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Toughboy and Sister #1
Toughboy and Sister
After Momma's death, Toughboy and Sister find themselves in the care of Father, who spends more time in the local bar than looking after his children. With help from the women in the village, though, Toughboy and Sister get through the rest of the winter without Mamma.
Finally, spring time to make the long-awaited annual trip to the fish camp with Father. Once they arrive at their cabin, things start to look up for the children -- the fish camp is always fun, and Father seems to be in good spirits. Maybe their fractured family will be all right.
Or not.
When Father goes to town and drinks himself to death, Toughboy and Sister are suddenly left to fend for themselves in the Alaskan wilderness.
Finally, spring time to make the long-awaited annual trip to the fish camp with Father. Once they arrive at their cabin, things start to look up for the children -- the fish camp is always fun, and Father seems to be in good spirits. Maybe their fractured family will be all right.
Or not.
When Father goes to town and drinks himself to death, Toughboy and Sister are suddenly left to fend for themselves in the Alaskan wilderness.
128 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
5 people are currently reading
205 people want to read
About the author
Kirkpatrick Hill
12 books55 followersKirkpatrick Hill lives in Fairbanks, Alaska. She was an elementary school teacher for more than thirty years, most of that time in the Alaskan "bush." Hill is the mother of six children and the grandmother of eight. Her three earlier books, Toughboy and Sister, Winter Camp, and The Year of Miss Agnes, have all been immensely popular. Her fourth book with McElderry Books, Dancing at the Odinochka, was a Junior Library Guild Selection. Hill's visits to a family member in jail inspired her to write Do Not Pass Go.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
October 25, 2018
Toughboy and Sister's mother dies in childbirth and their father, who already has a drink problem becomes more unreliable. They set off to the cabin they spend the summer months in, where their mum and dad would catch fish to preserve for the winter. But this time mum's not there, things were different, mum would bring sheets and pillow cases but now they just slept on the stained mattresses, there wasn't as much food brought along, and sadly there was mum's apron on the door peg where she had left it. Although the grief wasn't written about in an overly emotional way, parts like that really struck you.
The rest of the book deals with survival. Unfortunately the children This isn't overly detailed and it's clear the children didn't want this to be the outcome but was probably the only thing they can do.
We really enjoyed this book about the siblings loss, their survival, and the day to day life of living in a wild area with very little and no outside contact.
The rest of the book deals with survival. Unfortunately the children This isn't overly detailed and it's clear the children didn't want this to be the outcome but was probably the only thing they can do.
We really enjoyed this book about the siblings loss, their survival, and the day to day life of living in a wild area with very little and no outside contact.
October 30, 2017
Another wonderful book my Kirkpatrick Hill, and one I enjoyed reading. I would love to keep reading about these characters & their adventures, so I plan on checking out more by this author - even if they are about different subjects. She is a gifted storyteller for sure, and I really hated for each of these books to end.
June 7, 2017
First: my daughter has pretty good taste in books. This book was a recommendation from her because she read it in 4th grade and LOVED it. Any time I would say that I needed a book to read, this was always at the top of her list. Yep, she's got pretty good taste. ;)
Toughboy and Sister is the story of a brother and sister living in the Interior of Alaska. Their mom dies in childbirth and their father dies shortly after. (No spoilers here as it's on the blurb.) Being left alone at fish camp with no way of knowing when or if they'll be found, they have to learn how to survive on their own. They deal with a bear, figure out how to get fish, and learn to cook more than they had. Most of what they knew was from watching their mother.
This book reminded me of my own childhood and parts of it (the binge drinking, the fact that the kids knew when their dad would be drunk because of the jelly beans he always had when he came home, the way they spoke) hit hard. I was reminded of the times my older brother would be left to watch me and he'd try to make me laugh. I felt a lot like Sister when she would be worried that he would yell at her and get mean. There were good times and bad and this book brought the feelings and memories back to the surface.
I think if you hadn't grown up in this culture (or a similar one, like I had - they're Athabascan and I'm Alutiiq), you might think of them as uneducated because the author wrote the way that they speak. Sometimes I'd get jarred by reading "fitted" instead of "fit" and then realize that it was how they spoke in the village. Hell, sometimes I slip back into it myself. What the reader needs to realize is that it's REAL. It's how things are in the village. It's hard work and not always knowing if you're going to have enough food for the winter. It's pilot crackers, tea, and salmon. Lots of salmon. It's also family and sticking together no matter what.
