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Adam Dreece
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Along Came a Wolf (The Yellow Hoods, #1): Adventure, Steampunk, Fairy Tale Kindle Edition

by Adam Dreece (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 141 ratings
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Embark on a thrilling adventure with Tee, Elly, and Richy, three friends entangled in a world of secret societies, inventive steampunk contraptions, and dangerous plots. When the world they know changes forever, the Yellow Hoods must rise to the challenge or risk losing everything. Discover the first book in the acclaimed Yellow Hoods series, perfect for fans of Harry Potter and Percy Jackson!

This wondrous series brings retellings of classic fairy tales made real and nursery rhymes brought to life. In book one, discover a new take on Santa Claus as a brilliant inventor in his twilight years and a secret society based on rub-a-dub-dub. Each book builds upon the last, allowing the reader to watch as the characters come into their own and take on a world that seems all too ready to creep into all-out war.
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  1. Reading age
    9 - 15 years
  2. Book 1 of 5
    The Yellow Hoods
  3. Print length
    152 pages
  4. Language
    English
  5. Grade level
    4 - 12
  6. Publication date
    April 4, 2014
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  11. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Kirkus ReviewsHighlights:"In his debut novel, Dreece mixes clever fairy-tale references... with intriguing contraptions, appealing characters, snide villains, humor, and an exciting story.""LeLoup's gradual psychological disintegration is a highlight, handled with some real insight into the effect of failure on arrogance.""A very promising series opener featuring a young heroine and her pals that should win fans."Full Review:In this YA fantasy/alternative-history adventure, a girl and her friends face danger when a villain demands an inventor's plans. Some months ago, 12-year-old Tee discovered an awesome three-level treehouse equipped with a weighted rope-and-pulley system to fly up from the main road and zip back down. She and her best friends, Elly and Richy, who call themselves the Yellow Hoods for the bright cloaks they wear, love hanging out together in the treehouse, where there's always something new and improved to discover or tinker with, such as the weapons they call shock sticks. There is some disagreement about where these things come from: Tee's grandfather Nikolas Klaus, a master inventor? Magic? Elves? Klaus' creations bring him to the attention of Simon St. Malo, a jealous rival inventor. Believing that Klaus has invented a steam engine, St. Malo hires Andre LeLoup to wrest the plans from him. St. Malo "probably means to transport huge numbers of cannons and soldiers," Klaus muses. Obviously, LeLoup must be stopped. Though initially thwarted, he's a dangerous man with tricks up his sleeve; the Yellow Hoods and Klaus, with their inventions, along with the Cochon brothers (Bakon, Bore, and Squeals) and some other players, plot to run LeLoup out of town. In his debut novel, Dreece mixes clever fairy-tale references (to, for example, "The Three Little Pigs"--LeLoup, the Cochon brothers) with intriguing contraptions, appealing characters, snide villains, humor, and an exciting story. At times, Dreece gets overly cute and giggly, especially in scenes between Tee and her grandfather, and the Yellow Hoods are somewhat interchangeable. But LeLoup's gradual psychological disintegration is a highlight, handled with some real insight into the effect of failure on arrogance. Dreece also weaves in a touching romance between Bakon and Egelina-Marie, a town guard. Abandoned as a child, Bakon has come to believe he's just a lowlife, but Egelina-Marie"inspired him and made him feel more solid inside." Questions are left unanswered but may find resolution in the four books that will follow. A very promising series opener featuring a young heroine and her pals that should win fans. Readers' Favorite - 5 StarsReviewed By Jack Magnus for Readers' FavoriteHighlights:
"...original and exciting steampunk fantasy story" "Along Came a Wolf is highly recommended."

