Gary Paulsen Reviews

Added November 23, 2007

Puppies, Dogs, and Blue Northers

Reflections on Being Raised by a Pack of Sled Dogs

Author: Gary Paulsen
Publisher: Harcourt Books, Inc.
Available At: Bookstores everywhere
Publishing Date: August 2007
Genre: Middle Reader: Nonfiction/Animals
Format: Trade Paper
Price: $5.95
ISBN-10: 0152061037
ISBN-13: 978-0-15-206103-6
Reviewer: Joyce Handzo
Rating: 9 Gargoyles

Gary Paulsen slows down the action around an Iditarod training camp to focus on one dog that steps out of her harness and into his heart. This essay is a stirring recollection of the life of Cookie, the author's lead dog and longtime companion. Readers are immediately taken into the kennels, which house over forty dogs, to wait for the birth of Cookie's last litter. The harsh climate of northern Minnesota is conducive to the training of hardy sled dogs, while it also provides a contrasting backdrop to this heartwarming tale.

If you've never read a book written by Gary Paulsen, now's the time to start. If you're already a fan of this author, you are already familiar with the quality and sensitivity of his writing. The first-person perspective puts you right next to the action, as these memories amble down a trail filled with adventure, heartache and a once-in-a-lifetime expression of love. Training sled dogs isn't glamorous, but the author tenderly reveals the beauty of bonding with these hardy animals. His deep sense of compassion and commitment is evidenced on every page, allowing an emotional glimpse into a world not many of us will ever experience.

Cookie is a dog with character and cunning. Not only is she a leader but she exhibits a true ability to understand and love her human master. Poignant vignettes of the author's working relationship with Cookie furnish proof of her exceptional abilities to assess a situation and to act accordingly. This short book starts with the birth of her puppies, and then follows them as they mature, while their mother ages. A natural and universally understood cycle exists within these pages, with the added dimension being a surprising shift in the relationship between man and dog. A hauntingly beautiful and mystical bond develops between them, making this story as unique as the snowflakes that drift gently to the ground.

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Added September 18, 2007

Harris and Me

Author: Gary Paulsen
Publisher: Harcourt, Inc.
Available At: Bookstores everywhere
Publishing Date: March 2007
Genre: Young Adult: Contemporary/Mainstream
Format: Trade paper - Reissue
Price: $5.95
ISBN-10: 015205880X
ISBN-13: 978-0-15-205880-7
Reviewer: Joyce Handzo
Rating: 9 Gargoyles

Harris and Me blasts the boredom out of a summer vacation! When a young boy from a dysfunctional family gets shipped to a distant cousin's house for a few months, his life on the farm gives him an adventure to last a lifetime.

Written in the first person, these pages are a powerful and poignant glimpse into this boy's heart and mind. Readers will be drawn to this eleven-year-old as he candidly acknowledges his parents' dependence on Four Roses, which they drank, undiluted from jelly jars. As the booze muddled their brains, their fists would start to fly, making it necessary for their son to get to safety. Relatives opened their homes to this young boy, in a steady rotation of surrogate families. Yet, it wasn't until he went to the Larsen farm that he finally understood about belonging.

Tears of laughter mix with tears of sadness in this extraordinary novel. The author carefully calls readers into this young boy's life through a brief but compassionate sketch of his family. Yet as he sets foot on his cousin's farm, the mood changes to one of adventure and hilarity. There are many laugh-out-loud and I-can't-believe-they-did-that moments. From wrestling three hundred-pound hogs to peeing on an electric fence, these pages make Tom Sawyer look like a sissy!

But as the summer, and the book, draws to a close, the author gently reminds us of the home that awaits this boy. Turning the last page will bring a few tears and a genuine desire for a happily-ever-after ending… someday.

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