This is a short book, but a good read all the same. I laughed as many times as the book tugged at my heartstrings. So, if you want a peek at village life in Alaska, read this book!
Toughboy and Sister is the story of a brother and sister living in the Interior of Alaska. Their mom dies in childbirth and their father dies shortly after. (No spoilers here as it's on the blurb.) Being left alone at fish camp with no way of knowing when or if they'll be found, they have to learn how to survive on their own. They deal with a bear, figure out how to get fish, and learn to cook more than they had. Most of what they knew was from watching their mother.
This book reminded me of my own childhood and parts of it (the binge drinking, the fact that the kids knew when their dad would be drunk because of the jelly beans he always had when he came home, the way they spoke) hit hard. I was reminded of the times my older brother would be left to watch me and he'd try to make me laugh. I felt a lot like Sister when she would be worried that he would yell at her and get mean. There were good times and bad and this book brought the feelings and memories back to the surface.
I think if you hadn't grown up in this culture (or a similar one, like I had - they're Athabascan and I'm Alutiiq), you might think of them as uneducated because the author wrote the way that they speak. Sometimes I'd get jarred by reading "fitted" instead of "fit" and then realize that it was how they spoke in the village. Hell, sometimes I slip back into it myself. What the reader needs to realize is that it's REAL. It's how things are in the village. It's hard work and not always knowing if you're going to have enough food for the winter. It's pilot crackers, tea, and salmon. Lots of salmon. It's also family and sticking together no matter what.
This is a short book, but a good read all the same. I laughed as many times as the book tugged at my heartstrings. So, if you want a peek at village life in Alaska, read this book!
February 11, 2022
I loved the book. I read with my ESL class and they liked it too.
February 3, 2025
bawled. i love kids books, so tragic but pure. when they cooked bread for the first time i was so proud
December 27, 2016
This review also appears on my blog, Read-at-Home Mom.
Toughboy and Sister is a 1990 middle grade novel by Kirkpatrick Hill, author of one of my favorite books of the past year, Bo at Ballard Creek. When Toughboy and Sister’s mother dies in childbirth along with her baby, the two kids are left in the care of their father, who has a drinking problem. For a while things are okay, but once their dad begins drinking again, it’s just a matter of time before things go very wrong. While on a fishing trip away from their Alaskan village, Toughboy and Sister witness their father’s death, and then must struggle to survive on the food their father has collected and anything they can hunt or make themselves. With nothing but a battery-operated radio and a curious bear for company, the two kids find a way to survive not just emotional pain, but true physical hardship, until someone comes to their rescue.
This is a quick and powerful story, with a much more somber tone than Bo at Ballard Creek. It might be on the same reading level vocabulary-wise, but Toughboy and Sister definitely has more sophisticated subject matter which requires greater maturity on the part of the reader. While Bo at Ballard Creek focuses on the day-to-day fun of life in 1920s Alaska, this book focuses more on the dynamics in the relationship between two siblings in present-day (early 1990’s) Alaska and how their bond as siblings helps them overcome the difficulties they face. Though there are some mentions of the Athabascan culture and of the way people live in Toughboy and Sister’s village, this book is not as educational about Alaskan culture as Bo at Ballard Creek. Rather, the setting is secondary to the characters, and the characters’ surroundings are involved more as obstacles than as places to explore and enjoy.
Young readers looking for survival adventures similar to Hatchet and My Side of the Mountain will be drawn to Toughboy and Sister. Though the cover of the first edition (which is the one I read) is pretty dated-looking, and one that would not have caught my eye if I wasn’t already familiar with the author, I think a booktalk mentioning the death of the kids’ parents and a possible bear attack should be enough to get kids past that cover and into the story. The book has large type and is just over 100 pages, too, so reluctant readers and procrastinators might also consider it a good choice for a book report, especially one that is due in just a day or two. The short chapters and compelling subject matter also make it a manageable read-aloud for busy fourth and fifth grade classrooms.
