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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
adventurous
reflective
fast-paced
adventurous
challenging
reflective
sad
medium-paced
I didn't think I was going to enjoy this book. Hatchet is not my favorite book, and I wouldn't say that Gary Paulsen has ever been a favorite author. Plus, this book is written in the distant third person voice, which is usually something I find highly annoying. However, I actually really liked this book. It is crazy all of the experiences that Gary Paulsen went through in his life--so many broken situations and ways that he was failed as a kid by adults and had to become a grown up earlier than he should have. There are some hints at more mature content, and the language is on the edge of coarse, so I probably wouldn't hand this to every kid who has read Hatchet, but definitely a 7th grade and up book that students will be fascinated by.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
Paulsen never pulled any punches, and he doesn’t here, even when telling his own story.
The first section of the book tells of Paulsen's life at the age of 5 living with his dysfunctional mother and then being sent by train to live on his aunt and uncle's farm. There is rich detail and some insight into the young boy's head.
The rest of the book, for me, feels like notes and summaries for what could be fleshed out at a later date but never was. So much telling instead of showing, with contradictions not caught by the editor. (Paulsen at one point says he lied about his age to get into the army early and then later said he waited until he was of age but forged his father's signature on the paperwork. Maybe that's the same event but with everything being so glossed over it's hard to know.)
The rest of the book, for me, feels like notes and summaries for what could be fleshed out at a later date but never was. So much telling instead of showing, with contradictions not caught by the editor. (Paulsen at one point says he lied about his age to get into the army early and then later said he waited until he was of age but forged his father's signature on the paperwork. Maybe that's the same event but with everything being so glossed over it's hard to know.)
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
I LOVED this book. If you loved Hatchet as a kid, you'll love this. Striking, poignant, and incredible to read what this man went through as a child and young adult. His descriptions, especially of nature, are a joy to read.
adventurous
reflective
sad
slow-paced
medium-paced
Paulson writes his own childhood in a way that is as compelling as any of his fictional books. At times brutal, at times hopeful, this is a gem of a memoir!
Replacing Hatchet as my favorite Paulsen book...but will probably still recommend Hatchet more often still.
Author Gary Paulsen writes his own autobiography in the 3rd person as a middle grade story. While there are a few areas that might give me pause reading this to my grade school aged kids (drunken parents, and at the end he uses the expression "wet dream"), most of this story would be okay for ages 10+. Overall I really liked this book. Paulsen's childhood was so hard and he had very few adults he could trust around. The book would have been more upsetting had I not known that he ended up being okay and becoming a successful author. Since it was middle grade, it didn't get into the character development as much as I would have liked, but it did a perfect job for that age range.
Five words to describe this book: hard childhood, middle grade, hopeful
Five words to describe this book: hard childhood, middle grade, hopeful