Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
Samuel loves the woods. He is more comfortable in the woods than he is in his small community. He spends the time hunting, providing food. But when he returns home from one of his hunting trips, he finds a scene of devastation and death. People who he knew and loved are gone. But where are his parents? They are nowhere to be found.
As he looks for his parents and tracks the party that was responsible for their disappearance. As he comes across more of the devastation as he moves closer to the people who have kidnapped his parents, he comes across a family who offers him food. Shortly after he leaves, that same family is hit by Hessian soldiers, with only the daughter escaping into the woods. Samuel goes after her, to find and help her get somewhere safer. As he and Annie work their way toward where his parents have been taken, they find a group of people willing to help him find his parents.
See the American Revolution as told through the eyes of Samuel, and his quest to not only find his parents but save a young girl who has lost her entire family.
As he looks for his parents and tracks the party that was responsible for their disappearance. As he comes across more of the devastation as he moves closer to the people who have kidnapped his parents, he comes across a family who offers him food. Shortly after he leaves, that same family is hit by Hessian soldiers, with only the daughter escaping into the woods. Samuel goes after her, to find and help her get somewhere safer. As he and Annie work their way toward where his parents have been taken, they find a group of people willing to help him find his parents.
See the American Revolution as told through the eyes of Samuel, and his quest to not only find his parents but save a young girl who has lost her entire family.
In the beginning I was bored with Woods Runner. I'm not really a huge fan of survival fiction but I do like some historical fiction. But, I thought the historical notes were distracting because they occur after each chapter. Then I noticed that they were pretty much geared towards what you just read, so they could actually add to the reading. But I didn't like that so I stopped reading them.
My impression of Woods Runner changed drastically after Sam went out hunting the bear. Oh.My.Word. The description of the raids and Sam following the raiders was amazing. I had to read with one eye closed and I had to keep some tissues nearby. Gary Paulsen's details add an additional dimension to the book that never felt intrusive. I could barely put the book down. I actually closed my office door and turned off the overhead light. I did not want to be disturbed.
Woods Runner gave me a different perspective on the Revolutionary War. It's a fast read but it's not easy. The trauma Sam, his parents, and then Annie, experience is haunting. By having us follow Sam as he tries to track down his parents, Paulsen was able to insert the historical aspects without slowing down the story. We learned about the redcoats, their weaponry, the Hessians, war prisoners, and normal people who helped the Americans. It was a nice lesson and didn't feel like you were being "schooled".
I think Woods Runner is better than last year's Notes From The Dog and more in keeping with Hatchet. I see it leaping off the shelves.
My impression of Woods Runner changed drastically after Sam went out hunting the bear. Oh.My.Word. The description of the raids and Sam following the raiders was amazing. I had to read with one eye closed and I had to keep some tissues nearby. Gary Paulsen's details add an additional dimension to the book that never felt intrusive. I could barely put the book down. I actually closed my office door and turned off the overhead light. I did not want to be disturbed.
Woods Runner gave me a different perspective on the Revolutionary War. It's a fast read but it's not easy. The trauma Sam, his parents, and then Annie, experience is haunting. By having us follow Sam as he tries to track down his parents, Paulsen was able to insert the historical aspects without slowing down the story. We learned about the redcoats, their weaponry, the Hessians, war prisoners, and normal people who helped the Americans. It was a nice lesson and didn't feel like you were being "schooled".
I think Woods Runner is better than last year's Notes From The Dog and more in keeping with Hatchet. I see it leaping off the shelves.
Read for Missoula Reads challenge-Set During a War. Good book, informative, quick read. Chose this because my 7th grader was reading it in his class.
adventurous
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Reviewed at:
http://www.teachmentortexts.com/2011/11/woods-runner.html
Summary: Samuel is 13 and lives with his parents peacefully on the frontier in America. They live in a small settlement in a dirt floored cabin that backed up to the forest. Samuel loved the forest, he'd become the sole provider of food for the settlement and he enjoyed every minute he spent in the forest. They lived far from any town so that it took sometimes months before any news got to their ears, including the beginning of the war. It was not long after they'd heard about the war against the British that Samuel was out in the woods searching for deer that he noticed smoke coming from where his settlement was- way too much smoke. When he arrived he found destruction and death. All the cabins in his settlement were burnt down and bodies were everywhere; however, it seemed his parents were taken captive. It is now Samuel's only mission in life to track down and save his parents. On this adventure, he learns more about more about the horror of the war that America is now in.
