15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book, October 16, 2000
"Dogsong" is a great book. It's about an eskimo boy named Russell who gets tired of the normal way of life and wants a change. He goes to a wise old man named Oogruk, who tells him about the way it used to be, the way the men used to make their living, and how they made their own songs of life. Russell becomes interested and wants to make his own song with the aid of some sled dogs. Oogruk teaches him how to hunt, how to find himself, and how to make his own song. Soon, Russell is out in the cold arctic terrain fighting against snowstorms, encountering a giant polar bear, and even rescuing a pregnant eskimo girl, while he hunts for food and makes his own song.
Once you start reading "Dogsong," it's hard to put it down. You'll want to keep reading it to see what happens next to Russell and how he will react to the situation. When you read this book, you'll see why it's a Newberry Honor Award Winner, it's an all around great book for anybody to read. I highly recommend it to anybody that likes adventure books or books about the arctic.
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10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Dogsong, June 5, 2006
A Kid's Review
As an Eskimo boy journeys to find himself, he must survive the harsh conditions of the frozen tundra. When Russel realizes he is unhappy with his way of life, he goes to an old Eskimo named Oogruk for help. Oogruk teaches him how the old Eskimos once lived and then, giving him his five dogs and a sled, tells him that in order to become a man, he must leave the village and travel north. He takes the dogs and does just that, only stopping to make camp at night and during storms, until he realizes he needs to find food. Luckily, the dogs pick up the scent of a herd of caribou and, with their help, he is able to kill four using the bow and arrows Oogruk gave him. They keep traveling and one day come across snowmobile tracks which lead them to a snowmobile that had run out of gas. Beside it, there are footprints that lead them to a pregnant woman lying in the snow. Russel makes a shelter and revives her back to health. She tells him her name is Nancy and decides to join them on their journey. Soon they run out of food and, when they are on the brink of starvation, Russel is fortunate enough to take down a polar bear with a lance. Soon after, though, he finds that Nancy is sick and they start off towards the nearest village for help. Dogsong is a captivating story filled with adventure.
This story is filled with suspense. When Russel is caught out on the ice during a storm, he and his dogs are just able to find shelter under a ledge of ice before the full force of the storm hits. Later, he uses a floating chunk of ice as a bridge to get from one ice mass to another, knowing that falling in the water would bring instant death. As a huge polar bear charges at Russel, the dogs distract it making it spear itself on the lance Russel sticks in the ground.
The characters in this story are very interesting. Russel is an Eskimo boy who becomes unhappy with his way of life and journeys through the frozen tundra alone just to live as the old Eskimos once did. Oogruk is an old Eskimo who still lives the old way. He teaches Russel how to live the old way and gives him his sled and dogs. Nancy is a woman who runs away from her village to die in the tundra, because she accidentally becomes pregnant. Luckily, Russell finds her alone in the snow and saves her.
It is interesting to see how Russel's relationship with the dogs changes throughout the story. When he first meets them, they growl at him when he is just trying to put their harnesses on and he must hit them to get them to obey him. After a few runs with them, they begin to get to know him and obey his commands, but still aren't completely loyal. They disobey him as he tries to lead them home after a storm. During their journey, Russel and the dogs form a strong bond. The dogs go where he wants them to even when he doesn't speak.
Dogsong is a great story filled with adventure. It is a captivating story that any reader will enjoy. It is a story well worth reading.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Adam's Review, May 17, 2001
By A Customer
Gary Paulsen has wrote so many great, interesting books and this book, "Dogsong", just adds to the collection. This is a story of a boy named Russel Suskitt that is an eskimo who wants to find his inner-self and get away from his normal, boring way of life. Russel goes and speaks to a elder man, but very clever, named Oogruk. He tells Russel about the way life was when men made their living and how they made personal songs of life. Oogruk teaches him how to hunt, how to find his inner-self, and to make his own song of life. So Russel decides to make his own song of life by going on an adventure that would risk his life. Russel gathers some dogs and gets a dogsled together and starts out for the biggest adventure of his life. Along the way he has to sled through mountains, icy terrains, and even rivers. He also met up with a polar bear. In addition, during his trip he also helped rescue an eskimo woman that was pregnant. Oogruk's teaching came to use when Russel had to hunt for his food out in the wild. Russel had a great time on this adventure being away from the village and finding his inner-self. He also built a friendship with the dogs that was very important for this young man out in the great wild. This adventure helped Russel find his inner-self and make his own song of life.
This book is very exciting filled with adventure, hunting, and tips for being in the wilderness. I enjoyed this book alot and gave it four out of five stars. If you are someone who does not like adventure and reading about the great outdoors then this book is not for you. I do really recommend it to anyone that likes adventure and reading about the wilderness.
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