Runt

Runt by American author Marion Dane Bauer is a children’s fantasy novel that explores the dynamics of a wolf pack and a runt cub’s journey toward finding his purpose and place. Runt was the recipient of Children’s Choice Awards in Georgia and Minnesota, and the book received a generally positive reception, including a starred review from Kirkus Reviews, for its swift plotting and immersive storytelling. Bauer has written over 100 books for young readers, including Newbery Honor recipient On My Honor. She holds a degree in literature and philosophy from the University of Missouri, and she was one of the founders of the Master of Fine Arts program in writing for children and young adults at the Vermont College of Fine Arts. Bauer has taught English in schools in Wisconsin and Minnesota, and she currently writes full-time from her home in Minnesota. 

This guide refers to the 2002 Clarion Books print edition.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of animal death.

Plot Summary

Runt opens in the spring, when wolves King and Silver welcome five new pups to their pack. The last of these pups, Runt, is born late and small, hence the name that King gives him. While King predicts that Runt will never survive, Silver remains steadfast that Runt will find a place and purpose in the pack. Alongside his siblings, Runt grows quickly, though he remains the smallest. His size is not a bother until he realizes that the others view him as unfit. Rather than letting their views deter him, Runt vows to prove that his size does not prevent him from being of use to the pack.

An older wolf named Bider joined the pack before Runt was born. After losing a battle against his previous pack’s leader, Bider came to King’s pack, where he waits for an opportunity to challenge King for control. While everyone else writes Runt off, Bider believes that he can use Runt for his purposes. Unaware of Bider’s intentions, Runt continues to search for chances to prove himself. His first attempt fails when he follows the hunting party only to get lost, and his second is no better when he gets swept away by a storm and accidentally ends up face-to-face with the humans that the pack despises and fears.

When Runt tries to assert dominance over a porcupine, the porcupine stabs its quills through the faces of Runt and his brother. The pack rallies around Runt’s brother, leaving Runt to stagger back to the humans in the hope that they will kill him and put him out of his misery. Instead, the humans remove the barbed quills, and their dog nurses Runt’s wounds. Runt wonders if he could belong among humans instead of his pack, but he soon realizes that the dog is little more than a prisoner. Still, Runt is grateful to the humans, and he runs home to show his family how the humans helped. When he arrives, he realizes that his brother is still badly injured. Runt tries to convince the pack to bring his brother to the humans, but the pack turns on him because he accepted help, and his brother dies from his wounds.

After his brother’s death, Runt distances himself from the pack, except for Bider, whom Runt starts to see as a more competent leader than King. During a moose hunt, another member of the pack is killed, and Bider uses the tragedy as leverage to threaten King. Later, Bider takes Runt to an enclosure of cows that are kept by humans. The cows put up no fight when Bider attacks, and Runt wonders why the pack doesn’t take advantage of such easy prey. Runt brings a cow tail back to King, who shoves the offering away, claiming that humans mean only death for wolves. Since humans saved Runt’s life, he concludes that King is too cowardly to attack the humans’ cows.

Later, Bider sneaks away and returns to vomit a pile of cow meat in front of King, challenging the wolf to a fight for dominance. After a bloody confrontation, King emerges as the winner and sends Bider away. Runt still doesn’t understand why King refuses to take easy food, especially now that he is hurt. Runt leaves the pack to join Bider, finding the older wolf gorging himself on a cow carcass. Before Runt can join Bider and eat the cow, Bider starts to foam at the mouth, dying quickly. Suddenly, Runt realizes that the cows have been tainted by humans and that their meat is poisonous, just as King claimed.

Feeling ashamed for doubting King, Runt runs into the forest, where he finds the wounded moose that the pack failed to kill. Runt knows that he can save the pack and King if he brings the moose meat home, but he also knows that he can’t kill the moose alone. Instead of trying to prove himself by doing so, Runt realizes that his pack can help and howls to tell them, telling them that food is nearby. King is proud of Runt for finding much-needed food and renames Runt “Singer”—because the pup sings news to the pack by howling. Runt finds that the name suits him and returns to the pack, finally feeling as though he belongs.