Gone from These Woods

by Donny Bailey Seagraves

I didn't want to go hunting with Uncle Clay that morning. Now I have to live with what happened for the rest of my life. It was just an accident. The rabbit ran away. Clay fell.

Nothing has been the same for Daniel since that morning in the woods when Uncle Clay went down. Mom tries to hold the family together. Mrs. Hardy, Daniel’s guidance counselor, tries to help Daniel after he loses his role model and best friend. Daniel’s alcoholic father just makes the situation worse. The memory of that cold morning will stay with Daniel forever. But somehow, he must find a way to go on . . . for Uncle Clay . . . and most of all, for himself.


From the Hardcover edition.

Genres: Realistic Fiction, Fiction, Childrens, Young Adult, Family, Middle Grade

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Donny Bailey Seagraves is an author of books for children and adults living in Athens, Georgia. Her debut middle grade novel, GONE FROM THESE WOODS, was published August 25, 2009 by Random House, Delacorte Books for Children. Her latest book is Bee Battle: Spelling, Spiders and the Secrets of Like, a children's middle-grade novel set in the fictional town of Hartfield, Georgia. She is a native of Athens and has written for the Chicago Tribune, The Writer, and many other magazines and newspapers and was a columnist for the Athens Daily News. When not writing, Donny works in her rare and used book business, Junebug Books. Visit her website https://donnyseagraves.com for more information.

Reviews

[Sarah T · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think it was a really god book. I think someone who is into action will like this book. The author used really good details. I think this book is also very inspirational too. This book would help anyone who thinks they want to give up should continue on with their lives just like the main character Daniel.

[Jason Vetter]

Gone From These Woods wasan amazing book the writing style in the story is pretty good, there were a few parts where it didn't make that much sense. throughout the story daniel faces some of the hardest problems of his life, he never thought losing clay would be that hard, the best art of the book is whe clay explains to daniel tat he has ti live on what clay cant anymore. the pace of the novel is great everytime a new chapter started i liked how the author continued the story where the last chapter ended.

[Isiah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gone from these woods by Donny Seagraves was a great book, I liked all the events that happened. My favorite character was Clay, he helped Daniel get through his grief. My favorite event was when he went hunting with his uncle because it gives a lot of foreshadowing. The writing style is how to overcome grief and how to move on. The pace is great it moves along fast enough to understand and not get bored. Some connection I make are the setting and tone of the main character. I suggest this book to readers that like suspense and clues to figure events out.

[Sandra Stiles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eleven Year Old Daniel would do anything to please his favorite uncle, Clay. That is why he has agreed to go hunting with him. Clay is the man he has looked up to. His father has been a changed man ever since the accident that killed Daniel’s grandparents and left his father with permanent injuries. He has seen his father turn into a cigarette smoking, beer guzzling, mean man. He seems to be angry all of the time. Daniel tries his hardest to avoid him. He does this by spending time with his Uncle Clay. It is one of those quiet mornings when Clay and Daniel go hunting. Clay is excited to share his passion with his nephew. When the opportunity comes to kill his first rabbit, Daniel just can’t take the shot. As he leans on his gun to stand up he forgets that his finger is on the trigger and his gun fires killing his uncle. This is a story of forgiveness, the hardest kind, learning to forgive yourself. Daniel starts the healing process and along the way finds that his father isn’t as bad as he thought.
I am always telling my students to look for connections to what they read. I remember my cousin coming to live with us to finish out high school after a similar accident. His father had found an old hand gun buried in his back yard. My cousin and his friends were looking at it. They had each taken a turn of pointing the gun at each other and going, “bang, bang”. When it was my cousin’s turn to handle the gun the bullet that had been lodged for years found the chamber and fired killing his best friend. The young teen died on his way to the hospital. His father was a police officer and tried to assure my cousin that it could be him that was dead. They held no hard feelings. It has been 40 years and it still haunts him. He has never married, he is an alcoholic and still makes the statement that he wishes he was the one that had died that day. I had one other connection to this story. Two seniors in my class one the president of our Girls Athletic Club was accidently shot the day her boyfriend had proposed to her. He and a friend had come in from hunting and set their guns against the couch. She ran to him knocking one of the guns against the coffee table where it discharged killing her instantly. He was unable to live with the accident and ended up in a mental institution. I don’t know if I would be able to deal with it. I am not sure if all of the counseling in the world would help or not. This was a great book. I know many of my students are familiar with guns as they deal with gangs and gang activity every day. Maybe by reading this just one of them will see how dangerous gun safety is.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Daniel Sartrain lives near the Sartrain Woods with his mother and alcoholic father. He has practically been raised by his father's brother, Clay, whom Daniel counts as one of his best friends and role models. One day Clay decides to take Daniel hunting, for Daniel's first kill. Daniel is not really interested in hunting, but he doesn't want to disappoint his uncle nor to squelch his uncle's enthusiasm. So they set out to hunt, and Daniel and Clay spot a rabbit. Daniel is close to shooting the rabbit, but he cannot bring himself to do it before the rabbit hops away. Clay tells him it is okay, that he will get another shot. The tragedy begins here when Daniel, not thinking, uses his gun to lift himself off the ground, then holding the gun across his chest with is finger on the trigger, the gun goes off, knocking his beloved uncle to the ground. The rest of the book details Daniel's struggle with the reality of this event, the grief, the despair, the guilt, the difficulty he had with his father, the struggle to keep on living without his uncle. Donny Bailey Seagraves does a tremendous job describing the shock, grief, and depression that can result from such a tragic event. The author concludes the book with an informative Letter to the Reader and statistics about kids and guns. A heavy book, giving you lots to think about...

