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crabber's review against another edition
1.0
1.5/5
This was not pleasant, I have had to slam this book down, multiple times. This book was incredibly boring and nothing worked for me, the characters and place was just kinda boring. Every single emotional bit just didn’t work at all, barely anything goes wrong with this book. There’s so many awkward time skips at what I think are crucial story moments. The message of being a leader was also kinda iffy. I don’t think I would recommend this to anyone.
This was not pleasant, I have had to slam this book down, multiple times. This book was incredibly boring and nothing worked for me, the characters and place was just kinda boring. Every single emotional bit just didn’t work at all, barely anything goes wrong with this book. There’s so many awkward time skips at what I think are crucial story moments. The message of being a leader was also kinda iffy. I don’t think I would recommend this to anyone.
the_fabric_of_words's review against another edition
5.0
I know many of my students loved Brian's tale of survival after a plane crash in Hatchet, by Gary Paulsen. This is a slightly different kind of survival in the wilderness story, but a great one for fans of wilderness survival scenarios.
Twelve-year-old Willa knows they haven't stored enough meat for four people to survive the upcoming Alaskan winter. She also sees the empty whiskey bottles and hears her father's empty promises to hunt. Then there's a horrible thump as her brother argues with her father, outside, and she notes the bruise on his face when he comes in.
She can't wait any longer. She has to get her two younger brothers to safety, away from their father, who brought them to this harsh wilderness and built a cabin after their mother died. And that means leaving -- now.
Their father has hidden the oars to the small boat, so they take their handmade raft, a cobbled-together collection of discarded logs and boards. Along the way, they take her youngest brother's little wolf pup, barely escape a momma bear and her cub, and hide from their angry father as he paddles past.
Once they reach the Fort Yukon settlement, starving, she meets a girl whose father is on the tribal council of the Gwichyaa Gwich'in, and the kids are safe from the elements, at last.
Until Aunt Frances shows up. Then they're faced with an even bigger choice -- go to New York with her and abandon their dad and newfound friends, probably for good, or...
I won't spoil the ending. It's full of twists and turns you don't see coming and was a wonderful read!
Visit my blog for more great middle grade book recommendations, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: https://amb.mystrikingly.com/
Twelve-year-old Willa knows they haven't stored enough meat for four people to survive the upcoming Alaskan winter. She also sees the empty whiskey bottles and hears her father's empty promises to hunt. Then there's a horrible thump as her brother argues with her father, outside, and she notes the bruise on his face when he comes in.
She can't wait any longer. She has to get her two younger brothers to safety, away from their father, who brought them to this harsh wilderness and built a cabin after their mother died. And that means leaving -- now.
Their father has hidden the oars to the small boat, so they take their handmade raft, a cobbled-together collection of discarded logs and boards. Along the way, they take her youngest brother's little wolf pup, barely escape a momma bear and her cub, and hide from their angry father as he paddles past.
Once they reach the Fort Yukon settlement, starving, she meets a girl whose father is on the tribal council of the Gwichyaa Gwich'in, and the kids are safe from the elements, at last.
Until Aunt Frances shows up. Then they're faced with an even bigger choice -- go to New York with her and abandon their dad and newfound friends, probably for good, or...
I won't spoil the ending. It's full of twists and turns you don't see coming and was a wonderful read!
Visit my blog for more great middle grade book recommendations, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: https://amb.mystrikingly.com/
evamadera1's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
The plot moves quickly in this book. I think the characters face realistic issues and have realistic development but something does not quite reach the level of a great book. At first, I had to figure out whether the narrator was male or female because another character does not address her for several pages. Although easily resolved, this threw me off a little. I think the missing spark comes with everything in the adventure coming just a little too easily although the ease does make sense with how the author built the backstory for the characters.
I think middle grades students would definitely enjoy this book.
I think middle grades students would definitely enjoy this book.
jmshirtz's review against another edition
5.0
Running Wild is a survival/adventure story set in the Alaskan wilderness as three siblings escape their father’s increasingly concerning behavior. The adventure is exciting and rife with tension, the characters you will root for, and the landscape is beautiful. I wish some of the moments had held more emotion (it felt like they should have), but it was still very enjoyable!
audreylee's review
3.0
This adventure story reminds me of a younger version of "Hatchet". There are some adult issues in this one: alcoholism, grief, and isolation. However, there is also camaraderie and determination. I enjoyed the surviving the wilderness part of the story but found the civilization part completely uninteresting and unbelievable. This one was a mixed bag for me.
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