Applegate, K.A. Wombat WaitingMay 5, 2026 by Storytide
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
A small dog in California has been on her own on the streets since her mother and siblings were lost to cars, and she is just trying to get by. When there are wildfires in the area, she hears a voice in her head telling to go towards the fire rather than away from it. Another dog, Silas, tells her that she is a "destiny dog" and might eventually meet her person, so she continues to follow the voice. There is a stunned owlet she meets along the way, and she manages to get the bird to hop onto a stick so she can carry him away from the fire. We also meet Henry, a boy who is preparing to leave his home along with his younger sister, Sylvie, his two mothers, and older neighbors. They all go to a shelter. Mama Ro works for the Orphaned Wild Life organization (OWL), and the animals from OWL are also brought to the shelter. When the dog sees Henry, she is delighted, and greets him enthusiastically. Henry, however, was bitten as a child and is wary of dogs. He does name her Wombat, since there are some similarities in appearance. Wombat camps out on a bench and just waits for Henry to pay her some attention. When he leaves, Wombat talks with one of the OWL rescues, a bat named Barnabus, and tells him that Henry is her destiny. She won't move from the bench, and while she doesn't want to interact with others, spends a lot of time comforting people and even being "canine Kleenex", soaking up human pain. Henry and his family return to their home only to find it gone. Nothing of Henry's survives. When he returns to the shelter, he and Wombat finally click, and plans are made to adopt Wombat when Henry's family finally gets a home.
Strengths: Wombat and Henry's stories are told in poems that, while free verse, are actually poetic. There's great use of figurative language and imagery. The idea of a "destiny dog" will appeal to readers who are fond of canines, and Wombat's patient vigil to wait for Henry is very sweet. The fact that it is based on Hachiko, a dog who waiting at a train station for his owner to come back for years after the man died, is the reason behind the statue of Wombat on a bench when the community rebuilds. There is a nice range of human and animal characters to give some depth to the novel, as well as some moments of humor during a bleak time. Jennifer Bricking's pencil sketches are adorable, and have a bit of a Garth Williams feel to them. I can see this being tremendously popular as a class read aloud in elementary schools.
Weaknesses: I'm not usually a fan of books from animals' perspectives, and am not a sentimental person at all, so this was not a personal favorite. It was well written and charming, and I can see why people recommend having tissues at hand when reading it.
What I really think: While there have been an increasing number of stories about family's escaping wildfires and having to rebuild (from Tashjian's more humorous My Life as a Meme to Bard's graphic novel Wildfire to Baron's novel in verse Spark), Wombat and Henry's story was a bit gentler and more hopeful. It would not hurt my feelings if this won a Newbery award, but it does seem a little young for my middle school audience.
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
A small dog in California has been on her own on the streets since her mother and siblings were lost to cars, and she is just trying to get by. When there are wildfires in the area, she hears a voice in her head telling to go towards the fire rather than away from it. Another dog, Silas, tells her that she is a "destiny dog" and might eventually meet her person, so she continues to follow the voice. There is a stunned owlet she meets along the way, and she manages to get the bird to hop onto a stick so she can carry him away from the fire. We also meet Henry, a boy who is preparing to leave his home along with his younger sister, Sylvie, his two mothers, and older neighbors. They all go to a shelter. Mama Ro works for the Orphaned Wild Life organization (OWL), and the animals from OWL are also brought to the shelter. When the dog sees Henry, she is delighted, and greets him enthusiastically. Henry, however, was bitten as a child and is wary of dogs. He does name her Wombat, since there are some similarities in appearance. Wombat camps out on a bench and just waits for Henry to pay her some attention. When he leaves, Wombat talks with one of the OWL rescues, a bat named Barnabus, and tells him that Henry is her destiny. She won't move from the bench, and while she doesn't want to interact with others, spends a lot of time comforting people and even being "canine Kleenex", soaking up human pain. Henry and his family return to their home only to find it gone. Nothing of Henry's survives. When he returns to the shelter, he and Wombat finally click, and plans are made to adopt Wombat when Henry's family finally gets a home.
Strengths: Wombat and Henry's stories are told in poems that, while free verse, are actually poetic. There's great use of figurative language and imagery. The idea of a "destiny dog" will appeal to readers who are fond of canines, and Wombat's patient vigil to wait for Henry is very sweet. The fact that it is based on Hachiko, a dog who waiting at a train station for his owner to come back for years after the man died, is the reason behind the statue of Wombat on a bench when the community rebuilds. There is a nice range of human and animal characters to give some depth to the novel, as well as some moments of humor during a bleak time. Jennifer Bricking's pencil sketches are adorable, and have a bit of a Garth Williams feel to them. I can see this being tremendously popular as a class read aloud in elementary schools.
Weaknesses: I'm not usually a fan of books from animals' perspectives, and am not a sentimental person at all, so this was not a personal favorite. It was well written and charming, and I can see why people recommend having tissues at hand when reading it.
What I really think: While there have been an increasing number of stories about family's escaping wildfires and having to rebuild (from Tashjian's more humorous My Life as a Meme to Bard's graphic novel Wildfire to Baron's novel in verse Spark), Wombat and Henry's story was a bit gentler and more hopeful. It would not hurt my feelings if this won a Newbery award, but it does seem a little young for my middle school audience.
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