Customer Reviews

Winter Room, The

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

The Winter Room is a very descriptive book about a family's life on the farm. Gary Paulsen does an excellent job describing the sights and smells of the farm. He describes everything so well it seems that you have been living with the family your whole life. I loved reading the story to find out about what life on a farm would be like.The characters are well developed and it tells about how family was more important than friends in those days more so than it is today. I would recommend this story for anyone interested in reading a fun family story about life on a farm with a truly magical ending.

Growing up in the 30's was a tough time for many people. It's never easy dealing with acres of crops, milking cows every day, or slipping and sliding in manure, but growing up on a farm had its good points, such as hearing an old family member tell a memorable story every night. Such is the case of the narrator, a boy who recalls what it was like every season of the year, especially that of the winter, when the whole family would gather in the 'winter room' to sit and knit, eat dinner, tell stories, or listen to stories while staring at the glowing fire burning in the distance.

As with all of his books, Gary Paulsen writes in a way as to paint pictures in your mind so that you can actually 'see' what is being said as you read it. At the same time, the story remains interesting from start to finish, without having a single part that's boring in any way, shape or form, but the best parts of the book in my opinion are the short stories that Uncle David tells.

Included is a sort of foreword by Gary Paulsen before the actual book begins. Then he tells what the boy thinks about and what is typically done in each season of the year on the 1930's farm, and finally, Uncle David tells a few fascinating stories, with one certain TRUE story being told each and every night.

The Winter Room is a fairly short book (103 pages), but like I said, it's interesting and sort of compelling from start to finish. It's a great book, but it is not one of Gary Paulsen's ABSOLUTE best books, in my opinion. After reading many of his other books such as The Island, Hatchet, The River, and Dogsong, I wasn't disappointed with The Winter Room, but it doesn't stand out as being one of his very best, even though it is a Newbery Honor Book.

If you're like me and you're a big Gary Paulsen fan, I definitely recommend adding The Winter Room to your collection. I also recommend it to anybody who wants to read a short and well-written book, but just keep in mind that the author has many other books that are even better than The Winter Room.

Have you ever thought that your life was great and it couldn't get any better? But then something horrible happened, and your life couldn't get any worse? Then something amazing happened, and your life was better than before? Well, if it hasn't, you should read the book The Winter Room by Gary Paulsen. It's about a boy named Eldon, (the protagonist) and his brother Wayne who live on a farm. Their Uncle David, who was very old, always told stories every night, and one story changed everybody's life.
One of my favorite events from the book was when Wayne and Eldon fought because they didn't know whether there was a place between days when it wasn't the day before and it wasn't tomorrow yet. Eldon's like, yes there are times in places so you could tell one day from the next, but Wayne thought he knew there wasn't. When they were done fighting, Wayne had a swollen ear from where Eldon hit him with a board, and Eldon had a bloody nose, and they still didn't know. Do you know the right answer?
Another one of my favorite events is when Uncle David tells the story of Crazy Alan. Crazy Alan was a man that played jokes on other men in the camp. The jokes he played didn't hurt anybody and weren't bad. The other men liked the jokes so much they wanted Crazy Alan to do more. When he did one joke he was on the verge of getting fired. The foreman was in the outhouse and Crazy Alan cut a huge Norway pine down. He dropped it right in front of the door to and from the outhouse. Crazy Alan maneuvered this trick so well, that he actually did get fired.
This book is like an adventure, mystery kind of story, and it's great for all kids and people of all ages. You must read The Winter Room by Gary Paulsen to figure out what happens in the end.

Can you tell me who had to survive on their farm during the winter? The only way you can find out is reading the book The Winter Room by Gary Paulsen. Well, it wasn't always like that for Wayne and his family. It was spring in Minnesota. Everything was good for Wayne who owns a farm with his family, but when it turned winter everything went wrong. Every winter Wayne is having trouble. He gets high fevers and coughs up blood. Wayne's little brother Eldon and Uncle Dan have to chop off the chicken's head in order to eat to eat for the winter, while his mother and father take care of Wayne. Then spring comes and Wayne gets mad at Uncle Dan. If you want to find out what happens read The Winter Room by Gary Paulsen. I think the author's message is to respect what you have and this is what Wayne learned because other people aren't as lucky as you. I give this book for the great book it is. Also it shows families working together.

One of the best ways a writer can improve his own writing is to read, and aspiring writers of children's fiction can't do much better than reading Newberry Honor books such as "The Winter Room" by Gary Paulsen.

"The Winter Room" is a short book that tells a simple story about life on a northern Minnesota farm over a single turn of the seasons. Yet, the simplicity of the story is deceiving because this story delves deeply into such complex subjects as the value of myth and the relationship between generations.

