The One and Only Ivan,” making the emotional parallels to human experience particularly powerful.
Read plot summary
Swift is a pampered pet whose world is destroyed by a massive earthquake, which the dogs call “The Big Growl.” He is separated from his human family, whom he presumes are dead. Lost in the ruins of the city, he encounters a pack of stray dogs led by a stern alpha named Arrow. Swift, now called “Twitch” by the pack, must unlearn his life as a pet and adopt the harsh rules of pack life to survive. He struggles with his grief and his new identity, navigating complex pack dynamics, territorial disputes, and the constant search for food and safety.
This overview was generated by AI based on the book's content and reviews, and may not capture every nuance.
Discussion Prompts
1
Swift has to learn a new set of rules to survive in the pack. What was the hardest rule for him to follow, and why do you think it was so difficult for him to let go of his 'pet' behaviors?
2
Arrow is the pack's alpha. Do you think he is a good leader? Describe a decision he made that you agreed with, and one that you disagreed with.
3
Near the end, Swift makes a choice about where he belongs. Does choosing his new pack family mean he has forgotten his old human family? Can you care deeply for new people while still missing those you've lost?
4
The dogs call the earthquake 'The Big Growl.' Why is giving a name to a scary event important? How does it change how the dogs, and the reader, think about what happened?
5
Think about the different dogs in the pack, like Arrow, Whisper, and Fiery. How did each one help or challenge Swift in his journey to belong?