From the Author

I loved writing this book. Originally I had envisioned writing a short story, only to find that I had an entire world waiting to be unleashed. The Yellow Hoods provide the youthful element, like Nikolas, the Cochon brothers and others provided the adult element, allowing a reader to enjoy this on multiple levels and from multiple vantage points.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00JH9R5YE
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ ADZO Publishing; 3rd edition (April 4, 2014)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 4, 2014
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 4724 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 152 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 141 ratings

About the author

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Adam Dreece

Adam Dreece

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Adam Dreece is an international best-selling author, known for the immersive worlds of his books, and for his entertaining and informative talks. He grew up in the suburbs of Montreal, Canada, playing a lot of Dungeons and Dragons, writing tons of bubble-gum super hero stories, and programming like a man possessed. Little did he know that one day, after a software career that had included Silicon Valley and Microsoft, he would leave it all and become a full-time author and stay-at-home dad of 3.

His debut novel in 2014, Along Came a Wolf, introduced the world to his steampunk meets fairy tale world Mondus Fumus, and to his clean YA series, The Yellow Hoods. Since then, he's written a post-apocalyptic fantasy series, The Wizard Killer, and a science fiction high-tech thriller, The Man of Cloud 9.

Watch this spring for his next novels: The Wizard Killer - Season 3, and The King's-Horse (A Mondus Fumus series).

He lives in Calgary, Alberta with his wife and children. He is an active public speaker, panelist, and author in Canada.

He posts weekly videos of his author journey at YouTube.com/AdamDreece

Website: AdamDreece.com

Instagram & Twitter: @AdamDreece

Facebook: /AdamDreeceAuthor

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
141 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Angela B. Chrysler
5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful and exciting story that ends on a dark tone, wetting the appetite.
Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2016
Verified Purchase
If you love Roald Dahl or E.B. White, you will most likely love this book.

I picked up this book due to its sweet allure. And for a YA it sure delivered, but Dreece composed the story with enough humor, adventure, and unpredictable turns that, as an adult, I found it quite enjoyable. Along Came A Wolf was a refreshing visit to the fairy tales I know and love, only… Dreece was so unique in his telling that I was eager to see which tale would come next and how he would alter the retelling of each old story.

Along Came A Wolf is primarily a spin-off of Red Riding Hood and The Three Little Pigs, but with enough steampunk and alterations that it left the story unpredictable and eager for the next chapter. It’s like Dreece pulled the cousins of the fairy tale characters and spun something completely new. It was a delightful little read that ended on such a dark note, that the adult in me went, “Whoa! This is deeper than I thought.” And that final chapter gets dark! Without that final chapter, I would have put the book down with a content smile on my face, pleased to have revisited the stories we raise our children on. Yet, it still was something new and different enough to keep me as entertained as my children who are now reading it (8 and 13). But that last chapter packs such a punch that I’m now dying to get my hands on book #2!

Dreece’s story was original. His writing skills were professional and properly edited complimenting his wonderful story telling that captured me from the first paragraph. His style and technique were clean and clear yet wonderfully simple and entertaining that it reminded me very much of Roald Dahl and E.B. White.
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D. Emery Bunn
4.0 out of 5 stars A Solid First Book
Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2014
Verified Purchase
Along Came a Wolf a YA-ish (read on for the -ish part) semi-medieval steampunk story of a different flavor. It follows Tee and her two fellows Elly and Richy as they deal with a rather curious and dangerous man named Andre LeLoup. As the story progresses, Tee finds out more about her grandfather Nikolas Klaus’s hidden past.

Characters

The main characters of Tee and Nikolas are very well-developed, with plenty of implied depth to their characters without infodumping it all across the story. Partial mentions, loaded terms, and knowing smiles fill them out magnificently and give me a reason to want to know more of them in future books.

Additionally, the chief villain of Andre gets terrific development as he loses his grip on sanity as the story goes on. Add in the well-depicted and nuanced Cochon brothers and it’s a good ensemble of main and supporting characters.

Sadly, the other characters don’t get the same treatment. Elly and Richy get only a fraction of the depth that Tee does, despite being her “equal” in the Yellow Hoods. Her parents feel like they’re necessary stand-in characters, rather than impactful in their own right. I wanted to feel a connection for them, but couldn’t.

