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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
I have read many of Gary Paulsen's books and had no idea the hard life he'd had. This book was heartbreaking but wonderful. He told his story so well. It's definitely more a high school or adult book. There were some descriptive gory scenes that aren't appropriate for your average Paulsen reader.
Great story. Well written. I enjoyed Hatchet growing up and it was neat to see where the story ideas stemmed from.
adventurous
dark
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Paulsen's memoir of his childhood is rich with language, vivid, joyful, and heartbreaking. Life has changed a lot since Paulsen was a boy and hopefully not as many children lose their childhoods as he did.
What an incredible book! I've always been a fan of Gary Paulsen's novels, and this one is no exception. A memoir about his life, we see how certain events in his childhood, teenage years, and early adulthood made him into the writer so many readers admire. His descriptions of his scenery are beautifully written. Highly recommended! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
This was an excellent but sad story. It has its moments of hope but it is contemplative and causes the reader to ask questions about humanity. Which is not a bad thing. I really liked learning about this authors backstory, and it explains a lot of his affinity for wild places. And it fully explains why those places are fully more safe (!) rather than being around humans. A really good and important read. This man has always been an excellent storyteller. And it is really nice to be transported to these places. Even while some of those places were not nice. Absolutely great writing and storytelling.
I’m not sure this is for kids but what a great story and what respect Mr. Paulsen shows towards young readers.
Outstanding new memoir from survival-book extraordinaire Gary Paulsen. This one is raw though - suitable for older students but I wouldn't really pair it for elementary grades. Touching tribute to a the power of librarians. Warning: Ugly Cry Alert
I would give this 3.5 stars if Goodreads let me. Wow, what a childhood Gary Paulsen had- so heartbreaking. It’s amazing he accomplished what he did. The writing for the first three parts was stellar, but from the part titled “Thirteen” and on, I felt like the story wasn’t as good. There wasn’t as much flow and connection in what he was telling the reader- everything just felt more disconnected. I wanted to know more about Manila, which had such a big impact on him. I wanted to know more about him living in the woods, which obviously had a big impact on his writing. I just felt toward the end it seemed a little rushed, and the part about him in army seemed out of place and ended abruptly. I wanted to know more about Edy and Stig. Was he able to go see them once he was old enough to do what he wanted? When he ran away, how did he know where to go or get work? How did they know where he lived to send him back? I just wanted to know so much more. There was a lot more detail in the parts before “Thirteen.” Also, even though this is supposed to be about his childhood, since it talks about his life in the army, I’d like to know more about his journey to becoming an author. Actually, to be honest, I could have done without the parts about him in the arms- I’d rather him focus more on the parts of his childhood that he kind of glosses over. I definitely think that this is more for adult fans of Paulsen rather than the age group that his other books target. Despite being marketed as a YA book, it’s definitely geared more toward older readers.
Devastated to report this book made me cry multiple times, which I was not expecting. I hated having to read Hatchet in school, but I might revisit it now; I suspect Gone to the Woods will change my perspective a bit.