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33rd out of 139 books
—
409 voters
Woods Runner
by
Gary Paulsen
Samuel, 13, spends his days in the forest, hunting for food for his family. He has grown up on the frontier of a British colony, America. Far from any town, or news of the war against the King that American patriots have begun near Boston.
But the war comes to them. British soldiers and Iroquois attack. Samuel’s parents are taken away, prisoners. Samuel follows, hiding, mov...more
But the war comes to them. British soldiers and Iroquois attack. Samuel’s parents are taken away, prisoners. Samuel follows, hiding, mov...more
Hardcover, 176 pages
Published
January 12th 2010
by Wendy Lamb Books
(first published December 9th 2009)
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In the beginning I was bored with Woods Runner. I'm not really a huge fan of survival fiction but I do like some historical fiction. But, I thought the historical notes were distracting because they occur after each chapter. Then I noticed that they were pretty much geared towards what you just read, so they could actually add to the reading. But I didn't like that so I stopped reading them.
My impression of Woods Runner changed drastically after Sam went out hunting the bear. Oh.My.Word. The des...more
My impression of Woods Runner changed drastically after Sam went out hunting the bear. Oh.My.Word. The des...more
A memorable telling of young Samuel's experience with the American Revolution. concerned at the sanitized accounts of the Revolution Paulsen tells the story of Samuel's family. They live in the wilderness- trees 3-5 feet across cleared in manageable homesteads like Samuel's family. His parents did not like town- too noisy, too busy. So they are part of a small community of homesteads. Samuel has taken to the woods and trades his time hunting with other families that do the chores usually perform...more
I found this book to be very intriguing. I'm not usually a big fan of historical fiction texts, however I was able to dive into this book and found myself unable to put it down. The book tells the story of a thirteen year-old boy named Samuel. The story unfolds in a very unusal way as suspense unfolds in the beginning. Samuel is out in the forest trying to hunt a bear as is tradition for him since he enjoys hunting like most boys his age. To Samuel's surprise as he is seconds away from pulling t...more
I absolutely love reading Woods Runner by Gary Paulsen. This book was a fast-paced action/adventure story that kept me intrigued until the very end. It tells the story of Samuel, a boy living in colonial America that spends his time in the woods hunting, tracking, and fending for his family in the wilderness. When the American Revolution reaches their family, Samuel's parents are taken and he must set out on a journey to rescue them. Reading this book kept me on the edge of my seat and I couldn'...more
Within the historical novel of “Woods Runner” by author Gary Pulson, thirteen year old Sam Smith is faced with the challenge of rescuing his parents who have been taking captive from the British Army. The novel is set during the time period of the Revolutionary War and retains much historical accuracy. Protagonist Sam and his family live out within the woods. Sam spends most of his day hunting as he provides for his family- who are not very experienced in hunting or survival skills. One day, Sam...more
Samuel has been a woods runner his whole life. But he now must go out of his element and into the city to rescue his parents, who have been taken prisoner by the redcoats. He encounters several obstacles along the way as you might expect. He catches a tomahawk to the head and wakes up in a place unfamiliar. He was not captured by the enemy but rescued by a man named Coop and a few other guys who were heading to battle the British. When he is in desperate need of a meal he walks up on a family wh...more
Jan 16, 2013
Cody Wysocki
is currently reading it
1/16/13
I have just started this book on Monday and I like this book alot one is that the author is Gary Paulsen and he is a great write that rights really good books. Two is that most of his books are about in the wild and in the woods which I can kinda relate to because I love to be in the woods and hunt. So far in this book Samuel has bin tracking down his mom and dad because while he was out hunting his house got burned and they took his parents and killed the other family's that lived close...more
I have just started this book on Monday and I like this book alot one is that the author is Gary Paulsen and he is a great write that rights really good books. Two is that most of his books are about in the wild and in the woods which I can kinda relate to because I love to be in the woods and hunt. So far in this book Samuel has bin tracking down his mom and dad because while he was out hunting his house got burned and they took his parents and killed the other family's that lived close...more
This was a great book! It was exiting and sad. I think it was sad because his family was held hostage and he was fighting for his mothers and fathers live. The book by its self was not really a action book. So if you like the Hunger Games with all that action you will be a little disappointed. The book is a novel with believable characters because they show feelings a lot. My favorite part is the end because it has the most action in it. This book happened at the civile war time. So you can com...more
I admit that at first I found the beginning a little boring. I wasn’t really into the whole survivalist theme of this 13 year old boy providing for his family. I ended up loving it though! I probably would have liked the historical notes a lot more as a child because I was really into historical fiction then, especially subjects around the Revolutionary War. As an adult I found it a little disrupting, but it’s very educational for kids because it gives more background into what they just read in...more
I've always been a huge fan of Gary Paulsen's work because I grew up reading his stories. My favorite one is still Hatchet to this day, but this book was really good too.