Toughboy and Sister is a 1990 middle grade novel by Kirkpatrick Hill, author of one of my favorite books of the past year, Bo at Ballard Creek. When Toughboy and Sister’s mother dies in childbirth along with her baby, the two kids are left in the care of their father, who has a drinking problem. For a while things are okay, but once their dad begins drinking again, it’s just a matter of time before things go very wrong. While on a fishing trip away from their Alaskan village, Toughboy and Sister witness their father’s death, and then must struggle to survive on the food their father has collected and anything they can hunt or make themselves. With nothing but a battery-operated radio and a curious bear for company, the two kids find a way to survive not just emotional pain, but true physical hardship, until someone comes to their rescue.
This is a quick and powerful story, with a much more somber tone than Bo at Ballard Creek. It might be on the same reading level vocabulary-wise, but Toughboy and Sister definitely has more sophisticated subject matter which requires greater maturity on the part of the reader. While Bo at Ballard Creek focuses on the day-to-day fun of life in 1920s Alaska, this book focuses more on the dynamics in the relationship between two siblings in present-day (early 1990’s) Alaska and how their bond as siblings helps them overcome the difficulties they face. Though there are some mentions of the Athabascan culture and of the way people live in Toughboy and Sister’s village, this book is not as educational about Alaskan culture as Bo at Ballard Creek. Rather, the setting is secondary to the characters, and the characters’ surroundings are involved more as obstacles than as places to explore and enjoy.
Young readers looking for survival adventures similar to Hatchet and My Side of the Mountain will be drawn to Toughboy and Sister. Though the cover of the first edition (which is the one I read) is pretty dated-looking, and one that would not have caught my eye if I wasn’t already familiar with the author, I think a booktalk mentioning the death of the kids’ parents and a possible bear attack should be enough to get kids past that cover and into the story. The book has large type and is just over 100 pages, too, so reluctant readers and procrastinators might also consider it a good choice for a book report, especially one that is due in just a day or two. The short chapters and compelling subject matter also make it a manageable read-aloud for busy fourth and fifth grade classrooms.
January 25, 2013
This is my first year teaching 4th through 6th grade in a remote Eskimo village. As we read this story together I asked the students if the descriptions of events about nearby Athabascan Native Americans sounded true to them. Invariably they said, "yes."
The story centers on a brother and sister, known in their village as Toughboy and sister. After their Father dies they are left to fend for themselves at their remote fish camp. When I first arrived here, in mid-August, I was told that most of my students were still out at fish camp. As I walked around all I saw were old people, very young children and a few women and girls. As it came closer to the first day of school families began arriving in boats. In addition to parents and children the boats were loaded with enough fish for the winter.
The author, Kirkpatrick Hill, still lives in Fairbanks, Alaska according to the publisher's website. She taught elementary school in "bush" Alaska for more than thirty years. The story is written in a limited omnipresent point of view. We frequently jump from the mind of Toughboy to his sister and back. The writing and the story are good, but at times uneven.
One reviewer has lambasted Hill for the negative stereotypes. Hill wrote the father as a loving, caring man who was a drunk. The people of the village where I live and teach have voted this community dry, no alcohol may be brought in, made or consumed. There is a reason they did that; alcohol has seriously hurt this community. These problems are a fact of life here and in the "wet" towns and villages of Alaska.
Kirkpatrick Hill continues the story of Toughboy and Sister in Winter Camp
Recommendation: If you are a teenage reader and want a taste of what life is still like for many in the remote parts of Alaska, read Toughboy and Sister and Winter Camp.
The story centers on a brother and sister, known in their village as Toughboy and sister. After their Father dies they are left to fend for themselves at their remote fish camp. When I first arrived here, in mid-August, I was told that most of my students were still out at fish camp. As I walked around all I saw were old people, very young children and a few women and girls. As it came closer to the first day of school families began arriving in boats. In addition to parents and children the boats were loaded with enough fish for the winter.
The author, Kirkpatrick Hill, still lives in Fairbanks, Alaska according to the publisher's website. She taught elementary school in "bush" Alaska for more than thirty years. The story is written in a limited omnipresent point of view. We frequently jump from the mind of Toughboy to his sister and back. The writing and the story are good, but at times uneven.
One reviewer has lambasted Hill for the negative stereotypes. Hill wrote the father as a loving, caring man who was a drunk. The people of the village where I live and teach have voted this community dry, no alcohol may be brought in, made or consumed. There is a reason they did that; alcohol has seriously hurt this community. These problems are a fact of life here and in the "wet" towns and villages of Alaska.
