The Voyage of the Frog

by Gary Paulsen

Slowly, David opened his eyes and looked around the horizon, wincing again with the new movement. There was nothing sticking above the water as far as he could see. He was alone.

Fourteen-year-old David Alspeth intended only to fulfill his uncle's last wish when he set sail in the Frog, but when a savage storm slams the tiny sailboat, David is stranded. No wind. No radio. Little water. Seven cans of food. And the storm is just the first challenge David must face... An American Association Best Book for Young Adults

Genres: Fiction, Adventure, Young Adult, Survival, Realistic Fiction, Childrens, Middle Grade

141 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Gary James Paulsen was an American writer of children's and young adult fiction, best known for coming-of-age stories about the wilderness. He was the author of more than 200 books and wrote more than 200 magazine articles and short stories, and several plays, all primarily for teenagers. He won the Margaret Edwards Award from the American Library Association in 1997 for his lifetime contribution in writing for teens.

Reviews

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book. For my first time reading it I found it very intriguing and I loved it. I would recommend this book to anyone, especially if they like to read books by Gary Paulsen.

[L Y N N · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was excellently written, as I would expect of Gary Paulsen! Quite enjoyable!

I love the ending. David's sense of loyalty was admirable, as well as his determination and willingness to persevere and learn. His grief over his Uncle Owen's death felt realistic and quite intense, as I would expect for a 14-year-old.

Interestingly, David recounted Owen's approach to life, and I was surprised that it mirrored my own, I want to know all the things I don't know. Yes! Exactly!

Lots of sailing details in this book that gave me a bit more knowledge about the technical skills involved.

Having just read Susan Casey's The Underworld: Journeys to the Depths of the Ocean, I was gratified for some scenes that reflected knowledge from the nonfiction book!

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very interesting because at first I thought it was a frog going on a voyage but it was a 14-year-old boy sailing a boat. His uncle gave him a boat. Then he sailed it and he got stuck in the middle of nowhere. I recommend this book to people who like boats and who wants to know more about getting stranded.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fourteen-year-old David Alspeth has lost his favorite uncle to cancer. The uncle that taught him to sail and who had left him the Frog, his 22 foot sailboat. His last request is that David take his ashes to sea and dump them out of sight of land. In his grief David fails to plan ahead and carelessly sets sail at night without proper preparation. When David encounters a Pacific storm he realizes that he's not properly prepared to meet what the Pacific (or life) is throwing at him.

I thoroughly enjoyed this but then I'm always a sucker for sea stories. Given the themes, it's not surprising that some critics say that this is just a retelling of the Hatchet tale, and there are many, many similarities but I felt that this was overall, a better Bildungsroman than Hatchet was. Perhaps its just that I have more in common with a sailor than an air crash survivor, but I felt that threats were present without the time consuming scrambling for survival, giving the protagonist more time for reflection. In the end it's a kinder gentler coming-of-age story than Hatchet and I'm surprised it hasn't gotten more of a following as it has more that most young readers could identify with.

If you read Hatchet and enjoyed it, by all means check this out. And if you're a young sailor you definitely should read this.

[Daniel Kleven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fantastic survival story from Gary Paulsen. If you've read Hatchet, you should like this one too. The set-up is a teenage boy sailing a small boat in the Pacific when a storm hits and leaves him alone and stranded for days. Great explorations of senses, nature, animals, relationships, and of course, survival. Paulsen was an all-time great.

[Bailey Vaughan · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The Voyage of the Frog” has multiple themes, one of which being growth. The main character, David, promises his uncle that he will spread his ashes in the middle of the sea. When David sets out to do so, he’s angry at everything. As he sails he explores his emotions around his uncles death. He finally gets to a point in the sea where he can’t see any land. There, he scatterers his uncle’s ashes. He goes to sail back and see waves coming. The boat gets tossed in the storm pushed farther out to sea. As he tries to sail back, he grows in his ability to problem solve and comes to peace with his uncles death. He grows so close to the sail boat the when he has an opportunity to leave the boat and get rescued, he chooses to sail home instead.

I thought it was interesting how David adapted to the change and how in solving one external conflict, he solved another internal conflict. The author uses the sea and sea creatures as a motif. At the beginning, when David is scared and angry, the sea appears rough and unforgiving. He thinks of all the dangerous creatures surrounding his boat. Towards the end, he views the sea as calm and peaceful. He sees the creatures as company.

