✨Wombat Waiting

by Katherine Applegate

Ratings

4Rbooks 5/6 grades 4-7

Amazon 4.4/5 grades 3-7

Good Reads 4.44/5

Common Sense Media 5/5 Ages 8+

Synopsis

There is a stray dog. She is alone and surviving by herself, but deep inside there is a desire for a family. One day there is a new smell in the air and even though the dog knows she should run the other way, she hears a voice in her head that says to run toward the fire. The voice tells her she will find her answers if she just runs that way, and she does.

Henry is 9 and lives with his sister and their parents. One night they all evacuate their home because a massive fire is burning toward them. They transport themselves and their animals to a shelter where they will stay with many other displaced people.

Also making her way to the shelter is the dog. She sits on a bench and waits. The voice said to wait. People find her and start to take care of her: food, water, blanket, stuffed animals. But no matter how nice everyone is, the dog refuses to leave her bench and waits.

Henry, though he is afraid of dogs, finds her too and names her Wombat. Wombat knows immediately that Henry is her family, but she must be patient and let him get over his fears.

They will spend many days at the shelter, waiting out the fire and hoping. Henry hoping that his family will get to go home, and Wombat hoping that Henry will realize that she is the dog for him and take her with them.

Parent Guidelines

Wombat lives alone because her family has been killed.

The story is set during the Los Angeles wildfires of 2025. Many areas were affected but mostly Pacific Palisades and Alta Dena.

People are displaced and living in shelters. There is a fight.

Animals are rescued and brought to shelters.

Henry and Sylvie live with two moms.

In the Author's note after the story she states these human caused fires were also related to climate change.

Recommendation

Though similar to Applegate's other animal stories, this is a stand alone novel. It was inspired by the LA wildfires and the Japanese story of Hachiko (told in the One and Only Bob), a dog who waited in the same spot for his former master who had died.

Like her other animal novels this is written in verse style so it is easy to read and accessible to all readers. If students understand that the characters are escaping from fire, losing everything, and facing danger, it might cause some anxiety, but the story centers on Wombat and Henry so it is easy to forget the seriousness of the situation.

Overall a good story by an excellent writer. Not quite as compelling as The One and Only Ivan, but still a worthwhile read.