A mesmerizing middle-grade memoir from three-time Newbery Honor-winning author Gary Paulsen--whose books have sold over 35 million copies worldwide--giving readers a new perspective on the origin of Hatchet and Paulsen's other famed survival stories.
His name is synonymous with high-stakes wilderness survival stories. Now Gary Paulsen portrays a series of life-altering moments in his turbulent childhood as his own original survival story. If not for his summer escape from a shockingly neglectful Chicago upbringing to a North Woods homestead at age five, there never would have been a Hatchet. Without the encouragement of the librarian who handed him his first book at age thirteen, he may never have become a reader. Without his desperate teenage enlistment in the army, he would not have discovered his true calling as a storyteller. A moving and enthralling story of grit and growing up for newcomers and lifelong fans alike, this is the literary legend at his rawest and realest.
Publisher: Macmillan
Original Binding: Trade Paperback
Pages: 368 pages
ISBN-10: 1250866553
Item Weight: 0.6 lbs
Dimensions: 5.2 x 1.0 x 7.6 inches
Customer Reviews: 3 out of 5 stars 1,001 to 10,000 ratings
A New York Times Best Children's Book of the Year A TIME Magazine Best Children's Book of the Year A People Magazine Best Children's Book of the Year A Publisher's Weekly Best Book of the Year An Evanston Public Library Best Book of the Year
"Leaves you gritting your teeth and clutching the pages . . . Beautiful language . . . stunning detail . . . Haunted me as a reader." --The New York Times Book Review
"A rich, compelling read that is emotive and expressive without forcing empathy from the reader. Both brightly funny and darkly tragic, it is fresh in its honest portrayal of difficult themes . . . Readers will fall into this narrative of succeeding against overwhelming odds amid deep trauma." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"A riveting, hopeful survival story about personal resilience amid trauma." --Publishers Weekly, starred review
"This literary treasure is written for book lovers of any age." --Shelf Awareness, starred review
Gary Paulsen (1939-2021) wrote more than two hundred books for children and adults, including the recent father-son comedy How to Train Your Dad, and the survival adventure Northwind. Three of his novels--Hatchet, Dogsong, and The Winter Room--were Newbery Honor books. In 1997, he received the ALA's Margaret A. Edwards Award for his contribution to young adult literature. His books have sold more than 35 million copies around the world. garypaulsenauthor.com
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