Starting where Wolf Brother (2005) left off, this engrossing sequel reunites young Stone Age survivor Turok with his beloved wolf. Joined by shaman-in-training Renn and harried by mysterious, demonic children called Tokoroth, Turok steals off into the Deep Woods in search of help for the hideous disease that is suddenly stalking all of the local clans. But the quest soon turns seaward as scarred, kind-voiced Tenris, Mage of the standoffish Seal Clan, claims to have a cure. As before, Paver incorporates vivid descriptions of her characters' woodcraft and other skills, as well as credible views of their oneness with the natural world and animistic beliefs--details that enrich her complex tale without impeding its quick pace. By the end, Turok has witnessed the death of one of the six evil Soul Eating Mages discovered in the previous episode, and learned something of his own eldritch abilities. One baddie down, five to go. (Fantasy. 11-13) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Gr. 6-9. This second book in the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series maintains the momentum and convincing characterizations of Wolf Brother (2005). In this story, Torak begins searching for a cure for a plague that is decimating the clans and for the seven Soul-Eaters he is destined to fight. His quest reunites him with his pack-brother Wolf and awakens powers previously unknown to him. Once again, the wealth of wilderness lore adds to the story, which is infused with an inexorable sense of mysterious menace. --Sally Estes Copyright 2006 Booklist

Torak, the 12-year-old first introduced in Wolf Brother (PW called this launch title in the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series "part riveting nature story, part rite of passage saga"), must find a cure for a deadly sickness that plagues the primeval forest in Spirit Walker by Michelle Paver, a quest that takes him to the islands of the Seal Clan and brings some disturbing truth to light. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Gr 6-9-Michelle Paver's sequel (Katherine Tegen Books, 2006) to Wolf Brother (HarperCollins, 2005) doesn't disappoint. Ian McKellen gives voice to the adventures of the prehistoric boy, Torak. Soon after having found a new home among the Raven clan, a horrible sickness one that causes pustules to form on the victims' bodies and their minds to fail before they die strikes various forest clans, including the Ravens. Torak sets out to find a cure. He heads to the sea, where he is kidnapped by boys of the Seal clan. On their island, he is introduced to the Seal clan's mage, who promises to help Torak with a cure for the pestilence. Meanwhile, Torak's wolf brother and his friend Wren track Torak to the Seal camp. The mage sends Torak and his kidnappers to find an ingredient for a cure. Torak, near death, discovers that he has the ability to Spirit Walk. Paver does a brilliant job of portraying not only the post-Ice Age world, but also the various consciences of boy, wolf, and even the elements of weather, sea, and plants. McKellan's pacing makes listeners feel as though the story is being told around a campfire, one that Torak himself might share. While part of a trilogy, Spirit Walker stands on its own, but those who listen to it will want to go back to Wolf Brother and will eagerly await the final book.-Francisca Goldsmith, Berkeley Public Library, CA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

This sequel to Wolf Brother returns to Torak's prehistoric world. An epidemic is threatening the clans, and Torak journeys to the Deep Forest and to the Sea in search of a cure, encountering a number of dangers and learning more about his mysterious and magical heritage. Clan politics and gritty details add to the fully realized world. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.