This books is sort of similar to other books where characters have to overcome an external problem while struggling internally. Gary Paulsen uses that technique a lot. I read his other book, “Woods Runner.” In “Woods Runner” the main character, Samuel, has to help his parents escape while dealing with the memories of what war is leaving behind. Another similarity between these two books is that the main characters are young and have to take control and learn about responsibility in a difficult situation.

[Adam Veeser-Johnston · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The Voyage of the Frog"

Personal Response: I thought it was a good book. It was based on a true and devastating story that actually happened and that caught my eye.

Plot: The main character, David, set out on his uncle's boat to fill his last wishes. Once out at sea, David spreads his uncles ashes over the water and starts to head back to shore but is caught in a horrible storm. When David wakes up he finds that he is even further out than he was the day before and now waits for good winds. The next day David comes head on with a huge oil tanker and almost gets crushed but he worked out of the way. After a few days the winds finally caught and David was on his way. When he hit shore, he was over three-hundred miles south of his home city. Then another storm hits while he's in the Baja California bay. After the storm hits another boat appears and David sails next to the other vessel. The captain comes over and says that he was looking for David because he's been gone for a week with no one knowing where he was. The search was called off because David was presumed dead. Later during the next week David got home.

Characters: David and Owen. David is the main character who went on a voyage to send his uncles ashes to sea where land couldn't be seen in any direction. Owen is David's uncle who died recently.

Setting: The time is modern day California. The place is out on the Pacific ocean far from land.

Theme: The main theme is that even when in a bind don't lose your head and if you're still alive make the most out of the time you might have left and try to find your way through a dark cave with a small light.

My recommendation is to anyone who likes a short adventure and a survival type book. I have no real age recommendations for "The Frog."

[VANCE!!!!!!! Porter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked the book "The Voyage of the Frog" by Gary Paulsen. I thought everything was unexpected because when he went out to dump the ashes, I thought he was just going to go out and come back and be fine. But then a storm came and blew him off course, and he was way off track. This is when everything got interesting. I think the scariest part was when the shark was slamming into the side of the Frog because the shark saw the shine of the Frog's hull and thought it was a fish. Also, I think it would be cool to go into a bay of an ocean, anchor, fall asleep, and then wake up to a group of whales outside playing around and blowing their blowholes.

The main character, David Alspeth, was a strong character. He kept his mind in the right mind set. He never really thought of how far he was from his home; he just thought about surviving and making his way back and keeping a tally on all the supplies he had. He found the beauty of nature even when he was mad and sad that he was so far away from home and didn't know how far he had gone. He was a very knowledgeable kid.

This story took place somewhere in the ocean, but it was just after his uncle had died, so his family was probably mourning during the story. He was sad and he was crying when he got up to the Frog, and he didn't like that he could put everything that his uncle was into a jar of ashes. The setting was after a funeral and he had to dump his uncle’s ashes. I think the biggest impact was sadness.

I would recommend this book to girls and boys ages 9-17 because it is appropriate for their age, and I think they would like It.

[The Mystery Stallion · Rating 4 out of 5]

David was all alone at sea. Or so he thought. In Gary Paulson's, The Voyage of The Frog, David has a mighty task daunting to complete: not die. Waves towering and winds gusting against the FROG make for an incredible task. David knowing that his fate doesn't look good, is overwhelmed with the materials he learned from his Uncle Owen, this giving David one last chance of hope. He never could have been prepared for the task that stands in the way from him and home.

My overall opinion for this book is that it's an okay read. The book wasn't too complex or difficult to read. It grabbed the attention and maintained it which was very nice. However, as an adult, I would say the book is a bit too easy. If I was to give this an age recommendation, it would be middle school, to low high school level. He did a great job with keeping the reader on the edge for the whole book and I was impressed with that aspect.

[Ivan Cuevas]

When fourteen-year old David Alspeth's Uncle dies he leaves him only two things: a sailboat, The Frog, and an assignment to dump his ashes into the ocean. The voyage turned out to be more than he expected when a freak rainstorm blows him off his route. The Story describes how a young boy reacts to the loss of a loved one. Gary Paulsen skillfully wrote this lovely story about a boy, a sailboat, and an incredible act of love. I honestly completely LOVED this great book. I would recommend this to people who enjoy the sea and sailboats ( or a nice story ).

