Gamila's Review

Woods Runner by Gary Paulsen

I always remember Gary Paulsen’s the Hatchet as one of the first books that I actually liked to read. Some people say that they liked reading since they could first read words, but that wasn’t me at first. I kind of had to warm up to the reading thing. I was also intrigued by the idea of a boy woodsman. It sounded different from anything I’ve been reading lately and so I decided to give the book a try. The story wasn’t blow me a way brilliant, but was still an interesting and enjoyable read. After Samuel’s parents are captured by a British and Indian raiding party he hunts them through the forest in order to rescue them.

The background of the action takes place during the Revolutionary War and highlights the violence that British/Indian/and Hessian troops committed against people in more rural areas of the colonies. These places were not so focused on the political and philosophical debates that fueled the fight for freedom, but were angered by the treatment they received at the hands of British soldiers. As such the story does contain war-time violence, and the effects that it had on young adults and children. At the end of each chapter the author included historical facts about the time period. Some topics include, “Treatment of Prisoners of war,” “War Orphans,” “Covert Communications,” and other topics that focus on the military operations of British and American Armies.

This is probably a good read for boys, who are interested in history and war, but girls are allowed to like it too.

Gary Paulsen's website