Plot

The plot is well-paced, and while the end is predictable, it gives just enough twists and turns to keep it interesting. Actually, the very end of the book was one hell of a twist that I enjoyed greatly and left me wanting the next book. In between was a good back and forth between some of the hidden secrets of Nikolas’ life, and the growing strength of Tee in the face of a bad situation getting worse.

The reason I said “YA-ish” up above is because the entire tone of the book is light, but steadily blackening. There are parts that get outright disturbing and while there is no shown gore the mental breakdowns feel to me like they’re cutting on the far end of YA, especially with the not-quite-teenager Tee and her friends in the mix. And with the end in mind, future books (and the author has admitted as such) will be much, much darker.

What I didn’t like was the oft-mentioned Aesop of Tee being a future hero. It felt like I was being told that she’s got the heart of one, rather than letting her shown example speak for itself. That might just be me and getting triggered by it being mentioned more than once, but I like things like that remaining implied.

Setting

The overall setting was hard to pin down. There are elements of gadgetry (horseless carriages, rifles and muskets) intermixed with good old-fashioned medieval (swords, basic country existence, wood stoves). Often I felt like the level of technology present in the story was shifting back and forth, depending on the application in mind. I actually like this, because it feels like the world’s about to shift fundamentally, but it hasn’t yet. All the pieces are in place, it just needs a little kick.

And to depict that so well is a strength of the book. It’s not the “expected evenness” that a lot of stories have, a sort of story-induced stasis of progress. Some might gripe about things being all wonky for what’s going modern and what’s still stuck in the Dark Ages, but I’m not one of them.

The Verdict

4/5.

Overall, it’s a good book, and I enjoyed reading it through. Sure, the background characters are on the flat side, but that’s something that can surely be improved in future books. I do have to caution that the end of the book will leave you wanting more, while dreading the tone of what must come next.
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EFR
5.0 out of 5 stars VERY fun.
Reviewed in the United States on October 29, 2014
Verified Purchase
Very, very fun!

This story features a smooth-talking and terrifying villain, a smartypants inventor grandfather, and, last but not least, a steampunk treehouse. Full of imagination and fun gadgets, as well as being very professionally edited and produced. (Also features some truly awesome artwork, but I won't spoil it for you).

While the story felt a little bare to me at times--I would've liked more characterization on the three Yellow Hoods in particular--the plot was quickly developed and excellently handled, and the world itself is a place I'd like to visit again. I have a feeling we'll see more of the steampunk element here once the story moves to some more heavily populated areas, but the bits I can see, oh boy, do I like. This might just be because I'm American, but the francophonic element gives the story a little hint of unusual flavor as well. Bonus points here because the 'clever inventor', an archetype oft mishandled, actually seems to be pretty clever, in addition to being a stand-up guy. And the villain, a Mr. Le Loupe, is just terrifyingly suave.

Wonderful story, family-oriented without being treacly sweet, fun for young adults or not-so-young adults.
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Top reviews from other countries

Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars A great read for all ages, especially the young at heart.
Reviewed in Australia on May 28, 2018
Verified Purchase
We tested it. We really enjoyed it .
(ages 17 to 58) so definitely for all ages.
At least in this family :)
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Katherine
5.0 out of 5 stars Through serendipitous chance I stumbled upon this wonderful book by author Adam Dreece
Reviewed in Canada on September 30, 2015
Verified Purchase
Through serendipitous chance I stumbled upon this wonderful book by author Adam Dreece. The Yellow Hoods – Alone Came a Wolf is the first in a five book series, four of which are published to date. This book is classified as emergent steampunk, which is for ages 9 to 12. Even though this book is for a younger crowd, I still enjoyed it very much. I'm also told that this series progresses with the reader, turning in to a more pre-teen/young adult type read in the following books. So, it’s a series the can grow with the reader.
Adam Dreece has artfully combined the fairy tale and steampunk genres together in a new and refreshing way. For any reader who hasn’t experienced steampunk fiction yet, this book is a wonderful introduction into that world.
There were many parts of this book I liked, one of which was the author’s play on words with his characters names. LeLoup… The Big Bad Wolf. Egelina-Marie and Bakon… Eggs and Bacon. And of course Bakon’s brothers, Bore and Squeals… the three pigs. But, my favorite part of the book came on page 172.

