Revolver in Mock Printz 2026

Jan 10, 2011 Tatiana rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical, printz, 2011, ya

As seen on The Readventurer

Revolver is a 2011 Printz Honor winner and yet, only 276 people on Goodreads have read it. After reading this book, I understand why.

This a beautifully written YA novel, but I have no idea who would be its audience. Boys will not read it because there is no magic or action, girls - because there is no romance or high school drama.

Revolver is set in 1910th Antarctic wilderness. 14-year old Sig just found his father's dead body. He froze to death after falling under ice ...more

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May 23, 2011 Mark rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult-literature, printz

"Even the dead tell stories."

Set in 1910, in an isolated mining community within the Arctic Circle, this novel begins with the death of Sig's father, who broke through the ice on his way back home, and froze after an agonizing attempt to save himself. Sig retrieves his father's body, and returns it to the cabin where he lives with his older sister and stepmother. Sig stays with his father's body while the other two go to find help. When a mysterious and menacing man comes to the cabin door hours ...more

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Sep 01, 2011 Sarah BT rated it really liked it

About the Book: It's 1910 and Einar and his family are living in a small cabin in the Arctic Circle. Sig has just discovered that his fathers sled fell through the ice when trying to cross. Now Sig waits alone in the cabin with his fathers corpse, waiting for help to arrive. A stranger appears at the door, demanding that Sig give him his share the gold Einar had stolen from him. Sig knows nothing of the gold and must find a way to escape the strange man and save himself.

GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: About the Book: It's 1910 and Einar and his family are living in a small cabin in the Arctic Circle. Sig has just discovered that his fathers sled fell through the ice when trying to cross. Now Sig waits alone in the cabin with his fathers corpse, waiting for help to arrive. A stranger appears at the door, demanding that Sig give him his share the gold Einar had stolen from him. Sig knows nothing of the gold and must find a way to escape the strange man and save himself.

GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: In my attempt to read all the award books this year, I picked up Revolver. I don't know if I would have picked it up if it wasn't for the Printz Honor, so I'm grateful for the award for forcing me to read it!

I really enjoyed Revolver and I think readers who like suspense and mystery stories will love this one. I also think teens who enjoy survival stories will be drawn into this story. It's historical, but not so historical that teens who aren't fans of historical fiction are turned off by the historical setting. I think if you sell it as a suspenseful mystery and survival story, you'll have teens picking this one up.

The book is told in present time and in flashbacks. We know what's happening presently with Sig as he's trapped in the cabin with the strange, Wolff. We also get a storyline of what happened leading up to this point. We learn how Einar and his family came to their cabin, about Einar's job working with the gold miners, his mother's love for the Bible and his father's respect for a gun. All of this adds up to a compelling mystery.

The chapters are short which make this a fast read and there's enough suspense that this should be an easy sell to reluctant readers. I'm adding it to my list of books to recommend when a teen says they hate reading-it has a lot that will hook readers.

I think what I enjoyed most about the book is the authors look at how there isn't an easy way out. Often choices aren't just godo or bad, but a third option is there- you just have to look for. This theme runs throughout the book and I think it's what made me really like the book overall.

Audiobook Note: I did listen to this one on audio and I have to say that while I liked the narrator, it never felt like a historical novel to me. The narrators voice just felt too modern. I don't know if this was just the voice or the actual text of the book though that felt more modern. And I don't know what a "historical voice" would be exactly, just that the narrator didn't quite fit for me. He wasn't bad, just not my fit for this book.

Book Pairings: Gary Paulsen and Will Hobbs survival stories

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Mar 22, 2012 Ricki rated it really liked it

Shelves: printz, historical-fiction

Let me start by saying that I listened to this book on tape while I was driving, so I may have rated it higher if I read it.

The first line grabbed me with "Even the dead tell stories." I was quickly sucked into Sig's world (1910, one hundred miles north of the Arctic Circle) where there is peace, silence, and desolation. When Sig's father falls through the ice, he is left alone with his step-mother and sister. But even the dead tell stories, and Sig quickly realize that his father may have been ...more

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Jan 23, 2011 Jenn rated it it was amazing

Shelves: ok-for-jr-high-booktalks, hs-booktalks

This book was amazing. The sense of dread starts on the first page and stays with you after you finish. There was enough character development to help the story along, but the book wasn't bogged down with it. I literally had to pry the bookout of my own hands since I was just reading it in the evening. Loved this book and would recommend it to almost anyone. ...more

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Aug 09, 2015 Marilyn rated it really liked it

A Colt revolver, the Alaska Gold Rush, a mysterious death, and a whole lot of suspense. This quick read (lots of pages with just a few words on them) would be perfect for reluctant readers, and it is well written. This 2011 Printz Honor Book holds up to its recognition.

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Jan 17, 2011 Gail rated it liked it

Shelves: young-adult, historical-fiction, 2011, printz-award

Not crazy about this for some reason, but it's got the almost-trying-too-hard language that makes it easy to see how it got a printz. I did like the story itself though, but wasn't crazy about the way it was told, if that isn't me contradicting myself too much. ...more

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May 13, 2012 Jen Ozburn rated it liked it

Shelves: ya, historical-fiction

Told partly in flashbacks, Revolver combines survival, historical facts, and the mysteries of family relationships into one tight little novel. The chapters are short, and the book is fairly fast-paced considering that most of the action happens in one day. I can picture many teens picking up this book and liking it, especially fans of Paulsen. But packed in this thriller, is a meditation on guns--mostly good or mostly evil? Product of human ingenuity or tool of malevolence? Each character will ...more

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Jan 10, 2011 Julia rated it really liked it

Shelves: appropriate-for-high-school, realistic-fiction, families, appropriate-for-middle-school, historical-fiction, violence, award-winner

2011 Michael L. Printz Award Honor Book

As a general rule, I don't like books about surviving/living in harsh terrains or guns, and would never have chosen this book to pick up had it not been a Printz honor book. I would have missed out.

The story is sparse in it's style of telling, which only helps you feel the bitter environment and fear better. This is a very tight story that tells its tale without wasting a word. It would be a good choice for reluctant readers, and would probably "sell" best ...more

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