What I Think: I love historical fiction! Well, good historical fiction and Woods Runner is good historical fiction. After first I was feeling so-so about the book, but then on page 20 the book becomes such a page turner. This book is only my 5 historical fiction book about the Revolutionary war, but it is the first that shows what happened from an American that live on the frontier. This book also showed me some of the side work the British army and its allies did. Being in war with someone and fighting them is one thing, but the British along with Iroquois Indians as well as the Hessians, the German fighters for Britain, were ruthless and often committed war crimes. This book is built to not only entertain you, but to teach you. Gary Paulsen puts snippets of historical information between chapters to help the reader understand more specifically what is going on in the book- I loved learning that little bit more!
Next to how much I loved the historical element of this novel, Gary Paulsen also crafts such an amazing survival adventure with a protagonist that anyone will root for.
http://www.teachmentortexts.com/2011/11/woods-runner.html
Summary: Samuel is 13 and lives with his parents peacefully on the frontier in America. They live in a small settlement in a dirt floored cabin that backed up to the forest. Samuel loved the forest, he'd become the sole provider of food for the settlement and he enjoyed every minute he spent in the forest. They lived far from any town so that it took sometimes months before any news got to their ears, including the beginning of the war. It was not long after they'd heard about the war against the British that Samuel was out in the woods searching for deer that he noticed smoke coming from where his settlement was- way too much smoke. When he arrived he found destruction and death. All the cabins in his settlement were burnt down and bodies were everywhere; however, it seemed his parents were taken captive. It is now Samuel's only mission in life to track down and save his parents. On this adventure, he learns more about more about the horror of the war that America is now in.
What I Think: I love historical fiction! Well, good historical fiction and Woods Runner is good historical fiction. After first I was feeling so-so about the book, but then on page 20 the book becomes such a page turner. This book is only my 5 historical fiction book about the Revolutionary war, but it is the first that shows what happened from an American that live on the frontier. This book also showed me some of the side work the British army and its allies did. Being in war with someone and fighting them is one thing, but the British along with Iroquois Indians as well as the Hessians, the German fighters for Britain, were ruthless and often committed war crimes. This book is built to not only entertain you, but to teach you. Gary Paulsen puts snippets of historical information between chapters to help the reader understand more specifically what is going on in the book- I loved learning that little bit more!
Next to how much I loved the historical element of this novel, Gary Paulsen also crafts such an amazing survival adventure with a protagonist that anyone will root for.
This was another book club read. While its categorically YA, the book covers some pretty heavy topics and themes throughout Samuel’s journey to save his parents.
The revolution through the eyes of a child is so interesting because it brings up how quickly these kids were forced to grow up, especially on the frontier. Samuel was essentially providing for both of his parents, which in turn saves his life multiple times while trying to find his parents after they were kidnapped.
The story was quick paced and easy to read, just probably not something I would have picked up for myself.
The revolution through the eyes of a child is so interesting because it brings up how quickly these kids were forced to grow up, especially on the frontier. Samuel was essentially providing for both of his parents, which in turn saves his life multiple times while trying to find his parents after they were kidnapped.
The story was quick paced and easy to read, just probably not something I would have picked up for myself.
I started and stopped this several time, and probably wouldn't have finished it at all if it hadn't been picked for our Mock Newbery. I finally ended up listening to the audio book, which was good.
Gary Paulsen is obviously a talented writer and he's done a great job here, but Woods Runner didn't stand out for me. Maybe it was too brief for me to really get into it and invest in the characters and the story. Maybe the characters, though well depicted, felt sort of stock. Gary Paulsen's most famous character is a boy who has an almost unbelievable ability to survive, and Samuel can be described that way too. Competent, serious, determined. You get the picture. The plot moves forward at a good pace, but the ending seemed kind of predetermined to me. At no point was I really worried about the main characters' survival, which is weird because they were totally in danger all the time. So, for me, the story lacked the suspense I thought it should have had.
I would certainly recommend this to middle schoolers (especially boys) who want historical fiction or survival stories. It's a good book, but not my pick for the 2011 Newbery.
Gary Paulsen is obviously a talented writer and he's done a great job here, but Woods Runner didn't stand out for me. Maybe it was too brief for me to really get into it and invest in the characters and the story. Maybe the characters, though well depicted, felt sort of stock. Gary Paulsen's most famous character is a boy who has an almost unbelievable ability to survive, and Samuel can be described that way too. Competent, serious, determined. You get the picture. The plot moves forward at a good pace, but the ending seemed kind of predetermined to me. At no point was I really worried about the main characters' survival, which is weird because they were totally in danger all the time. So, for me, the story lacked the suspense I thought it should have had.
I would certainly recommend this to middle schoolers (especially boys) who want historical fiction or survival stories. It's a good book, but not my pick for the 2011 Newbery.
As I'm taking a class in Revolutionary America, I bought this book on a whim. That being said, I loved the book! it kept my interest in a race for Samuel, the main character, on his journey. The small details such as dirt floors, combined with the small snippets of historical facts between the chapters, made this interesting and drew you into the story.