Customer Reviews

Mr. Tucket (The Francis Tucket Books)

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Gary Paulsen's Mr. Tucket is an exciting story of capture and escape, friendship, loyalty, and perseverance. If you love the romance of the Old West, you'll love this book. It keeps you on the edge of your seat, and you can't stop turning the pages.

Francis Alphonse Tucket celebrated his fourteenth birthday while traveling with his parents and little sister in a wagon train bound for Oregon. His father had secretly brought along a Lancaster rifle as a surprise birthday present. Francis loved the rifle, but he strayed a little too far behind the wagon train practicing his aim. He didn't even get to eat his birthday cake! About the time he noticed the wagon train was out of sight, a band of Pawnee Indians showed up and captured him. They fled like the wind to their village, erasing the signs of their passage so rescuers wouldn't be able to track Francis. At the Pawnee village, Francis was treated poorly, then lost hope when a raiding party came back with a doll that looked just like the one his sister had. It was at this sad time that Francis saw a white man riding boldly into the village. He was Jason Grimes, a one-armed Mountain Man. He was leading two pack horses loaded with goods to trade to the Indians for their furs. Francis was quickly exiled out of sight by the Indians, but Mr. Grimes had seen him. After a long session of spirited trading with the Indians in which he got most of them drunk, Mr. Grimes found Francis and released him, and helped him escape. Francis rode off barely holding on to a galloping Indian pony, heading for a place where Mr. Grimes said he would meet Francis.

The rest of the story is just as exciting as the beginning. Francis runs in and out of trouble, while learning how to survive in the wilderness and how to stand up for himself. Jason Grimes plays a large role in the story, but Francis is the star.

This first book is one of five in the series about Francis Tucket, so there is a lot to look forward to, and plenty of questions to be answered. Did his family make it to Oregon? Will Francis ever see them again, or will he become a Mountain Man like Jason Grimes, living off the land and trading with the Indians? You'll have to read it to find out!

Mr.Tucket, by Gary Paulsen, is by far his greatest book yet. It is about Francis Tucket who is in a wagon train bound for Oregon. He falls behind the train to practice shooting his new gun, and is captured by a groupe of indians. With the help of Jason Grimes (a one armed mountian man), he escapes the savages and learns the way of the mountians. There are two more sequels to this book, and I hope G.Paulsen will write another.

This book, Mr. Tucket, is written by my favorite author, Gary Paulsen. Gary Paulsen is a distinguished author of manybooks for young people. These include : The Winter Room, Hatchet, Dogsong, and many more which I have read most of them. This book, I enjoyed as much as I enjoyed many of Gary Paulsen's books. Also this book, Mr. Tucket, is a historical Fiction book and so many people and Indians introduced really existed ruing the 1800's.

It was around 1847. Many people from different places were heading for West, to Oregon. People traveled in groups in wagons because of Indians, and Francis Alphones Tucket is one of the many people moving to Oregon. It was his 14th birthday and he had received his first rifle. He was so happy, he wanted to practice shooting with it. But soon he was captured by Pawnees Indians. His rifle was taken by the Pawnees and he was used almost as a slave. During the stay at Pawnees village, little kids jumped on him and wrestled him. Francis found it really irritating and wanted to leave. Then he saw a white mountain man trading some stuff with the Pawnees. He only had one arm and looked very strong. Later at night, the white man came to release Francis and let Francis run on a black mare by himself. The next day, after Francis was running hard, he saw the white man and introduced himself. Mountain man, known as Mr. Grimes didn't like Francis nor the Alphones, so he called Francins Mr. Tucket.

That's how Mr. Grimes and Mr. Tucket finally met. Mr. Grimes helped Mr. Tucket to shoot and practice with the rifles. He taught Mr. Tucket to find meals by shooting rabbits, antelopes, and dears. Mr. Grimes showed Mr. Tucket the Sioux Indians. Mr. Grimes and the Standing Bear, the chief of the Sioux Village decided to have a competition of wrestling with Mr. Tucket and a one of Sioux Indian. Mr. Tucket was sure he was going to lose, but he didn't, and instead he won. He was rewarded a new black mare and was given buckskins. Then Mr. Grimes took Mr. Tucket to Spot Johnnie's house, Mr. Grimes' friend. After meeting Spot Johnnie, Mr. Grimes took Mr. Tucket to pond of beavers. It was located in Crows Indians' territory, so Mr. Grimes tried to be very careful. After few days after building a cabin near the pond of beavers, another mountain man, Mr. Grimes' friend, Jim Bridger came to the cabin and had a talk with Mr. Tucket. After killing 200 beavers, Mr. Tucket and Mr. Grimes skinned and stretched out the beavers.

When Mr. Tucket thought it was really bored, he rode his mare around the pond where he could see his own cabin. But saw 5 Crows Indians. He almost died, when Mr. Grimes shot 2 of the Indians and saved Mr. Tucket. They hurried and left the place and went to Spot Johnnie's house. Then suddenly, Mr. Grimes said in a very concerned voice that there was a bit too much smoke at the house and ran hard to the village. The buildings all burned down and many dead bodies were around. Mr. Grimes searched for a second and finally said that it was Pawnees Indians. They wanted powders from Spot Johnnie's, but they didn't have any, so the Pawnees just killed them. Mr. Grimes hurried and found some people riding wagon on road to Oregon. He told them to take care of Mr. Tucket and left for another fight with Braid, a war chief of Pawnees Indians.

