Julie of the Wolves characters

Also known as Julie

Appears from the start

A thirteen-year-old Iñupiaq girl whose traditional name is Miyax and whose English name is Julie. Alone on the Alaskan tundra after running away, she draws on lessons from her father to find food and shelter. She carefully observes a nearby wolf pack, hoping to communicate well enough to share in its hunts while she plans a route toward her pen pal in San Francisco.

Appears from the start

The large black leader of the wolf pack Miyax studies. Calm, watchful, and secure in his authority, Amaroq controls access to the pack's food and responses to danger. Miyax identifies him as the wolf whose acceptance she most needs and approaches him by imitating the behavior of a dependent pup.

Appears from the start

An adult female in Amaroq's pack and mother to the young pups. Silver participates in the pack's hunting and care, helping Miyax understand the family structure and cooperative behavior on which the wolves depend.

Appears from the start

A powerful adult male in Amaroq's pack, recognizable by the marks that lead Miyax to name him Nails. He supports the leader during hunts and in maintaining the pack's order.

Appears from the start

The lowest-ranking adult male in the wolf pack. Jello is frequently driven away from food by the others and behaves less predictably around Miyax's camp, making his hunger and marginal position a danger to the stores on which she depends.

Appears from the start

A bold wolf pup in Amaroq's pack. Kapu responds readily to Miyax and becomes her closest link to the wolves. His growing confidence suggests that he may eventually hold an important place in the pack.

Appears from the start

A small bird Miyax befriends on the tundra. She treats Tornait as a companion while living apart from other people, and the bird becomes another sign of the close attention she gives to the surrounding animal life.

First appears in chapter 2

Miyax's father, a respected hunter who taught her to read weather, ice, animals, and the practical demands of Arctic survival. During her early childhood with him, Miyax knew a secure life grounded in Iñupiaq knowledge. He was later presumed lost during a seal hunt.

First appears in chapter 2

Miyax's aunt, who takes custody of her after Kapugen is believed dead. Aunt Martha values settled village expectations and formal schooling, but Miyax experiences her household as restrictive and emotionally distant from the life she had with her father.

First appears in chapter 2

The boy to whom Miyax was promised through an arrangement between their families. Living with him initially seems to offer an escape from Aunt Martha, but Daniel is vulnerable to pressure from cruel peers and becomes a threat to Miyax's safety.

First appears in chapter 2

Miyax's English-speaking pen pal in San Francisco. Amy's letters and photographs present a distant image of modern city life, and Miyax makes reaching her home the stated goal of her flight across the tundra.

First appears in chapter 3

Kapugen's white American wife, whom Miyax meets after discovering that her father is alive. Ellen represents the modern household and cross-cultural life Kapugen has built during the years Miyax believed him dead.