Paulsen, Gary
Newberry Honor Book
Fiction
Aladdin Paperbacks, 1996
5th grade and up
Summary: This book is about a boy named Brian Robeson. Brians parents just got a divorce and he is going to spend time with his father in Canada. During the flight there his pilot has a massive heartattack and dies. Brians plane crashes into an L shaped river in Canada. He is lucky to be alive, but is left to survive by himself in the woods. During this time he teaches himself how to fish, how to build a fire and how to live in the wilderness with nothing but the hatchet that his mother gave him as a gift. He is angry at his mother because he knows that she had an affair, something that he is going to tell his father about. He lives through a tornado and getting attacked by a porcipine and a moose. He learns that the only important thing that matters now is to survive. Eventually he swims into the lake to find the crashed airplane and comes upon a survival kit with food, tools, and a transmitter. He thinks that the transmitter is dead but soon enough help comes to find him.
Response: When I was in the 5th grade we had to read this book for school. For some reason it has stuck with me as being one of my all time favorite novels. Brian is a boy who is dealing with something that is hard for any adolescent to deal with and that is divorce. At this time his life is changing and he has to learn how to adapt to it, just like he has to learn to adapt to his new life in the woods. I like how he becomes so idependent. Throughout the book you see him change and grow and to realize the things in life that matter most. That holding grudges and staying mad at people is not a good idea because you may never see them again. "The memory was like a knife cuttinginto him. Slicing deep into him with hate." pg 31. I thought that this was a really powerful line in the book. He is talking about his mothers affair and how much it has hurt him. I think that every person can relate to this in someway. Many people have a memory or a story that they can never let go. As a young girl i loved the wilderness, i loved being outside, i loved camping and I loved playing in the dirt. I think that is why I am so drawn to this book. I went on trip to Alaska one year and it sounds very much like the same place that he describes. I just can't imagine being this character. Being 13 years old and having to hunt your own food, and bathe in a lake. Having no bed to sleep in or air conditioning to keep you cool. It really makes you realize not to take things for granted because many people in this world live just like this...every single day! "Treasure...unbelievable riches. He could not believe the contents of the survival pack." To him this was treasure. Ask any American what treasure is and I am almost sure that this would not be their response.
Classroom: There are many classroom connections in this book. You could talk about dealing with feelings, survival and how to adapt to situtations when needed. (Ex: Moving to a new place) Students could also do an author study on Gary Paulsen. They could create a writing log and pretend they are Brian. What they would do, how they would feel ect. Survival scenarios could be given out like living in a desert, cold place, no electricity ect.
Newberry Honor Book
Fiction
Aladdin Paperbacks, 1996
5th grade and up
Summary: This book is about a boy named Brian Robeson. Brians parents just got a divorce and he is going to spend time with his father in Canada. During the flight there his pilot has a massive heartattack and dies. Brians plane crashes into an L shaped river in Canada. He is lucky to be alive, but is left to survive by himself in the woods. During this time he teaches himself how to fish, how to build a fire and how to live in the wilderness with nothing but the hatchet that his mother gave him as a gift. He is angry at his mother because he knows that she had an affair, something that he is going to tell his father about. He lives through a tornado and getting attacked by a porcipine and a moose. He learns that the only important thing that matters now is to survive. Eventually he swims into the lake to find the crashed airplane and comes upon a survival kit with food, tools, and a transmitter. He thinks that the transmitter is dead but soon enough help comes to find him.
Response: When I was in the 5th grade we had to read this book for school. For some reason it has stuck with me as being one of my all time favorite novels. Brian is a boy who is dealing with something that is hard for any adolescent to deal with and that is divorce. At this time his life is changing and he has to learn how to adapt to it, just like he has to learn to adapt to his new life in the woods. I like how he becomes so idependent. Throughout the book you see him change and grow and to realize the things in life that matter most. That holding grudges and staying mad at people is not a good idea because you may never see them again. "The memory was like a knife cuttinginto him. Slicing deep into him with hate." pg 31. I thought that this was a really powerful line in the book. He is talking about his mothers affair and how much it has hurt him. I think that every person can relate to this in someway. Many people have a memory or a story that they can never let go. As a young girl i loved the wilderness, i loved being outside, i loved camping and I loved playing in the dirt. I think that is why I am so drawn to this book. I went on trip to Alaska one year and it sounds very much like the same place that he describes. I just can't imagine being this character. Being 13 years old and having to hunt your own food, and bathe in a lake. Having no bed to sleep in or air conditioning to keep you cool. It really makes you realize not to take things for granted because many people in this world live just like this...every single day! "Treasure...unbelievable riches. He could not believe the contents of the survival pack." To him this was treasure. Ask any American what treasure is and I am almost sure that this would not be their response.
Classroom: There are many classroom connections in this book. You could talk about dealing with feelings, survival and how to adapt to situtations when needed. (Ex: Moving to a new place) Students could also do an author study on Gary Paulsen. They could create a writing log and pretend they are Brian. What they would do, how they would feel ect. Survival scenarios could be given out like living in a desert, cold place, no electricity ect.
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