Toughboy and Sister [Mass Market Paperback]

Kirkpatrick Hill (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1992 | Age Level: 8 and up

An 11-year-old Indian boy and his younger sister must fend for themselves alone in an Alaskan wilderness camp when their father disappears on a drinking binge. "A simply told, well-crafted story . . . Sure to satisfy survival-story fans."--Kirkus Reviews.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Survival is at stake when a boy and his sister are stranded at their family's Yukon fishing camp. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Following their parents' deaths, two young Athabascan Indians work together to survive in the family's remote fish camp on the Yukon River. Hill ably depicts a lifestyle unfamiliar to many continental Americans. Through Toughboy and Sister, she illuminates the larger community of Athabascans, showing their values and strong belief in family ties. Athabascan words are smoothly explained in the text. Toughboy and Sister are not idealized characters; they learn to get along because they have to, and each tries to be strong to reassure the other. Readers will enjoy the idea of children their own age figuring out how to cook, fish, and kill a bear. The story is quietly told, which may be its biggest problem; while the setting and characters are vivid and appealing, the dramatic aspects of the tale are understated. Toughboy and Sister accept their father's death with a worldly wise sense of resignation. A confrontation with a bear, forshadowed in the jacket art and throughout the story, is oddly anticlimactic. The tone and ideas are similar to those in O'Dell's Island of the Blue Dolphins (Houghton, 1960) and Paulsen's Hatchet (Bradbury, 1987), but Toughboy and Sister lacks their depth and excitement. Easily read and accessible, this miniature portrait of Alaskan Indian life is not a high-priority purchase, but would be a good choice for larger collections. --Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, County of Henrico Public Library--Fairfield Area Library, Richmond, VA
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (February 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140348662
• ISBN-13: 978-0440849155
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,100,082 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Toughboy and Sister, February 20, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Toughboy and Sister (Mass Market Paperback)

Toughboy, age 11, and sister, age 9 have only their alcoholic dad to care for them after their mother's death. They get excited about going to fish camp, even though it will be the first trip without mom. Shortly after they arrive to camp, their father leaves. Toughboy and sister learn to prepare meals, take care of themselves, catch fish the way their parents once had, and reminisce about past times. One day the dad returns on the boat, dead. They are then stranded at the fish camp for many weeks; finally Natasha saves them. At this point, they both realize the tremendous positive affect being stranded has had upon them.
The book, in my opinion, tells a very good story. It provides a positive ending to a suspenseful, intriguing story. If you like survival stories, you will definitely enjoy this book!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Authentic Alaskan Adventure for Young Teens, November 24, 2007

By 

Kyle Pratt (Chehalis, WA, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Toughboy and Sister (Paperback)

This is my first year teaching 4th through 6th grade in a remote Eskimo village. As we read this story together I asked the students if the descriptions of events about nearby Athabascan Native Americans sounded true to them. Invariably they said, "yes."

The story centers on a brother and sister, known in their village as Toughboy and sister. After their Father dies they are left to fend for themselves at their remote fish camp. When I first arrived here, in mid-August, I was told that most of my students were still out at fish camp. As I walked around all I saw were old people, very young children and a few women and girls. As it came closer to the first day of school families began arriving in boats. In addition to parents and children the boats were loaded with enough fish for the winter.

The author, Kirkpatrick Hill, still lives in Fairbanks, Alaska according to the publisher's website. She taught elementary school in "bush" Alaska for more than thirty years. The story is written in a limited omnipresent point of view. We frequently jump from the mind of Toughboy to his sister and back. The writing and the story are good, but at times uneven.

One reviewer has lambasted Hill for the negative stereotypes. Hill wrote the father as a loving, caring man who was a drunk. The people of the village where I live and teach have voted this community dry, no alcohol may be brought in, made or consumed. There is a reason they did that; alcohol has seriously hurt this community. These problems are a fact of life here and in the "wet" towns and villages of Alaska.

Kirkpatrick Hill continues the story of Toughboy and Sister in Winter Camp

Recommendation: If you are a teenage reader and want a taste of what life is still like for many in the remote parts of Alaska, read Toughboy and Sister and Winter Camp.

Kyle Pratt

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good adventure story, March 27, 2008

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Toughboy and Sister (Mass Market Paperback)

This book was enchanting as it has children living on their own without adults. We all think about what that would be like. Toughboy is 11 and he tries to act very grown up. Sister is younger and she really looks up to her brother. The book is full of adventure, but not scary. I wish I knew what happened next. My brother and I both read this book (he is 8 and I am 11) and we both liked it.