ADVANCE READING COPY PU B DATE:
AUGUST 2021
Dear Reader, I’d like to introduce you to my prehistoric adventure novel for teens, set 40,000 years ago in Ice Age Europe. Sisters of the Wolf is a story of friendship between a Neanderthal girl and an early modern human girl who are each torn from their families by a vengeful hunter. They escape and become unwilling companions and allies, having to depend on each other for survival. They are joined on their journey by a wolf with one paw in the spirit world. She becomes their protector and guide. All the while they’re pursued by their ruthless captor who can’t bear to think he’s been outwitted by two girls. I’ve had a keen interest in prehistory and prehistoric people since I was a child. I have a master’s degree in biological anthropology and have woven the latest research findings on Neanderthals into the story. One of my main reasons for writing this book, besides my fascination with the time period and people who lived then, was to get young people, especially more girls, interested in prehistory and paleontology. I hope you enjoy the adventure. Best Wishes, Patricia Miller-Schroeder
SISTERS OF THE WOLF Patricia Miller-Schroeder Can Shinoni and Keena, two Ice Age teens separated from their tribes, overcome their differences to outwit their pursuer and survive the unforgiving wilds? Publication: Canada Aug. 24, 2021 | US Sept. 21, 2021 FORMAT 5 in (W) 8 in (H) 320 pages
Paperback 9781459747524 Can $14.99 US $12.99 £9.99
EPUB 9781459747548 Can $8.99 US $8.99 £ 5.99
PDF 9781459747531 Can $14.99 US $12.99 £9.99
KEY SELLING POINTS Perfect for fans of Clan of the Cave Bear, a prehistoric adventure of friendship and
survival in Ice Age Europe
Two girls, one Neanderthal and one Cro-Magnon, must band together after they
are separated from their tribes
Author has a degree in anthropology and uses up-to-date research about these
ancient peoples to inform the adventure story
BISAC YAF024110 – YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Historical / Prehistory YAF001000 – YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Action & Adventure / General YAF022000 – YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Girls & Women
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Patricia Miller-Schroeder has a master’s degree in biological anthropology and has written seventeen children’s books on nature, the environment, and science. She lives in Regina, Saskatchewan.
STAY CONNECTED #SistersoftheWolf @patricia.millerschroeder
MARKETING AND PUBLICITY Publicity campaign to targeted YA media and influencers Representation at international trade shows and conferences Consumer, trade, and/or wholesaler advertising campaign Social media campaign and online advertising
RIGHTS World, All Languages
Email campaigns to consumers, booksellers, and librarians Advance reading copies available: Print ARCs, NetGalley, Edelweiss, Catalist ARC mailing to booksellers, librarians, and influencers Goodreads giveaway
AGES 12 to 15 years
ABOUT THE BOOK Can Shinoni and Keena, two Ice Age teens separated from their tribes, overcome their differences to outwit their pursuer and survive the unforgiving wilds? The climate is changing, game is disappearing, and two peoples of the Ice Age compete for survival in a savage world. Keena, from a powerful band of Neanderthals, and Shinoni, daughter of a Cro-Magnon shaman, are torn from their families by Haken, a ruthless hunter. The girls dislike each other but soon discover they need each other to survive. Together they escape but are pursued by Haken across an Ice-Age landscape rumbling with advancing glaciers and teeming with mighty predators. As Shinoni and Keena work to overcome disaster at every turn, they are joined by Tewa, a powerful she-wolf, who becomes their guardian and spirit guide. Can their growing friendship overcome cultural, racial, and even species differences? Will they ever be able to find their families? Only the spirits know.
