Eighth grader Artemis “Artie” Irvin tries to fit in as one of few Black students in her mostly White school, but experiences harassment and bullying. She tries to find solace by taking photos with her dead father’s camera—but while she is out taking photos one night, she sees a wolf turn into her mother!
Her mother then tells her the true story of her heritage and the wolflike powers that Artie also bears. Author/illustrator Olivia Stephens uses dark and bold images to convey the story and the lore of werewolf history and culture. Werewolves, it turns out, were first created when a mother wolf gave power to an escaped enslaved person—a gift of transformation on the path to freedom.
Olivia begins to learn about her new powers from the community of Black werewolves, even as she is also developing a crush on her friend Maya. A conflict between werewolves and vampires adds tension and excitement to this creatively imagined coming-of-age story.
