Customer Reviews

Cabin on Trouble Creek

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

A boy and his father build a cabin in the wilderness. The boy is left alone at the cabin to prepare it for the family. Meanwhile father returns to civilization to collect the rest of the family, which includes younger siblings, Mom, and a new baby. Father doesn't return and boy starts to worry about how he will take care of himself - clothing, food, etc. if father never returns. An Indian mentor enters the picture and teaches the boy how to set snares to catch rabbits and other important life sustaining skills. Boy ends up alone for the most part throughout the winter with an occasional visit from his Indian friend. Father finally returns with family in spring. Seems the family was sick when he returned home to get them and then he got sick. The family is amazed with how well the cabin looks and how the boy fended for himself. Does this sound great to you? Then go read "The Sign of the Beaver," a Newbery Honor Book written by Elizabeth George Speare in 1983. Speare's other fine works of historical fiction for youth include "The Bronze Bow" and "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" both winners of the Newbery Medal.

This book is very well written but I cannot in good conscience rate it higher than a "1" because it is a blatant ripoff of Speare's wonderful book. The only major difference is that in Van Leeuwen's book, two boys are left alone at the cabin instead of one. Everything else in the the synopsis above is identical in the two books. Van Leeuwen could have at least acknowledged Speare's work by including the statement: "inspired by ..."

My favorite book is Cabin on Trouble Creek by Jean Van Leeuwen. This book is realistic fiction. It's about two boys in the woods and my favorite character is Will.

Will is my favorite character because he is not afraid to fight a bear and he learns how to make different things like a spear to use for fishing.

I love is author's writing style is good because she made Daniel and Will have to survive on their own.

I love is book because it teaches you how to survive on your own. Their dad says that they would be back in five weeks, six at tops, but they didn't come back yet. The boys meet Solamon and go to a corn mill, they make moccasins, and learn how to catch animals in a trap and make a fish trap.

I recommend this book for kids 8 and up and adult or adults to read to kids 6 and up.

Reading Cabin on Trouble Creek aloud to my two sons, aged 8.5 and 11, was a highlight of Summer 2004 for me. They both enjoyed the story, and it sparked a flurry of hatchet and sword making activity!! The chapters were fairly short, and each chapter ending made you want to know what was going to happen in the next. I was especially delighted with how much my reluctant reader 8.5 yr. old enjoyed this book.

I am ten years old, close to Will's age in the story. This book was the kind of book I just could not put down,it seemed like there always was something important or interesting at the end of a chapter or every few pages something really interesting comes up. This book was one of the very few books that I told my friends about. I told them " Dude you have to get this Book called " Cabin on Trouble Creek!" after a few days they tell me that Cabin on Trouble creek is amazing!!!!!!!!!! I say what did I tell you it's the best adventure story I have read yet, and trust me I have read hundreds of adventure stories and none of them were even close to as exciting as this book! I think this book should be five star!!!!!!!

The theme throughout the whole book, Cabin on Trouble Creek, is "Be very cautious when you don't have your parents there to help you. First, Will and Danial learned that they should be very cautious about what they do around a bear. When Will and Danial went to go fish, a bear chased them because it wanted the tasty fish. Second, Will and Danial learned that they need to be prepared for everything, even a huge winter. Third, Will and Danial learned that they shouldn't go away from their house to collect nuts. Will and Danial went to collect nuts and they got lost for a whole day! Fourth, Will and Danial learned that they should not try to attack a bear. Will was up in a tree and a bear was about to attack him and then Danial tried to attack the bear but it attacked him and clawed his leg. Now you should be that cautious, and none of that stuff should happen to you.

As a teacher I have LOVED reading this book to my students. I can't believe it's been called plagiarized, because it's a completely different story than that of Sign of the Beaver. I will often read this book in conjunction with Sign of a Beaver to do compare/contrast activities.
The story is engaging and completely believable. It is well written and I wish there were more books like it. A definite must for anyone interested in Westward Expansion and the settling of America.

Despite the previous opinions that Van Leeuwen's book is plagiarism, Cabin on Trouble Creek is a well-written story in its own right. Beyond the storyline about the brothers' determination and courage, the book highlights the emotions and feelings the brothers, Daniel and Will, have while their father is away. Both of my older sons, ages 8 and 9, have read Cabin on Trouble Creek by Van Leeuwen and Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare. They enjoyed both books and were able to draw parallels and comparisons between these titles. Both books have well-drawn characters and compelling storylines. There is plenty of room for good literature for young boys in today's literary world.

I thought this was a pretty good book, not as good as The Sign of the Beaver or My Side of the Mountain, but it's nice to have a new book about the same things to go alongside the old ones. The story was well told and well paced, the characters were identifiable, and the story was educational without being boring. I enjoyed reading it.

Cabin on Trouble Creek By: Van Leeuwen Jean is the best book on earth. I think it deserves 5 stars because it has a lot of detail and you just want to keep on reading.
It is about two boys trying to survive when their dad has to leave to get their mother. They are in the wilderness, and have to endure an attack from a bear, find their own food, and make friends with the natives. That is only a few things that happen.
I recommend the book to any one who likes survival and adventure stories.

Book review-Cabin on Trouble Creek

Cabin on Trouble Creek depicts two boys, Daniel and Will, as they fight to survive against nature. Daniel is the older and more patient one, while Will is a determined boy who can do anything once he sets his mind to it. This book isn't overly long; could use a little more action, though. When Pa leaves, he also leaves an unfinished house, with two boys who are supposed to finish a part of it with only 5 months supply of food, while he goes back and gets the rest of the family. The book is a survival book but is better than it sounds. It doesn't really drag on. If this book cost $10 dollars it's worth it to buy it, any more and you're better off checking it out at the library.