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3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
This was nowhere near as good as Hatchet. It was just boring to me.
So... I went after this book even though I had some issues with the first one because I was curious to see how the story would be continued.
I think if I were a preteen or young teen reading this, I would have liked it a lot, and this is the target demographic, so that part's great.
As an adult, though, the negligence of all the adults involved in the premise of this book is blinding. Even worse is that Derek is supposed to be a psychologist. He acts more like a journalist. What kind of psychologist says to a literal child that has been through a traumatizing experience, "We want you to relive that experience so we can try to better understand your trauma"? The conceit is ridiculous, especially when you consider that all they would have needed was to interview Brian, and then go out with an adult survivalist and a real psychologist to recreate the experience. (I specify that you would need a real psychologist because a lot of the insights that Brian teaches Derek in the beginning about survival mentality and supplies should have been self-evident to someone with a psychology background.)
Yikes.
I think if I were a preteen or young teen reading this, I would have liked it a lot, and this is the target demographic, so that part's great.
As an adult, though, the negligence of all the adults involved in the premise of this book is blinding. Even worse is that Derek is supposed to be a psychologist. He acts more like a journalist. What kind of psychologist says to a literal child that has been through a traumatizing experience, "We want you to relive that experience so we can try to better understand your trauma"? The conceit is ridiculous, especially when you consider that all they would have needed was to interview Brian, and then go out with an adult survivalist and a real psychologist to recreate the experience. (I specify that you would need a real psychologist because a lot of the insights that Brian teaches Derek in the beginning about survival mentality and supplies should have been self-evident to someone with a psychology background.)
Yikes.
adventurous
medium-paced
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I had never read past the first Hatchet book in my youth. However, I had come across this book at a garage sale and since I had read the first one to my kids, I thought it may be a good time to see where else Brian's story goes. I saved this one for the summer because it seemed fitting in theme. I was surprised to find that I enjoyed this one as much or more than book one. This was short and sweet and full of adventure. The survival part of these books and Brian's strength of character have always been what captivated me and inspired me. I think this book shows how much he has grown and how much he still has to learn. I feel pretty certain I will read more of this series. Adventure abounds in these books and I always found a lot to relate to with Brian.
All my reviews can be found at: http://jessicasreadingroom.com
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This review will appear on my site on May 25, 2021.
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As a part of May’s prompt for #Diverseathon2021 I am continuing the Brian’s Saga series by Gary Paulsen.
It’s been two years since Brian survived living in the Canadian wilderness and now the government wants him to do it again but his time showing someone how he managed to survive. Brian decides to do this as he couldn’t NOT help.
So begins Brian’s second adventure in the wilderness, but this time he is not alone. This time should have been different but things do not always go according to plan. Brian’s associate is injured and Brian is basically forced to fend for himself and the injured man. Should Brian wait for help to eventually come or should they travel down the river? Brian decides to go down the river as he believes the injured man will not survive.
Very similar to Hatchet, yet also different, The River is also another survival story. There are some things that you may have to suspend disbelief ( getting struck by lightning and very quickly building a boat, let alone how much traveling was done on the river) but remember the target audience of this series is middle grades boys, so this really should not be an issue. I really enjoyed The River and I am looking forward to what may happen next in the series, but will Brian really agree to go out in the wilderness again??? After this second trip I would say “NO MORE!” I doubt that I myself would have agreed to go on another trip after surviving nearly two months in the wilderness… alone.
Like Hatchet,The River was also narrated by Peter Coyote. I had the same issue with The River as I did with Hatchet with the accompanying music.
The River is recommended!
~~~~
This review will appear on my site on May 25, 2021.
~~~~
As a part of May’s prompt for #Diverseathon2021 I am continuing the Brian’s Saga series by Gary Paulsen.
It’s been two years since Brian survived living in the Canadian wilderness and now the government wants him to do it again but his time showing someone how he managed to survive. Brian decides to do this as he couldn’t NOT help.
So begins Brian’s second adventure in the wilderness, but this time he is not alone. This time should have been different but things do not always go according to plan. Brian’s associate is injured and Brian is basically forced to fend for himself and the injured man. Should Brian wait for help to eventually come or should they travel down the river? Brian decides to go down the river as he believes the injured man will not survive.
Very similar to Hatchet, yet also different, The River is also another survival story. There are some things that you may have to suspend disbelief ( getting struck by lightning and very quickly building a boat, let alone how much traveling was done on the river) but remember the target audience of this series is middle grades boys, so this really should not be an issue. I really enjoyed The River and I am looking forward to what may happen next in the series, but will Brian really agree to go out in the wilderness again??? After this second trip I would say “NO MORE!” I doubt that I myself would have agreed to go on another trip after surviving nearly two months in the wilderness… alone.
Like Hatchet,The River was also narrated by Peter Coyote. I had the same issue with The River as I did with Hatchet with the accompanying music.
The River is recommended!