Woods Runner is set just at the cusp of the American Revolutionary War. It tells the story of 13 year-old Samuel, a boy raised in the thick woods of western Pennsylvania.
His story begins with an explanation of the woodsman (woodsboy?) that Samuel has become. His skill developed by the necessity of feeding his family. His world appears almost idyllically isolated until his family and near neighbors catch wind of the troubles that are brewing in Boston. Unfortunately, that trouble quickly catches up with him, and before he knows it, all most everyone Samuel knows has been horribly butchered by Iroquois in the company of Red Coats.
It's while he is discharging the ominous duty of going through the clubbed and scalped bodies of his friends that Samuel discovers that amazingly his mother and father are not among the dead. Studying the tracks around the burnt cabins he realizes that they and a handful of others have been spared and that they are being taken away to the north.
Samuel quickly buries his neighbors and then charges after his folks and that is where his real adventures start. I won't say much about them except that Gary Paulsen has written a well done tale of adventure and daring.
Talking Points:::
In this book, Gary has inserted factual information sheets onto their own pages. He sums up historical bits that readers might not know, or don't readily remember, so that the story is "fortified" with interesting facts. He talks about, for example, what a dreadful, barbaric bunch the Hessians were. How they ruthlessly butchered the non-combatants who surrendered to them; piking or shooting even women and little children. He also talks in detail about the rifle Samuel used, other weapons, and the conditions of the British prisons. I was astounded to find out, for example, that while the number (of young men who died in combat was only 4,000 (approximate), that the number who died from other causes was somewhere in the range of 30-50 Thousand.
In general, this is a book that I would definitely recommend for children who like historical fiction, and parents who want a more educational read. (Pay attention Homeschoolers!)
The age range for this book is wide: from elementary school to middle school. There is some violence -- it is about war after all -- but nothing overly graphic. Younger kids might like to have it read to them, but in general the book is probably best for the 9 year-old to 13 year-old crowd.I could find no Reading Level information at this time. This info is now available=> 5.5
See the audio book review here.
Pam
Somewhere in the X-burbs
Woods Runner
Accelerated Reading level : 5.5
- Hardcover: 176 pages
- Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books (January 12, 2010)
- ISBN-10: 0385738846
- amazon
Technical Stuff
Word Count: 32,659
Reading Level: 5.5
Interest Level: tween and middle-grades
Accelerated Reader: reading level: 5.5 / points: 5.0
AR quiz: 134843
Lexile: 870L
related posts:
- Our Master Gary Paulsen list
- Review of Woods Runner audiobook
- Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
- Mr. Tucket by Gary Paulsen (Book 1 - Tucket Series)
- Call Me Francis Tucket by Gary Paulsen (Book 2 - Tucket Series)
- Tucket's Ride by Gary Paulsen (Book 3 - Tucket Series)
- Tucket's Gold by Gary Paulsen (Book 4 - Tucket Series)
- Tucket's Home by Gary Paulsen (Book 5 - Tucket Series)
- Tucket's Travels by Gary Paulsen (Books 1 thru 5 in a collection - Tucket Series)
- See our post on the 2 new Gary Paulsen books that are coming out in 2011
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