Kirkpatrick Hill continues the story of Toughboy and Sister in Winter Camp
Recommendation: If you are a teenage reader and want a taste of what life is still like for many in the remote parts of Alaska, read Toughboy and Sister and Winter Camp.
June 14, 2021
Realistic Fiction, Chapter Book, Survival, Siblings
Hill, Kirkpatrick. Toughboy and Sister. NY: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1990. 121 pp. Ages 10-14
Toughboy and Sister is a heartbreaking and also heartwarming story of a brother and sister that have to deal with the loss of both parents and must survive stranded at their fish camp in a cabin with just themselves, some food, and their dog. Thoughboy and Sister must think of how to survive and take care of each other until someone comes to rescue them. I loved this book because it is a survival book that teaches how to live off the land after the food runs out.
Alaska Connection: Alaska, Yukon, Bears, Fishing
Related Activity: Discuss in your groups how you could survive stranded at a cabin at a fish camp
Hill, Kirkpatrick. Toughboy and Sister. NY: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1990. 121 pp. Ages 10-14
Toughboy and Sister is a heartbreaking and also heartwarming story of a brother and sister that have to deal with the loss of both parents and must survive stranded at their fish camp in a cabin with just themselves, some food, and their dog. Thoughboy and Sister must think of how to survive and take care of each other until someone comes to rescue them. I loved this book because it is a survival book that teaches how to live off the land after the food runs out.
Alaska Connection: Alaska, Yukon, Bears, Fishing
Related Activity: Discuss in your groups how you could survive stranded at a cabin at a fish camp
February 19, 2019
If you need a quick and easy book for a report, this is the one. The book is about two siblings who have to survive together in the wild after the loss of their parents. The children are faced with many challenges such as food and bears. They were forced to overcome their challenges so they could survive. Now really the only thing that appealed to me was the length of the book, it was fairly short. Other than that the book is quite boring. It just repeats itself over and over again about their food shortage.
February 19, 2018
This is a very good book about how a family goes out to the wilderness and the mom and dad die, then the kids get left alone. Which the kids had never been alone before so know they have to survive by themselves. After a week out in the wilderness by themselves, they run out of food and there radio dies so now they definitely have to survive by themselves.
March 10, 2023
A wonderful book about courage, resourcefulness, overcoming challenging circumstances, grief, family, belief in one another, and the power of story. I loved it! Kirkpatrick Hill is a new discovery for me—for Middle Grade March 2023—and I’m so happy and grateful to have discovered her inspiring stories!
October 1, 2019
Toughboy and Sister lose both of their parents and are stranded at a remote fish camp. Toughboy is courageous and tenacious; Sister is smart and perceptive. They make it through the summer on their own through resourcefulness and hard work.
October 6, 2021
Very depressing and not for kids who might struggle with anxiety. I started reading it with the kids and quickly decided it was a bad idea. Finished it myself and it was not at all uplifting. Disappointed since I had heard such great things.
February 11, 2022
I think it's a very good book everyone should read at least once . It all starts when toughboy and sister's mother pass away, there father becomes a drunkard and leaves them on the yukon river in alaska in summer. Now they must fend for themselves, but how will they.
December 21, 2019
Delightful. Heartbreaking. Wonderful. Read this little gem.
August 10, 2020
got this book for my 9th or 10th birthday (back in the 90s) and it was awesome. Will keep reading it as an adult.
October 15, 2020
Getting boxcar children and where the road ends vibes from this
August 11, 2013
The reader learns a lot about Alaska and how people survive there when it gets bitterly cold. Interesting characters and plot. Hill's books would be good for 6-8th graders to read in class and write about bravery and differences in these children's lives and their own and much more.
November 18, 2016
For fans of Hatchet and My Side of the Mountain -- kids finding ways to survive when their adults suddenly disappear. Great story, great, fast read, with Kirkpatrick Hill's evocative settings in the Yukon.
October 2, 2008
Two siblings survive in an isolated Alaskan fish camp after they parents die. Great survival story.
Read
January 28, 2009JAR4-Hil
September 26, 2015
This was a great, but very deep book for older kids, maybe 4th-5th grade. Great talking points come from the story.
January 18, 2009
I liked this book, it was pretty sad though.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews