Reviews

Northwind by Gary Paulsen

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meganmcc1234's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

hdcamp's review

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3.0

There were some really nice ideas in here - bonding with whales, realizing how small an individual person is in the grand scheme of things, being a part of the natural world (and the dangers of that sometimes)...

But mostly I'm sleepy. And the ending didn't wow me the way I was hoping. I kept thinking what was going to happen if he kept going north -

Spoiler

and then he just stopped, and that was that.

I can absolutely seeing your adventurous type kids enjoying this, and they should read the author's note too because that's very cool. I think [b:My Side of the Mountain|41667|My Side of the Mountain (Mountain, #1)|Jean Craighead George|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388204221l/41667._SX50_.jpg|2682098] would probably still win in a fight.

How wonderful that Paulsen was able to complete this book before his death. It's clear from the author's note that this book was incredibly personal to him. RIP sir.

shinesalot's review

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4.0

Fans of Hatchet and similar survival stories will enjoy this one that takes place far far north.

Everything you expect from nature writer Gary Paulsen is there and you will feel like you are paddling along with the whales as you read.

barbarianlibarian's review

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2.0

I was hoping for adventure, but this was more of a meditative writing exercise

samofthepnw's review

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5.0

GP’s last book. Sadly he passed away in 2021. He was my favorite author as a child.

This book is similar to Hatchet expect that it’s maybe the 1700s? And instead of taking place on land it takes place at sea.

The author’s note at the end really moved me.

augustreadsbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

dswhite's review

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3.0

This was a pretty good book of boy a lone with nature.

library_kb's review against another edition

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adventurous slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

I didn't particularly enjoy Hatchet, and so I didn't enjoy Northwind. I think those that do enjoy Hatchet will also like this book because they have many similar plot beats and the person vs. nature conflict themes are very present in this book as well. For me, personally, books that feature a single character are not very interesting because I want to read about different people navigating life with others.