Gone to the Woods

October 26, 2020
In this third-person memoir told in five sections, Newbery Medalist Paulsen (Hatchet), best known for his riveting survival stories, shares the turbulent early life experiences that led to his writing career. After his mother finds munitions plant work in 1944 Chicago, “the boy,” then five, accompanies her to bars and “sing to draw men” for her. Scandalized, his grandmother arranges for him to stay at his loving aunt and uncle’s Minnesota farm. After a few idyllic months enjoying the outdoors, however, Paulsen’s mother insists they join his father,
stationed in Manila, but the overseas journey and witnessing brutal killings in the wake of WWII prove difficult. As a teen in North Dakota, Paulsen repeatedly runs away from his increasingly volatile parents and befriends a kind librarian, who encourages him to write. But it isn’t until he enlists in the military and is faced with inflicting the same brutality that he saw in Manila that he knows he wants something different in life. Told in the third person, Paulsen’s raw memoir renders “the boy” a curious and savvy protagonist who constantly forges ahead, resulting in a riveting, hopeful survival story about personal resilience amid trauma. Ages 8–12. Agent: Jennifer Flannery, Flannery Literary.

November 1, 2020
Life was hard for the boy, who wasn't an orphan but was close enough to being one while still having parents. In this emotional memoir, Paulsen writes about himself in the third person as "the boy," choosing several pointed childhood experiences that were instrumental to his maturation into a writer. As a child, the boy is rescued by his grandmother, who is appalled to learn that, at 5, he is performing for an array of his mother's suitors in Chicago bars while his father is serving in World War II. Upon her insistence that he relocate to his aunt and uncle's farm, the boy makes the journey by train to Minnesota alone. There, he experiences unconditional love for the first time. However, all good things come to an end, and when the mother retrieves the boy to join his father in the Philippines, the narrative shifts, and the boy experiences ongoing trauma that many readers will connect to. Paulsen keenly observes his youth from a distance, only identifying himself once by name. In this way, he effectively executes the roles of both an actor in the story and director of the text. This sense of close-detachedness results in a rich, compelling read that is emotive and expressive without forcing empathy from the reader. Both brightly funny and darkly tragic, it is fresh in its honest portrayal of difficult themes. Readers will fall into this narrative of succeeding against overwhelming odds amid deep trauma. (Memoir. 12-18)

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December 1, 2020
Grades 5-8 Paulsen mines his hardscrabble childhood to create this middle-grade memoir, divided into five titled sections that highlight significant events that shaped his life. He recounts a solo train trip from Chicago to northern Minnesota at age 5 (""The Farm""); his introduction to canoeing, camping, fishing, and harvesting mushrooms with Uncle Sig (""The River""); his journey across the Pacific to the Philippines to meet his father (""The Ship""); his love of reading and writing, which blossomed at the public library (""Thirteen""); and his impulsive enlistment in the army at age 17 (""Soldier""). Overall a grim saga of survival (in particular, avoiding his drunken, abusive parents), the narrative includes lighter moments as well: slipping into a train toilet at age five, defending himself from some meddlesome farm geese, and accepting the soothing ministrations of a ship's steward who treated him for chickenpox. Employing a somewhat rambling, conversational style, Paulsen creates a safety zone for readers unprepared for his stark realities, while allowing others to fully comprehend. Beautifully written, Paulsen's memoir demonstrates that good can triumph over bad beginnings.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: With three Newbery Awards in his rucksack, Paulsen writes reliably great books, and everybody will want to get their hands on his latest.

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February 1, 2021

Gr 7 Up-Paulsen's autobiography for middle schoolers reads quite a bit like his "Hatchet" series because of his turbulent childhood and teen years. The text is organized into five sections: "The Farm," "The River," "The Ship," "Thirteen," and "Soldier." Each chapter describes a turning point or defining moment in Paulsen's life. The second and fourth sections show the influences that would eventually lead to the "Hatchet" series. In "The River," a very young Paulsen is taken on a canoe trip into the forest to pick mushrooms. The trip allows Paulsen to fall in love with the woods. He learns how to fish, light a fire, paddle a canoe-skills his characters need to use in Hatchet. Later, the woods become a refuge from drunken, abusive parents. Paulsen is mostly sustained by what he can scrounge and catch. The book chronicles his younger years and includes some difficult topics, such as living in an armed conflict zone and watching people drown during a boat trip. He battles poverty, neglect, and uncertainty, but he does overcome these challenges to become an admired author, which ultimately offers an inspiring narrative. There is some graphic and violent content that takes place in Manila during an armed conflict and some scenes on the high seas, which may not be appropriate for younger students. Overall, this exciting, fast-paced title reads like fiction. The tone matches Paulsen's style and echoes themes from his novels. VERDICT A wonderful way to introduce middle grade and high school readers to the excitement and beauty of biographies.-Sara Kundrik, Gilbert Paterson M.S., Alta.

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