Customer Reviews

Woods Runner

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Woods Runner, Gary Paulsen's latest novel, has what readers love about the famed author: the adventure, nature, and fast-paced narrative. This one has something more - the grittiness of the Revolutionary War - as seen through the eyes of 12-year-old Samuel, along with a unique style of presentation.

The story begins as most classic Paulsen's do, in the woods, and quickly segues into the encroaching war. In an effort to set the historical context, Paulsen augments the third-person omniscient chapters with short notes (one to two page) to help the reader understand the historical context of the story.

Paulsen's arrangement of alternating fiction and non-fiction is like having a friendly history teacher giving you short bursts of pertinent information while you are reading. The inclusion of the historical context is why this book is perfect for literature circles or a class read-aloud. At only 161 pages, the book is written for ages twelve and up. The depiction of war and how impacts both soldiers and local families is realistic and somewhat graphic, so squeamish people might squirm. The descriptions are not gratuitous or over-the-top, however, and add to the authenticity of Paulsen's writing.

In New York State, 7th grade students study American history, so WOODS RUNNER would be a great offering for students who like action and read at a normal reading level. It also could be supplemental reading for an older student who has a lower reading level. If you are a teacher or librarian, make sure you add this one to your mix! Parents, if your child loves this popular author or gritty historical fiction, make sure to add it to your gift list. As an added bonus, an author study kit will be available through the publisher Wendy Lamb Books, a division of Random House.

After spending the past 30 years researching, writing and doing school presentations on the Revolutionary War, I always have mixed feelings when I learn about a newly published YA novel on this subject - I look forward to reading it, but am apprehensive it will be full of historical inaccuracies. I am also hard to please. I consider Johnny Tremain too slow, April Morning too philosophical, My Brother Sam is Dead too depressing, and Octavian Nothing much, much too difficult for young readers.
I recommend L.M. Elliott's Give Me Liberty for how it shows how political events on the eve of the war impact ordinary Virginians. Also, Ann Rinaldi's The Fifth of March for her excellent portrayal of life in 1770 British army occupied Boston, with a nice love story thrown in. As for stories showing how inexperienced teenage soldiers cope with their first battle, I have yet to see any book as good as my own two, Patriots and Gone to Meet the British.
Now I'm adding WOODS RUNNER to this short "recommended" list. It has all the elements I consider essential to a good children's novel: a main character the reader can identify with, and it's exciting, suspenseful, fast paced and easy to read. Gary Paulsen's description of how Samuel uses his woods skills is right on, as well as the boy's feelings and thoughts. The story is believable, and I read it straight through to see how the conflict was resolved.
However, nearly every chapter had an extra page or two after it where Paulsen provided historical context info that took me out of the moment; those pages would have been better placed in a lengthy Afterword. I suspect this book will be around for a few decades.
If Mr. Paulsen is reading this, please consider these corrections before the next edition: On page 26, the bayonet should be 16" not 3'. Page 91 refers to New York City, but it was just called New York in 1776. Page 122 refers to the Hudson River, which was called the North River then. Perhaps mention both names? Page 127 refers to British soldiers carrying bayonetted rifles; no such thing, they were muskets. And, on page 127, the boy "worked his way up to Boston and joined Morgan's Rifles." Daniel Morgan was not in Boston in 1776, nor in 1777. In 1777, he was released from captivity in Quebec & rejoined Washington's army in Philadelphia. - Gregory Edgar, Somers, CT

Gold Star Award Winner!

In WOODS RUNNER, Gary Paulsen takes readers inside the American Revolution. It is not the history book version, but instead, the story of one young boy's fight to survive and save his parents.

Thirteen-year-old Samuel loves the woods. He spends his time exploring the forest and hunting for game to feed his family. One day while in the woods, Samuel sees black smoke in the distance. The longer he watches the smoke, the more uncomfortable he feels.

He heads for home, but when he arrives, he discovers his house and all of the other buildings in his small settlement burned to the ground. As he searches for survivors, he finds casualties, but his parents are not among them. He stays long enough to bury those who were killed, and then he heads off in search of his parents.

Samuel travels cautiously. He keeps to the brush and ducks for cover whenever he hears a noise. As he follows the trail of the Redcoats, he hears news about how they are traveling toward New York, where most prisoners are being held. His goal is to get there, too, and rescue his mother and father.

Along the way, Samuel witnesses horrible scenes of death and destruction. He is badly injured in one attack, but thanks to the help of strangers, he recovers enough to continue his journey. Other strangers also step in and lend a helping hand as Samuel heads east.

Gary Paulsen not only tells Samuel's adventurous tale, but he also inserts factual information telling about the British, the Colonists, and others involved in this tumultuous time in history. WOODS RUNNER is definitely not your typical, boring historical recap. There is action, suspense, and touching moments about what it was like to live and die during the American Revolution.

Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

Samuel lives on the frontier of the American colonies with his parents, but he much more prefers running and hunting in the woods than being even in the slightest form of civilization. One day, while hunting, British and Hessian soldiers attack his family and town, killing almost everyone and taking his parents hostage. Samuel tracks after them, witnessing the horrors of the Revolutionary War as other towns and people fall victim to the British. Paulsen, as always, is an engaging, exciting read (particularly for the difficult young male adolescent audience). His blend of history, survival, the horrors of war, the wilderness and civilization, and character makes this novel unique and powerful. As always, though, I do wish that there was more (more length and a bit more substance). The novel (and historical notes) create a new take on history, one that comes alive for students. Grade: A-

Gary Paulsen's WOODS RUNNER is a book that I would have loved when I fifth grade. It is the perilous story of thirteen year-old Samuel who is out hunting on the day that the American Revolution comes to his part of the world (an isolated homestead in colonial Pennsylvania). Samuel returns home to find that his family's homestead (and those of all the neighbors) have been burned to the ground, and deduces that his parents have been taken away, prisoners of the Redcoats. (Fortunately, as we later come to learn, it was Redcoats rather than Hessians who were responsible in this particular instance.) The story follows Samuel as he narrowly escapes death and finds himself using his rifle to take a human life as he seeks to harness all of his knowledge, wits, and resources, in order to locate and liberate his parents from their captors.