This was a very good book by Gary Paulsen. It was interesting and had lots of action. I would recomed this book to anybody. I think they would enjoy it. This book started out with a boy named Francis Tucket. He lived in a wagon train that was headed to Oregon. One day for his birthday he got a rifle. One day he fell behind the wagon and was shooting his rifle when he was picked out by indians. They took him back to there camp and he became part of there tribe. Then a mountain man by the name of Mr.Grimes told him how to escape and were to meet him in a couple of days. So francis escaped and meet Mr. Grimes and they went of into the countryside. The first stop they made was at a pawnee villiage Mr.Grimes was freinds with the pawnees so they let him pass through. Then they arived at Spot Jonnies place. They stayed there for 3 weeks and then left in search of a good hunting place for beaver. They found a place and built a house there. The next fall they put out the beaver traps and when they were done they had 200 beaver pelts. One day when Mr.Tucket was ridding his horse he was attacked by indians. So Mr.Tucket and Mr.Grimes ran away from the indians. They meet a wagon trail that had been atacked by indians so Mr.Grimes went to kill bride the indian. Francis followed him and Mr.Grimes killed the indian. The Francis decided he wanted to go back to oregon with the wagons so he left Mr.Grimes and went back to his family. The characters in this story were very good. They were very well planed and fit the story well. You could really picture the senery in your mind of were they are at and the setting around them. This is a great book and i enjoyed it.

This is a GREAT book Mr. Paulsen! My teacher, Mr. Ita read it to the class. We just started "Tucket's Gold" today. The "Tucket" series is AWSOME! Consider writing a fifth "Tucket" book soon if you haven't already! I LLLOOOVVVEEE how the books always end leaving you hanging by a thread. We (my class & I) were in EXTREME suspence waiting for No. 4 to come out. I mean, having the last line be "Come on. We've got lots of ground to cover." is like the best way to keep you going with the books. It isn't very fun waiting for a while when you really want to know what happens. I hope the whatsimadosits don't catch Francis, Loddy, and Billy! I guess I'll have to wait!

I used this book in my 4th grade class. Gary Paulsen is an excellent author for this age group as his books are engaging and well-written. The first in the series, many of my students are now dedicated to reading all the other books. If you want to encourage a child to read, then get them involved in a series!

"Mr. Tucket" is the 'handle' that 14 year-old Francis Alphonse Tucket receives from Mr. Grimes, a one-armed trapper. The two run across one another after young Francis is taken by Pawnees who have kidnapped him from the wagon train his folks are taking to Oregon. Grimes takes the boy under his wing once Tucket manages to allude the Indians and together they do some trapping and have some rootin' tootin' adventures.

Talking Points:::
o This book was written for a younger audience than Paulsen's Young Adult books; such as the "Brian" series. It's listed at AR level 5.0 -- entering 5th Grade.

o Like other Paulsen books this one includes interesting history facts. But unlike other books by this author it doesn't have the same degree of reflection. Which is to say it's a 'lighter read'. For example, although Francis didn't know what had happened to his family after they were attacked by the Pawnee, he wasn't particularly overcome with grief.

o Paulsen is even handed with how he portrays peoples. Individuals might be bad, but not everyone in a particular culture.

o The 4th Graders at my children's school all read this book and it was all they talked about for awhile. Thus, kid-tested and approved.

o Myself:: I enjoyed "Mr. Tucket" a great deal. There's lots of action and, of course, Paulsen has done his research and has included some information about trappers and how captives were treated by western Indians. It's enough for younger readers to get the flavor of the times without going into some of the more horrendous experiences.

Pam T mini-review
booksforkids-reviews

Francis Tucket is an ordinary boy, who just turned thirteen. His family was on a trip at the Rockies, and Francis just received a rifle from his dad. He is so anxious to try it out. Francis wonders a little ways out of their camp to try his rifle. Not 2 seconds after his first shot, he is kidnapped by some Pawnees. Before he knows it he is tied up, and riding on the back of a horse. How, or will Francis escape from the Pawnees? Find out by reading this country/western adventure, Mr. Tucket by Gary Paulsen.

By: Brett

Mr. Tucket is a great book about a boy who is in a wagon train on the Oregon Trail.
Mr. Tucket or Francis is kidnapped by Pawnee Indians. A mountain man named Mr. Grimes helps Francis to escape. So they ride off to find his parents who should be in
Oregon. The theme of this book is survival of the fittest. If you like action and adventure, you will love this book.

A Wild Adventure (Mr. Tucket) is a book by Gary Paulsen. I read this book because I love the books that Gary Paulsen writes. I recommended this book to others because it is about a boy on a wagon train that goes on a wild adventure and gets captured by??? Well I better let you read this book to find out what happens. I relate to this book because I am part Indian, and it is a really cool and neat book to read. A book that reminds me of this book is Hatchet. It's about a boy who goes to see his dad a gets in a plane crash and he has to live in the wilderness for a long time. He has to eat fish, catch his own food, and build his own house.