This book is a historical fiction novel that is told from the point of view of Samuel, who is only 13, who is living in the British colony of America. Samuel likes hunting. One day when he was out hunting, he noticed some smoke from his house so he ran back. When he got back home he found out that natives had taken his parents a...more
This book is a historical fiction novel that is told from the point of view of Samuel, who is only 13, who is living in the British colony of America. Samuel likes hunting. One day when he was out hunting, he noticed some smoke from his house so he ran back. When he got back home he found out that natives had taken his parents a...more
Woods Runner by Gary Paulson is a historical fiction novel that is written from the point of view of Samuel, a 13 years old frontiersman, living in the British colony of America. Samuel has gone out hunting when he notices more smoke than usual coming from the direction of his house. When he returns home he finds natives have taken his parents captive and his community has been burned murdered. Samuel sets out on a journey to rescue his family and find the British Soldiers and Indians responsibl...more
Set during the revolutionary war, "Woods Runner" has some very serious ongoing themes throughout. Samuel was a young boy determined to help his mother and father during the hard times. He set out to go into the woods and get some food for his family. When he returns, after seeing smoke, he finds that his home has been burnt down and his mother and father are missing. This leaves Samuel no choice but to set out and rescue them. Along the way, Samuel experiences face to face encounters with the wa...more
This is a pretty good historical fiction novel for upper elementary/early middle school students. It educates about the Revolutionary War but revolves around a 13 year old boy which makes the book more relatable to children. It is a very fast paced book that only took me a day to read. The story grabs the attention of students not only because of the similarity in age of the character and reader, but because it is so suspenseful and action-packed, which is typically very appealing to young adole...more
Woods Runner written by Gary Paulsen is a historical fiction novel based at the beginning of the American Revolutionary War. A thirteen year old Samuel returns home from a hunting trip to find his parents have been taken captive and all of his neighbors have been murdered by British soldiers and paid Indians. Samuel instantly decides he will rescue his family at any cost. He will spend the next few weeks tracking the captors and in the process gain a scar on his forehead from an Indian Tomahawk,...more
This story is a survival story about a young 13-year-old boy named Samuel Lehi Smith. Samuel was growing up in the wilderness with his two parents, whom both moved from the Eastern City life to experience a subtler lifestyle in a cabin in the woods. Both of his parents were not very equipped to live in the woods, although Samuel was prepared and knew much about hunting and survival on his own. His parents were warned about the British Army attacking a familiar settlement, and gathered people of...more
Once I got into the book "Woods Runner" by Gary Paulsen, I really enjoyed it. I wasn't that excited about reading it because historical fiction isn't my favorite genre. I was able to find good in this book though because I realized it was by the same author as Hatchet, which is one of my favorite books. Also, I found "Woods Runner" to be very informative and educational. Paulsen does a wonderful job of explaining the war through Sam, a 13 year old boys eyes. The book starts off with the audience...more
The book "Woods Runner" by Gary Paulsen was a book that took me a while to get into, but once I did I could not put it down! This book is one that is educational yet enjoyable. The way Paulsen depicts the war through a thirteen your olds eyes will really help students understand the intensity of America at this time! The book starts off with us meeting Sam and his parents. The family lives out in a small village in the woods. Sam was the sole hunter for his family, the woods was his home. He tra...more
Samuel lives with his parents in the wilderness in 1776. He enjoys nothing more than being alone in the woods with the animals and his thoughts. All this is shattered when the British attack his settlement and take his parents hostage. Samuel's mission in life instantly becomes rescuing his mother and father, even though he doesn't have a plan at all.
While searching for the group of raiders, Samuel meets many different people involved in the revolution. Some by choice, others by circumstance. W...more
While searching for the group of raiders, Samuel meets many different people involved in the revolution. Some by choice, others by circumstance. W...more
I could definitely see this story being written in first person. The content was so personal to Samuel and his journey, it would be interesting to hear it from his eyes and to read what is occuring within his thoughts. As a personal preference, I like historical fiction novels to be placed in a particular time period, but still provide the whimsical feeling of a fictional tale. This book was overwhelmed with facts and knowledge, and this took away from the story line at certain points. It is won...more
This book was very sad and breathtaking. At the begging of the book this thirteen year old kid Samuel lived in the forest with his parents and neighbors. But little did he know Hassians were going to come and change his life forever. British soldiers came and kidnapped Samuel's parents. After that happened Samuel goes to try to save them but has a little difficulty with Indians and the fear of staying alive through the night in the deep thick forest. Then in the end he saves the whole world!