[Art · Rating 4 out of 5]

The life of a young man who follows the wish of his uncle and sails off on his own.
Great survivalist and joy of the ocean story.

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would recoment to any and all interested in sailing...

[Richard R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

awesome book

[nick adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Voyage of the Frog caught me off guard. It’s not just a story about a boy sailing a boat; it’s about being alone with yourself, facing fear, and finding out what you’re made of when you’ve got nothing but the sea around you. David is young, but Paulsen doesn’t treat him like a kid. The ocean doesn’t care how old you are, and neither does survival.

The story starts simple. David is out to scatter his uncle’s ashes, but nothing goes as planned. A storm hits, and before long, he’s in real trouble. Paulsen knows how to write about the wild, and he does the same here with the ocean. The water is unforgiving. There’s no land in sight, no safety net. Just David, the boat, and the vast unknown.

What surprised me was how real it felt. You can almost hear the waves, feel the cold spray of the sea, and the isolation — it’s thick. David’s fear is real, and it doesn’t let up. The struggle is raw, and it’s not just about surviving physically, but mentally. Paulsen captures the exhaustion, the doubt, and that fight inside your own head when you don’t know if you’re going to make it.

I appreciated how David had to figure it out as he went along. No one’s coming to save him. He’s got to rely on what little he knows and make it through. That’s the kind of survival story I like — no over-the-top heroics, just a boy against the elements, figuring it out moment by moment.

My only complaint is that the ending felt a bit too neat. I wanted more of the raw struggle, more of that battle with the sea and himself. But still, The Voyage of the Frog gives you a solid look at what it’s like to be out there, alone, where every choice counts.

It’s not the biggest story, but it’s an honest one. And sometimes that’s enough.

[Mermaid · Rating 1 out of 5]

  " I want you to have the Frog says Owen"
Gary Palsen, The Voyage of the Frog

As I am sitting here reading The Voyage of the Frog the word that kept coming into my head was... "I don't care!" This book was beyond boring and unless you are well versed on sailing it is extremely difficult to understand.

When a 14 year old boy who has never taken proper sailing lessons before is handed a job to do by his uncle he sets sail. Within hours the boy and his boat is in trouble and without any safety measures put in place it doesn't look good.

The uncle was described as someone who was an excellent sails man and knew is why around a boat very well but if all of this is true how could he not have the proper essentials for an emergency? I understand that as a writer you need conflict but The Voyage of the Frog seemed more of a fantasy read.

As far as the ending is concerned I was rolling my eyes. This young boy had no right being out on open waters and so when he is finally saved they should have pulled him up by the collar of his shirt and given him a lesson on not traveling to places you have no reason being! Do they do this? No! They don't! They reward him for his stupidity and off he goes again.....

[Lacy Dohner · Rating 3 out of 5]

David’s beloved Uncle Owen has died, and left David with a parting request: sail Owen’s boat, the Frog, out to sea and scatter Owen’s ashes on the waves. It is supposed to be a short overnight trip, but when a storm hits, David is knocked far off course and stranded in the middle of the ocean, with limited food and water and no radio. It takes all of his skills and resolve to survive the dangers of the following days. In the process, he finds a deep inner strength and connection with the ocean and the Frog.

Survival stories are not usually my cup of tea (honestly, I found even Hatchet just so-so), but I surprised myself by really enjoying this book. It was fast-paced and action-packed. David's character growth happened naturally, and I loved how confident and empowered he felt by the end of the book. The sailing process was described in a lot of detail, but the diagram and map in the back of the book made it understandable. (I do wish they were in the front of the book; I didn't discover them until I was about a third of the way through, and struggled for a bit there to picture what was going on.) I would have given this book four stars if it wasn't for the ending. It wasn't necessarily bad, but it was abrupt and I felt like the story wasn't really finished. But I find that with a lot of Paulsen's books, so it must just be a particular writing style that doesn't appeal to me.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first started this book in middle school and stopped after the first chapter. I had loved Hatchet in sixth grade, so I assumed I would enjoy this too. But I quickly got bogged down in the detailed descriptions of the boat and how everything worked. I wasn’t a sailor then, I’m not one now, and much of the terminology was essentially a foreign language to me.

