Revolver in Mock Printz 2026

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

Shelves: 2011, ya, printz, historical

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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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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Feb 08, 2014 Kim rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, historical-fiction, listened-to, young-adult-fiction, award-winner

Spare and stark, with not a wasted word. After Sig Andersonn finds his father's frozen body on the lake outside their remote homestead, his sister and stepmother leave to get help in the neighboring village. While Sig is alone in the cabin with his father's body, a large and violent man shows up, claiming that Einar Andersonn cheated him out of a share of gold 10 years ago. Sig's protests that they have always scraped by and that there is no gold fall on deaf ears, and Sig must face death at the ...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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Jun 22, 2012 Abigail rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Good book.

I felt terrified the whole way through, I felt terribly for the characters, and the ending was an immense relief. Wolff scared me out of my mind.

Nothing special really, but it wasn't bad. ...more

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Oct 11, 2011 Carrie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: young-adult

This expertly paced and thoughtful novel has some wonderfully tense moments. I loved the way the suspense slowly builds as the story unfolds and Sig and Wolff come to their final showdown.

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