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Daniel doesn't want to learn to hunt, but when his beloved Uncle Clay gives him a gun and says he's taking Daniel rabbit hunting, Daniel feels he has to go. During their first hunt together, Daniel's gun goes off accidently and kills Clay. The rest of the book is about Daniel, his mom and his alcoholic father trying to come to terms with what happened in the woods that day.

While this book was very well written and covers a wide range of emotions, I'm not sure who'd I'd give it too. Daniel is 11 and in 5th grade, but I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable giving it to a fifth grader. Daniel contemplates suicide at one point. On the other hand, with such a young main character, I'm not sure I can give this to a YA audience.

I'd reccommend this title to a mature 5th or 6th grader. It would certainly lend itself well to discussion.

[Lora · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted this to be so much better than it was. A short chapter book dealing with a difficult topic had the potential to be amazing and it just failed.

Daniel (11 years old) and his 22 year old uncle go hunting (Daniel's first time) and he accidentally shoots and kills his uncle. What proceeds is about 100 pages of the same things. Alcoholic father, caring teachers and mother, and little Daniel distancing himself in any way he can. Boring. Not emotional at all. I felt really disconnected from all the characters. And the authors note at the end giving stats and both a pro and con to hunting was incredibly preachy and really talked down to readers.

I did not enjoy this book one bit.

[Martha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel this is written very well, bringing me into his head... relevant to struggles people have today. But I would not give this book to just anyone. With the character 11 years of age, I expected it to be written for that age audience, or younger. Not so. The feelings covered here of grief, suicide, guilt, etc. need to be obvious in the review.
But I only have the Advanced Readers copy - so perhaps it will be better when the library copy gets labeled for the shelves.

[Barbra · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book reminds us just how dangerous guns can be in the hands of children. It is the fragile, painful, thought provoking story of eleven year old Daniel and how he deals with the horrifying fact that he accidentally killed his uncle. It is a tough story to read but an important topic. An appendix provides statistics on gun violence and a list of sources to contact for more information. For mature readers age 10 and up.

[Karen Arendt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. A very sad, moving, heartbreaking story. As if Daniel's hunting accident wasn't enough, he also has to deal with an alcoholic father. Daniel's character goes through the motions of life, struggles to go back to school, and contemplates suicide. Not a story for the weak, but with a hopeful ending.

[Adrienne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eleven-year-old Daniel reluctantly heads out to hunt with his uncle Clay, and with his first and only shot accidentally kills him. I liked the story okay but found parts unbelievable and I guess just wanted a bit more showing and less telling. I can see recommending it to select kids, though.

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Children's fiction book dealing with accidental death and guilt from being the one who caused it. Kudos to this author for putting in a special section about guns, their dangers and a bit about the endangered species of hunters. A very interesting read.

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great young aduly book. Way to go, Donny!!!!!

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good first novel set in days before the cell phone. Oklahoma kids could relate to the hunting theme and rural setting. I love how it took off from the first few pages. BAM! Uncle's dead.

[Lois Szymanski · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was a chilling read, powerful in every sense. It made me remember my childhood and thank God. Accident's are just that, but some change lives forever.

[Jacob · Rating 5 out of 5]

BEST BOOK EVER!!!!!!! I recommend it to people who love to hunt

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so sad I almost cried at some points. But it is a very good book with a great story

[Natalie Ewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

The beginning and the middle were sad, but the ending was good.

[Mo]

A very powerful story about guilt and family dynamics.

[D.K. Brantley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book marks the second time I've had tears in my eyes while reading.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good boy story. Reminded me a bit of Marion Dane Bauer's On My Honor but quite as strong.

[Laurel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful Book!