For media inquiries, contact publicity publicity@dundurn.com For orders in Canada, contact UTP Distribution 1-800-565-9523 For orders in the US, contact Ingram Publisher Services 1-866-400-5351
dundurn.com @dundurnpress
SisteRs of the
Wolf
patricia miller-schroeder
SisteRs of the
Wolf
Copyright Š Patricia Miller-Schroeder, 2021 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise (except for brief passages for purpose of review) without the prior permission of Dundurn Press. Permission to photocopy should be requested from Access Copyright. All characters in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. Publisher: Scott Fraser | Acquiring editor: Kathryn Lane | Editor: Susan Fitzgerald Cover designer: Laura Boyle Cover images: wolf and moon: istock.com/cirodelia; mammoths: istock.com/Daniel Eskridge Printer: Marquis Book Printing Inc. Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication Title: Sisters of the wolf / Patricia Miller-Schroeder. Names: Miller-Schroeder, Patricia, author. Identifiers: Canadiana (print) 20200368168 | Canadiana (ebook) 20200368214 | ISBN 9781459747524 (softcover) | ISBN 9781459747531 (PDF) | ISBN 9781459747548 (EPUB) Subjects: LCGFT: Novels. Classification: LCC PS8626.I45 S57 2021 | DDC jC813/.6—dc23
We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council for our publishing program. We also acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Ontario, through the Ontario Book Publishing Tax Credit and Ontario Creates, and the Government of Canada. Care has been taken to trace the ownership of copyright material used in this book. The author and the publisher welcome any information enabling them to rectify any references or credits in subsequent editions. The publisher is not responsible for websites or their content unless they are owned by the publisher. Printed and bound in Canada. VISIT US AT dundurn.com |
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Dundurn 1382 Queen Street East Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4L 1C9
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I wrote Sisters of the Wolf to introduce children everywhere to our f足 ascinating pre足historic past. This story is fiction but all the 足people and animals in the fossil record have their own tales to tell. I dedicate this book to my grand足children: Aurelia, Leona, Owen, and any others who will be born. May you always follow your hearts, your interests, and your own path, no matter what age you are or where you go.
cast of characters
Shinoni: A thirteen-year-old Kula girl, the daughter of a shaman and granddaughter of a healer. She resents the growing restrictions placed on her as a girl that boys don’t have. Most of all, she longs to hunt and paint animals in the sacred cave. Keena: A thirteen-year-old Krag girl. Her life changes one day when she’s caring for the young children and a lion kills a young boy. Then her uncle, Haken, comes visiting with a nasty proposal. Tewa: A large silver-grey female wolf with mesmerizing green eyes. She might be Shinoni’s spirit guide, but is also a real wolf.
Patricia Miller-Schroeder
Haken: A fierce Krag hunter and warrior who spreads fear and destruction wherever he goes. He hates Kulas with a passion, but at the same time covets what he believes is the magic they have used to become su perior hunters. Kreel: A good-natured Krag youth who has been close friends with Keena from early childhood. Sabra: An arrogant young Kula hunter who lived with Keena’s family one winter when he was lost from his people. He taught the Krags to speak some of his language and has learned theirs. Atuk: Keena’s aging father and the leader of their band of Krags for years. Keena idolizes him, but even he thinks it might be time for a new leader. Ubra: Keena’s mother and Haken’s sister. She is the reason Haken visits Keena’s group. Shazur: Shinoni’s father, a powerful shaman of their band of Kulas. He paints animals and symbols in the sacred cave and speaks to the spirits. Reza: Shinoni’s grandmother, a healer, and the most powerful woman in their band of Kulas. She is teaching Shinoni to be a healer. Leeswi: The Krags’ Earth Mother. A spirit whose voice viii
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is the wind, who often causes bad things to happen, and can decide to give breath or take it away. Teenoni: Shinoni’s mother, who is in the spirit world after being killed by a snake while protecting Shinoni as a baby. Tat: A four-year-old Krag boy who Keena watches. Teal: Tat’s mother. Esel: A young Krag woman in Keena’s band who has lost her mate. Caster and Bardak: Two Kula hunters. Gorda: A Krag girl. Dakur: Keena’s uncle, who had his arm ripped off by hyenas. Shad: A Krag hunter who was gored by a woolly rhinoceros. Sate: Kreel’s father, a bad-tempered and lazy Krag hunter. Wenzel: A Kula girl. Etak: A young Kula woman in Shinoni’s band, pregnant with her first child.
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Patricia Miller-Schroeder
Najka: An older Kula woman in Shinoni’s band. Sakat and Berdat: Two Kula boys. They are Shazur’s helpers and are learning the secrets of painting in the sacred cave. Gandar: A Krag hunter. Ardak, Rena, Tark, and Bril: A Kula family outcast from their band. Dak: A young Denisovan hunter. Deka: A young Denisovan woman and Dak’s mate. Fadin and Seezel: Two grey-haired elder Kula women abandoned by their band. Ruppa: The leader of a Kula band of mammoth hunters. Grey-Haired Crone: The leader of a group of Krag women fishers. Luka: Sabra’s father and leader of their Kula band.
x
40,000 YEARS AGO, ICE AGE EUROPE, PYRENEES
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NEANDERTHAL (KRAG) MOUNTAIN CAMP
“S ing echoes across the clearing.
