#Diverseathon2021: Brian’s Winter by Gary Paulsen (Brian’s Saga #3)
Brian’s Winter
Series: Brian’s Saga #3
Author: Gary Paulsen
Narrator: Richard Thomas
Published: March 11, 2008
Audiobook
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Read: May 12-14, 2021
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars
Book Description:
In Hatchet, 13-year-old Brian Robeson learned to survive alone in the Canadian wilderness, armed only with his hatchet. He was rescued at the end of the summer. Brian’s Winter begins where Hatchet might have ended: Brian is not rescued, but must build on his survival skills to face his deadliest enemy–a northern winter.
Jessica’s Review:
As a part of May’s prompt for #Diverseathon2021 I am continuing with book three Brian’s Winter in the Brian’s Saga series by Gary Paulsen.
Brian’s Winter continues the story of Hatchet, but asks the question what if Brian had not been rescued at the end? Brian would have been forced to try and survive the harsh Canadian winter. This is the third in the series, I would read it after Hatchet because of the what if in the book.
Much like Hatchet, Brian endures surviving in his environment just not in the harsh winter. Towards the end of the novel there is a scene with wolves attacking a moose for food. This is just animals surviving, but it could be considered somewhat graphic in the description for the younger or sensitive readers.
Richard Thomas narrated Brian’s Winter. He did a good job, but they still like the music to try and enhance the novel reading.
I enjoyed this ‘what if’ scenario of continuing survival.
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For full details on this year long readathon, please click here.
And don’t forget about the awesome GRAND PRIZE at the end of the year. Click the link here for that information.
Beccie over at Bookies is having a giveaway for the month of May: She is giving away a copy of Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs (it is set in Canada). You can also enter this giveaway by entering through the Grand Prize link above.
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#Diverseathon2021: The River by Gary Paulsen (Brian’s Saga #2)
The River
Series: Brian’s Saga #2
Author: Gary Paulsen
Narrator: Peter Coyote
Published: June 1991
Audiobook
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Read: May 9-11, 2021
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars
Book Description:
“We want you to do it again.”
These words, spoken to Brian Robeson, will change his life. Two years earlier, Brian was stranded alone in the wilderness for 54 days with nothing but a small hatchet. Yet he survived.
Now the government wants him to go back into the wilderness so that astronauts and the military can learn the survival techniques that kept Brian alive. Soon the project backfires, though, leaving Brian with a wounded partner and a long river to navigate. His only hope is to build a raft and try to transport the injured man a hundred miles downstream to a trading post–if the map he has is accurate.
Jessica’s Review:
As a part of May’s prompt for #Diverseathon2021 I am continuing the Brian’s Saga series by Gary Paulsen.
It’s been two years since Brian survived living in the Canadian wilderness and now the government wants him to do it again but his time showing someone how he managed to survive. Brian decides to do this as he couldn’t NOT help.
So begins Brian’s second adventure in the wilderness, but this time he is not alone. This time should have been different but things do not always go according to plan. Brian’s associate is injured and Brian is basically forced to fend for himself and the injured man. Should Brian wait for help to eventually come or should they travel down the river? Brian decides to go down the river as he believes the injured man will not survive.
Very similar to Hatchet, yet also different, The River is also another survival story. There are some things that you may have to suspend disbelief ( getting struck by lightning and very quickly building a boat, let alone how much traveling was done on the river) but remember the target audience of this series is middle grades boys, so this really should not be an issue. I really enjoyed The River and I am looking forward to what may happen next in the series, but will Brian really agree to go out in the wilderness again??? After this second trip I would say “NO MORE!” I doubt that I myself would have agreed to go on another trip after surviving nearly two months in the wilderness… alone.
Like Hatchet,The River was also narrated by Peter Coyote. I had the same issue with The River as I did with Hatchet with the accompanying music.
The River is recommended!
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For full details on this year long readathon, please click here.
And don’t forget about the awesome GRAND PRIZE at the end of the year. Click the link here for that information.
Beccie over at Bookies is having a giveaway for the month of May: She is giving away a copy of Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs (it is set in Canada). You can also enter this giveaway by entering through the Grand Prize link above.
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Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
#Diverseathon2021: Hatchet by Gary Paulsen (Brian’s Saga #1)
Hatchet
Series: Brian’s Saga #1
Author: Gary Paulsen
Narrator: Peter Coyote
Published: September 30, 1987
Audiobook
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Read: May 6-8, 2021
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars
Book Description:
Thirteen-year-old Brian Robeson is on his way to visit his father when the single-engine plane in which he is flying crashes. Suddenly, Brian finds himself alone in the Canadian wilderness with nothing but a tattered Windbreaker and the hatchet his mother gave him as a present—and the dreadful secret that has been tearing him apart since his parents’ divorce. But now Brian has no time for anger, self-pity, or despair—it will take all his know-how and determination, and more courage than he knew he possessed, to survive.
Jessica’s Review:
I read Hatchet as a part of #Diverseathon2021 for May’s prompt, which is books set in Canada.
The target audience of Hatchet is middle schoolers, in fact I read this in school. We don’t get too many books from a boy’s perspective, but we get Brian Robeson in Hatchet. Brian is just 13 years old and going through his parents’ divorce. He focuses on the divorce a lot in the beginning part of the novel, but then a teenager his age would as his world is falling apart with this divorce and “the secret”.
Brian is on his way to see his dad and is flying in a plane when the pilot has a heart attack and dies. Eventually the plane crashes in the Canadian wilderness and Brian is forced to survive. Hatchet is also a coming of age novel as Brian starts the novel as one person and ends the novel as a totally different person.
Brian is relatable and likeable as he struggles to survive and learns to live on his own. He goes through all the emotions one would have surviving a plane crash to seeing possible rescue and then eventually coming to the conclusion that he may actually not be rescued.
Paulsen’s writing is very detailed with surviving in the wilderness talking about everything from skunks down to the mosquitoes. Paulsen did not hold back with the details, yet it was still not gruesome for the targeted age group (Seeing the pilot’s skull after being under water for nearly two months and Brian realizing he was eating the fish that ate the pilot) You are going through Brian’s journey with him and it makes you think: “Would I know what to do and survive?”
About the Audiobook:
Peter Coyote is the perfect narrator for Hatchet. He has that ’radio voice’ where you could listen to him talk for hours: In fact I did for over 3.5 hours! (HA!)
The only negative for me with the audiobook is that there is classical music that pops up at various times intending to enhance the drama of Brian’s situation, but as I was listening to this audiobook as I was driving, the music distracted me. I would be fine with Coyote’s narration only. The music is not needed.
Hatchet is recommended!
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For full details on this year long readathon, please click here.
And don’t forget about the awesome GRAND PRIZE at the end of the year. Click the link here for that information.
Beccie over at Bookies is having a giveaway for the month of May: She is giving away a copy of Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs (it is set in Canada). You can also enter this giveaway by entering through the Grand Prize link above.
***
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK I LOVE this UK cover!!!