I...more
I...more
I bought this for Michael but he hates to read. After reading it myself, I'm kind of glad he didn't read it... How old do you think is old enough to read about war and brutality? When I was in fourth or fifth grade I read a book called Follow the River, and it had a lot of frontier killings (scalpings, hatchet murders, even an old starving woman trying to eat another woman) and it freaked me out for years. Woods Runner is a lot tamer than that, but still a lot of death. I want my kids to learn a...more
GARY PAULSEN
Samuel is a 13 year old boy living on the western edge of the Pennsylvania wilderness in 1776. His mother and father are intellectuals who have moved out west seeking a peaceful, calm existence. Samuel, on the other hand, has taken to the woods. He hunts and gathers meat for nearly everyone in the village. He has quite literally become one with the woods. Then, the Revolutionary War breaks out. The village is burned to the ground while Samuel is out hunting. It appears, though, that...more
Samuel is a 13 year old boy living on the western edge of the Pennsylvania wilderness in 1776. His mother and father are intellectuals who have moved out west seeking a peaceful, calm existence. Samuel, on the other hand, has taken to the woods. He hunts and gathers meat for nearly everyone in the village. He has quite literally become one with the woods. Then, the Revolutionary War breaks out. The village is burned to the ground while Samuel is out hunting. It appears, though, that...more
This book follow a 13 year old boy named samuel. Samuel and his family live deep in the woods of Pennsylvania and had no idea about the Revolutionary War, until the war came to them. When the war confronted Samuel and his family his parents were held as prisoners of the british. Samuel made it his mission to find and save his parents no matter what. He followed the British troops who had his parents all through their trails of war. During his adventure Samuel was confronted by the trails and dis...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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This is a wonderful, historical fiction novel for the young adolescents. It is a short story (only 161 pages) about a thirteen year old boy named Samuel and his experiences at the start of the Revolutionary War.
What I find most interesting about this book is the fact that Paulson chooses to focus the story on the experiences of a civilian. There is no talk of legendary battles or of American War Heroes. It is just a snapshot of what an average day might look like if you lived during this time pe...more
What I find most interesting about this book is the fact that Paulson chooses to focus the story on the experiences of a civilian. There is no talk of legendary battles or of American War Heroes. It is just a snapshot of what an average day might look like if you lived during this time pe...more
In the afterword, Gary Paulsen says he wrote the book to show the ravages of war, something he believes is glossed over in the middle school history version of the American Revolution. I agree and appreciate his premise. The book is a snapshot of the horrors of war, and it shows how the Revolution was one of the most brutal wars in our history, which is not something you learn in the patriotic parade of heroes at school. Even though Paulsen has a "lesson" to teach, the book reads like the advent...more
Woods Runner is not the type of book I would typically pick up and read. That being said, I read this book in one day. Once I got going, I couldn't stop. The book is fast-paced but not easy to read. Gary Paulsen tells a story about the Revolutionary War through a 13 year old boy named Samuel.
Samuel and his family live in the forest in Pennsylvania. Samuel's parents are not really forest people, but they were trying to avoid the war. Samuel had gone out hunting bear one day, when he noticed smok...more
Samuel and his family live in the forest in Pennsylvania. Samuel's parents are not really forest people, but they were trying to avoid the war. Samuel had gone out hunting bear one day, when he noticed smok...more
Gary Paulsen is one of my favorite authors. He has written another wonderful book with Woods Runner. It tells the story of a boy who lives in the woods and comes home from hunting one day to find his home burned to the ground, his neighbors slaughtered, and his parents missing. He tracks them across country and manages to survive the Iroquois and Hessian attacks during his trip. Although this is a fictional story, there is a nonfiction element included. Paulsen writes nonfiction pieces about the...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
The year is 1776, and 13-year-old Samuel is living on the colonial frontier in Pennsylvania. Sam spends most of his life in the woods hunting and providing for both his family and their neighbors in their rural community. Largely, this is because he just loves communing with nature, but it is also partly due to the fact that he is not really a people person.
When coming home from one of his hunts, he arrives to find that his whole village has been destroyed by a group of redcoats and their Iroqu...more
When coming home from one of his hunts, he arrives to find that his whole village has been destroyed by a group of redcoats and their Iroqu...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| School? | 11 | 24 | Dec 10, 2012 11:41am | |
| Book Review | 1 | 4 | Apr 16, 2012 04:00pm |
Although he was never a dedicated student, Paulsen developed a passion for reading at an early age. After a librarian gave him a book to read--along with his own library card--he was hooked. He began spending hours alone in the basement of his apartment building, reading one book after another.
Running away from home at the age of 14 and traveling with a carnival, Paulsen acquired a taste for adve...more
More about Gary Paulsen...
Running away from home at the age of 14 and traveling with a carnival, Paulsen acquired a taste for adve...more
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Mar 17, 2010 08:44pm
I did like his explanations o...more
Mar 18, 2010 02:50am