TAY AWAY FROM THE BUSHES!” Keena’s warn-
The children jerk their heads up, eyes wide like startled deer, before returning to their task of gather ing wood. Keena clutches her father’s spear in one hand and scans the forest edge. Atuk gave her the weapon this morning before he left camp with the other hunters to kill the beast terrorizing their band. Father trusts her to protect the young ones. She’ll do her best, but she wishes he were here with her now. Her legs tremble as she sniffs for danger. Only the children’s familiar scent and the smell of pine needles reach her nostrils.
Patricia Miller-Schroeder
“Keena, let go.” Tat tugs at her other hand, struggling to break free of her grip. “I’m big and strong. I can help.” His chubby body wriggles with excitement. “You’re growing up, Tat.” Keena smiles at his toothy grin and big brown eyes. “You can help pick up firewood, but you have to stay close.” She releases his hand. “Whoohee!” Tat races toward the others, his tangled curls barely visible above the swaying grasses. Keena tracks his movement until he reaches the group. A queasy feeling settles in her gut as she returns to her vigil. Tat has only lived through four snow times. He shouldn’t be here. Not today, when she’s the only one watching the children. She told that to his mother, but Teal was giving breath to a new small one and the women were helping her. Tat’s a handful, but everyone says Keena can handle him. Clouds cover the sun and a breeze stirs the trees. Keena pulls her furs tight against the biting wind. There’s a movement in the shadows. A flash of gold in the greenery? She blinks and strains her ears, but hears only the rustle of leaves. Then a sudden shift in the wind from the forest slaps Keena’s face. Her nostrils flare. There it is. The smell of death. Caw, caw. Crows take flight, their bodies black against the sky. “Run! Drop your wood. Run to the cave.” Keena rushes to gather the children. Where’s Tat? He’s not 2
Sisters of the Wolf
among them. “Tat!” Her scream mingles with the cries of the crows and the children’s shrieks. Then she sees Tat, following a hare into the tall grass at the forest’s edge. The bushes explode as a giant tawny shape bursts from the undergrowth and seizes Tat. The pungent odour of lion mixes with the scent of terror heavy in the air. “No, no! Not Tat.” Tears stream down Keena’s face. This can’t be happening. She can’t let this happen. “Eeeyaaa. Drop him!” She advances on the cat with her spear raised. “Let him go!” What would Tat’s mother do? What would Atuk do? Her father trusted her to keep the children safe. Keena scoops rocks from the ground and hurls them at the beast. The lion snarls and backs away, shaking Tat’s lifeless body, sending his blood splattering over her. She sinks to her knees, spear pointing at the lion, waiting for the fatal spring. “Eee-yii-yi!” The children have reached their mothers. Teal’s screams rise above the rest, mingling with the wails of her newborn. “My boy! Tat, Tat!” The big cat’s fierce amber eyes glare at Keena, mocking her, before it disappears into the bushes with its prey.
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Patricia Miller-Schroeder
That evening, in the high country near the glacier, a silver moon shines in the sky. Ice crystals ride the breeze, stirring the trees that blanket the slope near the Krag cave. The deep, throaty cough of a lion echoes in the valley, wakening Keena from the most troubled sleep of her thirteen snow times. She hugs herself, trying to shake the blood-filled nightmare from her mind. Ominous figures cast by the firelight loom on the stone walls all around her. Keena pushes back the bison-hide cover and rises from her bed of dry grasses. She’s careful not to wake her parents sprawled on one side and her aunt and cousin on the other. All around are shadowy lumps and muffled snores. She picks her way to the entrance, where a row of fires protects her people from the night hunters outside. Keena stares beyond the flames. Two pairs of orbs glint in the dark outer camp. She throws more brush onto the fires, and sparks shoot high into the night. “They’re only foxes.” Ubra emerges from the dimness behind her. “I know, Mother, but they’re not the only ones out there,” Keena whispers. The distant call of the lion floats on the wind. She shivers. Even the heat of the flames can’t warm her. “I was there when the lion took Tat.” Keena squeezes her eyes shut to block the horror from her mind. 4
Sisters of the Wolf
“It wasn’t your fault, child.” Ubra hugs her. “No one could’ve saved Tat.” Mother’s right. Little Tat wasn’t the first of their band to be taken by the great cat. Uncle Orak, already crippled by a charging muskox, was killed at the stream several suns ago. Keena’s friend Morda was taken three suns ago while gathering plants in the forest. And now sweet, playful Tat is gone. Keena shudders. None of their bodies or bones have been found. The hunters searched for the lion, but it was like a spirit and left no trace. Perhaps Leeswi, the Earth Mother, had sent it. If she had, nothing could stop it.
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