(SPOILER ALERT)

The main character Tee, has just vanquished her foe LeLoup. Her mother and father have come to find her face down in a pile of leaves. She rolls over, checks herself for injuries, and admits to her parents that LeLoup is defeated by the yellow hoods. Then her mother asks her…

“You forgot something,” said Jennifer.
“What’s that?” asked Tee.
“Your triumphant La-la,” answered here mom, sweetly.
Tee thought about it for a moment. For years, Tee had added her special exclamation to things she’d done – but none of them had been as serious as this.
Sitting on her dad’s knee, and looking at the trees and their enchanting, colored leaves, she said, “Mom, I think I might have outgrown it.”
Her parents hugged her tightly.

This is the exact moment in the book when Tee starts to turn from child to adult. It’s the first glimmer of realization that things are serious and not just fun and games. I love coming of age moments in books! They are my absolute favorite.
As the author recommends, so do I, this is a book series for ages 9-99! I give this easy, fun read a 5 out of 5 stars.
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Mr Dylan S Hearn
5.0 out of 5 stars A great children's story in the mould of the Famous Five
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 20, 2014
Verified Purchase
In Along Came a Wolf, Adam Dreece has written a great children's book full of adventure, high jinx and bravery in the very best traditions of the Famous Five and the books of Roald Dahl. The story is set in a very believable, fictional world where the technology many science fiction fans would recognise as Steampunk is in its infancy and inventors are king.

The story is very loosely based around the three little pigs, only instead of a wolf we have the dastardly Andre Leloup, who has come to steal top secret plans from the master inventor Nicholas Klaus, only to be confronted by the Yellow Hoods - Klaus's granddaughter Tee and her friends Richy and Elly - who decide to do something about it.

This is a cleverly written, rich children's story, interweaving classic fairy tales into this unique setting to deliver something both recognisable and very, very new. For those of us a little older, it's great fun seeing Dreece subtly reveal the various inspirations for his characters, until you find yourself second guessing whenever a new character appears.

In Tee, Dreece has created a clever, stubborn and ingenious lead character who beats her enemies using quick thinking and the help of her friends. The Yellowhoods face their foes with optimism and excitement and always believe they will win, and throughout the book there is a feeling of excitement and adventure, taking those of us a little older than we once were back to the fun and games of our youth, whether in the thrill of riding a sail-cart or the joy in developing plans to bring down our enemies.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes their their adventures innocent, their heroes plucky and their villains just the right side of scary.
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Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Fun Twist on Once Upon a Time
Reviewed in Canada on February 9, 2022
Verified Purchase
I have heard the author speak at a Writer’s Conference several times and was impressed with his energetic, enthusiastic ideas about writing. I was fortunate to have downloaded this first in a series of the Yellow Hoods at no cost a few years ago. After being asked to recommend a book which was a retelling of a fairytale, I instantly thought of this one. “I must read it myself”, I thought, and dove in.
Dreece’s reinvention of Red Riding Hood, Santa Clause, Simple Simon and other characters into this adventure series titled the Yellow Hoods is delightful fun. It is recommended for the 12+ year olds and I for one was enthralled by his creativity. I look forward to the next.
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CLB
5.0 out of 5 stars I'm hooked
Reviewed in Canada on October 13, 2016
Verified Purchase
Great storytelling, intriguing characters, pulled me into the storyline from the first chapter. Ready for the next book in the series,
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