A Star to the North

by Barbara Corcoran

Sixteen-year-old Nathaniel and his younger sister Kimberly, tired of the California suburban scene, runaway to their uncle who lives in the vast spruce forests of the Canadian wilderness.

Hardcover

First published June 1, 1970

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

This is not the Shark Tank celebrity, but an author of children's books. The books are mostly realistic fiction about older children and teens who come from families that are dysfunctional or at least face interesting challenges.

Also used the pseudonym Paige Dixon and Gail Hamilton.

Reviews

[Pamela Shropshire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh my gosh, this book just popped up in my mind! I owned this book when I was young and I read it so many times even though I never went camping in my life. I'd like to reread it and see what I think.

[Sharon Buxton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A. fiction, teen, adventure, wilderness, siblings, Alaska, from stash, keep

[KrisAnne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, I still love it as much as I did as a kid (though I now read the gender roles with a jaundiced eye). I have no idea how it came into my life--my original copy, which has long since disappeared, was a library discard, so my mom might've picked it up at a sale. I hadn't read it in at least 20 years until last night. In the same vein as My Side of the Mountain, this book tells a bit of a kid survivalist's tale. A brother and sister bail on their affluent suburban LA life and their father's summer plans for them in favor of a surprise visit to their uncle in the Canadian wilderness. The story tracks their journey by train, bus, and, mostly, canoe and foot (and of course they learn a lot about themselves and each other along the way, and the fantasy of making the journey and what lies at the end of it gives way to many a harsh reality). If you're not into nature stuff this isn't for you, but if you are, even a little bit, you'll probably dig it.

[Jeanette · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 6th grade teacher read this aloud to the class. I was mesmerized. Read it to my kids a few years ago and they loved it as well.