Still, The Voyage of the Frog wound up being one of the very few books I never finished, and that stuck with me. So 26 years later, I came back to it.

What surprised me most this time was learning how much of the story is based on Paulsen’s own real sailing experiences. The moments where the main character is confronted with nature, the sea, marine life, the sky, the quiet, the enormity of it all, are easily the strongest parts of the book. Those scenes are vivid, calm, and beautifully written, and they carry an emotional weight that lingers.

However, the sailing terminology and technical descriptions still felt inaccessible to me, even as an adult. And while the premise is compelling, most of the real narrative momentum happens in the first quarter of the book. After that, the story feels repetitive, and the plot doesn’t have much depth beyond endurance and reflection.

I’m glad I finally finished it, if only to close the loop from childhood. But while parts of it are genuinely beautiful, I don’t think it will stay with me the way some of Paulsen’s other work has.

[Noelle Marshall · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I am going to be cremated. I want you to take my ashes alone on the frog, out to see alone, and leave me there.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is the middle grade action adventure book.

David is 14 years old. He’s just finished his eighth grade school year and his uncle has died. So now David is going to fulfill his uncle’s last wish and take out the Frog, his uncle’s sailboat and drop his ashes into the ocean. The Frog is where David and his uncle spent most of their time together. David learned all he could about sailing from his uncle and now on his own he has to let go of his uncle. Just after David drops the ashes a storm comes up and now David is i Situation n a survival situation. You follow his whole journey from the start of the storm, injuries, Journ taking stock of the boat, run-ins with sea animals and finally how he is rescued.

I really liked this book. It is the same sort of style and rhythm as the book Hatchet if you liked that you will like this one. The book includes a map of David’s journey of where he started and how he ends up back home. You get his whole thinking process of how to survive and overall it’s just a good adventure. The book also includes a drawing of the boat labeled with all the terms used in the story so if you’re not familiar with boating you can flip back to get understanding. Yes, the story is a bit far fetched he’s in 8th grade alone and his parents just let him go but also it’s fiction so it’s fun. I only have about 50 more books from Gary Paulsen on my lifetime list of his books to read.

[Carole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fourteen-year-old David has been tasked with taking his uncle's ashes to an area in the Pacific Ocean far enough out to not see land. David's uncle had given the Frog, his sailboat, to David with the stipulation that he take the Frog out alone to disperse his ashes. David is so upset by his uncle's death that he does not prepare the boat properly for going to sea; this mistake almost costs him his life. Not only does he get caught up in a terrible storm which injures him but also almost wrecks the Frog, but a steady calm afterwards keeps him in one spot for days. He discovers that he has a fair amount of fresh water aboard but very little food; but his uncle had made sure that all the tools and supplies that he needed were there so he was equipped in this area.
I have read all the Hatchet series so I am an avid fan of Paulsen's, but I feel that he started off with too many technical details for this book. For a young person not a sailor, some may have lost interest with so much technicality.

[Katherine Loyacano · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Voyage of the Frog by Gary Paulsen is a survival story on the open sea. Fourteen-year-old David inherits a sailboat, the Frog, from his late Uncle Owen along with the task of dispersing his uncle’s ashes off the coast of southern California. Even though this request seems daunting for a boy his age, David knows how to sail, thanks to the many trips and lessons with his Uncle Owen. David’s voyage starts off really well, and he honors his uncle’s wish; however, an unexpected storm catches him by surprise, causing his sailing adventure to go awry. Now, David must survive life-threatening circumstances and find his way home.

The Voyage of the Frog is a coming-of-age story that explores grief, self-reliance in difficult situations, and overcoming fear. Despite not having any sailing experience, I enjoyed this engrossing tale. My edition also included a diagram of the Frog, a map of David’s voyage, a Q & A with the author, as well as information about knots and nautical miles and Great White Sharks. Terrific book!

[Cayben Bullock · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like this book because it is detailed and thrilling. Whether it is Gary Paulsen's representation of the ocean or the way he can bring the book to life with the way he paints the story with his words but he has proven with this book and many of the other works that he is one of the best authors this wold has seen. Paulsen can bring you on the boat with David and show you how he sees the ocean and his experiences with it. The adventure that David leads is similar to the adventure of Brian in Gary Paulsen’s book The Hatchet. But my favorite part of the book is how knowledgeable Gary Paulsen is about sailing and survival. I know from reading biographies of Gary Paulsen that he has been in similar situations to the avengers the characters in his books are faced with. This is definitely worth reading. If you are looking for a book that will bring you to the ocean on a sailing adventure then this is the book for you.