Earlier this year, I gushed about the pairing of poetry and prose in Joyce Sidman's sure-to-be-an-award winning picture book, UBIQUITOUS. I am equally fond of the manner in which Gary Paulsen intersperses bits of factual background information between his chapters. The "interruptions" are but a couple of hundred words each, and each is focused on interesting topics that you don't find in the history textbooks.

"'I feel guilty, though,' Samuel's father whispered. 'So many men in that shed, in other sheds. Starving. And I get food.'"'It is the way of it,' Abner put in from the darkness, 'of war. Some get, some don't, some live, some...don't, It's the way of it.'"

While it may be focused on hostilities from hundreds of years ago, today's young readers will find WOODS RUNNER a powerful depiction of what war is like on an intensely personal level. As Paulsen notes in his Afterword,

"Some of the dreadful nuts and bolts of battle, the real and horrible truths, are frequently overlooked because other parts are more dramatic and appealing. There is a tendency to clean up the tales of war to make them more palatable, focusing on rousing stories of heroism and stirring examples of patriotism, all clean, pristine, antiseptic."

WOODS RUNNER, like the real story of my beloved country, is a messy story.

by "RevWar author" and the comments that follow for a thorough overview of this novel as I agree with his sentiments.

Because "RevWar author" only gave it 3 stars, Amazon referred to it as a "critical" review, which perhaps implies to some that it's not worth reading. I don't believe that to be true. The review is critical in the literal sense of the word, as all review should be if one is willing to take the time to write one.

An interesting discussion is developing about the historical notes that are included at the end of each chapter. Some favor this, as it adds to the background of the novel. Other suggest it interrupts the flow, transporting the reader back to reality, like being awakened from a dream. Both points are valid. I wonder if Paulsen deliberated which way would be best, author's note at ends of chapters, or afterward at end of book, but had to choose one way or the other.

For now, the book is written as it is written. If you know your reading preference, plan on reading the author's note at the end of each chapter, or skipping them until the end, before you read.

It is a good book.

This is a well-written, very exciting story, a slice-of-life about the American Revolution, a look at things that aren't taught in history books -- particularly the imprisonment of colonists by the British. The author is to be commended for not avoiding the violence of warfare, but also for keeping it off the page. We see the results, which are bad enough. And the book has a happy ending: happy, but not at all sappy. Highly recommended.

Just finished Woods Runner and thoroughly enjoyed this action-packed, thought-provoking historical novel. Thank you for describing the grim realities of the Revolutionary War, and all war, to young students. Excellent companion to any American History curriculum.

Samuel, a thirteen year old boy, lives on the frontier of
Pennsylvania with his parents. One day, Samuel was out
hunting and he saw smoke above the trees about where his
village was located. He thought it was his neighbor, but he
thought wrong. It was a group of attackers. They had burned
down every cabin in his settlement plus more. They had
killed everyone, except a few prisoners, including his
parents. Samuel is terrified as he tries to find his
parents. Once he catches up to them, a very small war
starts and it is right in between him and his parents. He
was hit in the head by a tomahawk, a small axe, and fell
suddenly to the ground. Six to seven days later, he wakes
up with a group of Indians. They said they would take him
to New York to find his parents. When he grows stronger,
the Indians are too slow for him, so he tells Coop, the
Indian that saved his life, that he was going ahead of them
by himself. As he travels, he meets Annie and her family.
He goes through many adventures on his way to save his
parents. Will he be able to save his them in time? Read
Woods Runner to find out.

This book was very well written. Once I got into a good
part, I simply couldn't put it down. I loved this book, but
there was one thing I didn't like about it and that was
there is always someone dying. Other than that, this book
was amazing. I like the action and how there was never a
time when there wasn't action going on in it.

Reviewed by a young adult student reviewer
Flamingnet Book Reviews
[...]

This is a review of JUST THE AUDIOBOOK. (I will post a book review on the BFKr website later. I gave the book itself, 4-Stars! This audiobook gets 3-Stars!)


With audiobooks you have a number of factors that can influence whether they are enjoyable. There's features --like music--, recording quality, 'reader' quality, and how well the book adapts to be read.

I used my children --boy and girl, currently 7 and 9-- and myself as the test audience. And what I found led me to give this 3 CD collection a middlin' rank.

First, I should say that Danny Campbell does a good job reading. His voice is very pleasant, and while the first portion of the story is told in a rather unemotional tone, he soon warms to the material and by the end I found that I liked him quite well.

The reason I gave the audiobook an Average Rank is because I don't think this is the best book to read aloud as there is too much description of weaponry and the forest and how civilization varied so much in the 1700's. In the latter case, the author does a wonderful job in explaining that at the same time there were men with powdered wigs and silk clothing and fine educations, that there were also men in America who lacked all but the crudest education and who could not enjoy the company of even a few other people. And this doesn't translate as well when heard as when read.

I really liked this book. I thought it was not only a good adventure, but educational as well. Gary Paulsen knows his stuff. BUT, it's a book I would suggest children read themselves rather than listen to.

Pam T~
mom and reviewer, GoodBooks-Kids to YA
(BooksForKids-reviews.)