Anyone expecting wizards, dragons, or treasure hunts will be disappointed. But make no mistake, there is magic in this book; it's just not the type of magic that requires a wand or cauldron to conjure.

The story is told through the eyes of a young boy named Eldon. He lives on the farm with his older brother Wayne, his mother and father, and his two great-uncles, David and Nels. The story begins in spring with the melting of the snow and continues through summer and fall with fantastic descriptions of life on the farm. Through these little snippets of farm life, you get to know the characters and become immersed in their world.

Then comes winter, during which the family spends the long, cold evenings in the eponymous "winter room", gathered around the wood stove listening to Uncle David's stories. The family, especially the boys, enjoy Uncle David's tales. Then, one evening, Uncle David tells "the story that broke things" and causes Wayne to brand him a liar and a braggart.

The tension caused by this event is touching and I don't want to give away how it is resolved. The denouement is one of those gems that I am always hoping for in books but rarely find.

Another amazing thing about this book is the economy of the language. There is no excess verbiage here. Yet, the simple sentences and words create vivid images in the reader's mind. Paulsen is an expert at description and it is made obvious in his wonderful introduction to the book.

"If books could be more, could show more, could own more, this book would have smells...It would have the smells of old farms; the sweet smell of new-mown hay as it falls off the oiled sickle blade...the sticky-slick smell of birth when the calves come...the pungent fermented smell of the chopped corn silage when it is brought into the manger on the silage fork..."

This is an excellent book and I highly recommend it.

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Michael Mihalik is the author of Debt is Slavery: and 9 Other Things I Wish My Dad Had Taught Me About Money. Learn how to gain control of your finances, pay off your debt, and create financial security!

I loved this book! Its about Eldon and his older brother wayne where Eldon tells about a year of his life. in winter his Uncle David who tells them stories. Some of the stories are myths, and some are true.If you but when Eldons older brother Wayn finds out that some are not true he thinks that his Uncle lies to him. If you don't have a good imagination you shouldn't read this book.

It was about a boy who lived on a farm with five other people. He told about all the things that went on at his farm; particularly in the different seasons. I liked it because somehow when I was reading it the story just caught me and I was really interested in it. I really liked the story that Uncle David told about himself when he was young and a lumberjack. (He told two stories every night by the wood stove. I recommend it for a sixth grader.

"The Winter Room" by Gary Pauson is the biggest waste of time I have ever had the displeasure of reading. The whole book is about a young boy and his life throughout the seasons. It only tells about his regular routine, which isn't very exiting, and maybe one or two specific events. The "climax" has all the exitement af watching a brick wall to see if it will get up and run away. Suspense in this book is very rare in this book, and the tiny bit that there is, it is reserved for the very last chapter. The events that do happen in this book do not affect the end of the book at all. I would say that the endig of the book starts at the beginning of the first chapter and ends after a few pages. The main character, Eldon, does not change at all. The main character's brother, Wayne, is the only one that actually changes in the story. Eldon is known for his gullability in this book, and proves it by doing some of the crazy things Wayne tells him to do. Eldon and his brother live on a farm, along with his mother, father , uncle and farm hand. To live on this farm Eldon and his family have to be hard workers. No theme is actually presented in this book. At least, not that I could see. At the end, the theme might be to "trust your elders", but I doubt it. In conclusion, The Winter Room" is a waste of time. On a scale of one to five I would give it a one-half. So if you have a lot of time to waste and you want to waste it on something boring to read, read "The Winter Room".

The Winter Room is a great story that details family values and trust. The story is centered around one room in this large farm house, they call the room "the winter room". Here each night the two young boys, Eldon and Wayne, listen to their Uncle David's wonderful and exciting stories. This story is about one families history and years of struggle throught the eyes of Uncle David. I thought it was touching that this family shared the value of their family history. Not too many families take the time to sit with their children and go through how their family developed.

At one point Wayne has a reluncted nature to one of Uncle David's story's which developes into mistrust but showed that each of us has a mind and will of our own. Wayne and his brother find themselves disapointed in their Uncle because they believe he lied to them and both struggle with their feelings.

After discovering the truth within their Uncle's words the boys find peace, happiness and the heroic ways of their Uncle.

All families go through similar situations and the lesson learned throughout this story is, don't be afraid to question or doubt the words of others but be ready to forgive when those words are found true. I think it teaches all of us to never critize until we have all the facts to compare.

I liked this book by Gary Paulsen because of its lesson and fact that families need to stick together and trust in each other. Mr. Paulsen always pulls you into his stories.

Kaleen Lear South Hunterdon Regional High School

This book is about the room in the house where the family sits and talks. I grew up in the country, and this book reminded me of my own childhood, sitting in the house with family. Even though I did not grow up in the North, nor in the 30's, I did grow up in the country, so this book hit home for me. I felt I was back in my own home in my own childhood.