[Tyler S]

I am reading the book “The Voyage of the Frog'' by Gary Paulsen. The lexile level of this book is 690. There are 141 pages in this book. He went to dump some ashes in the ocean and then he was supposed to come back but then a storm came.

His uncle just died and 14 year old David had his ashes and he was going to dump them where his uncle always wanted to be. When he got out to sea he saw a big storm coming and he tried to go back but a wave hit him and turned him so the wind was pulling him too fast so the went took him for a little edventure.

I think the book “The Voyage of the Frog” is an ok book. It was a little too easy for me. I really like how Gary Pualsen writes his books and how most can or could be a real story. The reason I dislike it is because the mood changes a lot. Those is the reason I like and dislike this book.

[Brianna Allman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was an emotional rollercoaster. It seemed like David could never catch a break from adversity. With his uncle dying of cancer, to being in charge of spreading his ashes in the ocean to the storm that damaged the ship, David had to overcome so much. Just as soon as he thought things were looking up, he got faced with something else such as the boat that came by but did not see David or the beautiful whales, but then the realization that they could kill David. I was not expecting the ending, but I loved it and it made the story come full circle. I think this read would be good for students 5th grade and up. There is not much dialogue in this story because David is by himself most of the time, so that could be challenging for students.

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is griping. This is a detailed account of a 14 year old boy, David, who sails out to spread his uncle's ashes in the ocean. What happens next is a story that anyone who has ever sailed would love to read. I'm still learning but the little I know helped me appreciate this story. I was so griped by this story that I couldn't put it down for the last half of the book. When it was done my first thought was to look at the author to see their story. When turning to the back cover and seeing that it was Gary Paulsen, a big smile came upon my face. Paulsen never fails to surprise me with his expertise of out door adventures. The details! I love the details that Paulsen writes about.

[Donavan Wadsworth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m a little bummed because I thought this was a book about a frog that got trapped on a sail boat heading out to sea and the frog’s experiences and journey, but instead it was about a 14 year old boy who’s uncle died and left him a sail boat by the name of FROG. This book details his journey and experiences being stranded by a storm and trying to survive and make his way home all while detailing the experiences and things he saw. It’s a good book, and even emotional, but it just didn’t do it for me completely

[Clarisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Voyage of the Frog is an amazing book to read. It is about a teenage boy named David who goes out into the sea to do one last thing for his Uncle Owen. He died from a type of cancer and wants David to spread his ashes in the sea. David takes The Frog, Owen's boat who gave it to David. When a storm hits, David is left to sailing his way back home. If you like survival stories, even ones about the sea, then The Voyage of the Frog is something you need to read for yourself.

[Rick Hribko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for my sixth graders. The only challenge may be sailing terms. However, to remedy this Paulsen provides a diagram of the sailboat to help kids (and adults) understand. Whether you are a middle schooler, high schooler, or an adult, this book has value in the life lessons and entertainment value in the suspense of survival stories. Full disclosure: I do love a Gary Paulsen book, however, so I may be a little biased on the subject.

[Nguyen Le · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was okay I guess. There were lots of terms for boat and sea travel stuff so I was quite confused. Fortunately there was a description of the boat at the end so I could imagine what it was like. I liked his survival journey through the coast, but that's about it. He kept reminiscing an old friend and got obsessed with it. I understand how he wanted to travel back with his boat though the characters don't really make sense.

[Amanda Arsenault · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read aloud to Bog Brother. He said “it was good” and he enjoyed learning about what it is like to sail a boat in the ocean. When asked if he could have survived in the MC’s shoes, he said “not without a motor” (the MC was without a motor and had to rely solely on sails). Big Brother is only a year younger than the MC!!! I can’t imagine letting my kid sail anywhere in the ocean alone, even with experience!

[Gregory Pedersen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve read a ton of Gary Paulsen in my life, and this book follows suit with his traditional survival stories. It’s a standard middle grade fiction, so the depth of the story isn’t complex and the story is pretty linear. But this was a quick and enjoyable read that captures the evolution and growth of a teenager navigating his adolescence through the trials and literal storms that life can throw at you.