Woods Runner

By: Gary Paulsen

Narrated by: Danny Campbell

Length: 3 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's Summary

Samuel, 13, spends his days in the forest, hunting for food for his family. He has grown up on the frontier of a British colony, America. Far from any town, or news of the war against the King that American patriots have begun near Boston.

But the war comes to them. British soldiers and Iroquois attack. Samuel's parents are taken away, prisoners. Samuel follows, hiding, moving silently, determined to find a way to rescue them. Each day he confronts the enemy, and the tragedy and horror of this war. But he also discovers allies, men and women working secretly for the patriot cause. And he learns that he must go deep into enemy territory to find his parents: all the way to the British headquarters, New York City.

©2010 Gary Paulsen (P)2010 Listening Library

Critic Reviews

"A superb reflection on the nature of war." (Kirkus, starred review)

good but bit unlikely story

I enjoyed this audiobook and the narrator was very good. The issue with the story, however, is that it hinges on quite a number of coincidences in order to propel the plot, and a writer as good as Paulsen dosen't have to do that. It could have been longer and those issues could have been resolved more imaginatively. The little historical factual notes at the end of chapters serve to complement the plot and I thought they were particularly interesting. I could see how they could take away from the narrative, however, if someone was reading it, and not listening. The book contains some rather violent scenes so I would not recommend it for younger than 10 years old.

A must read/listen for boys!

Any additional comments?

I remembered reading this book as part of a project in grad school to find engaging young adult (male-specific) fiction. This was one of my favorites. So, when my son was assigned to read this for school, I purchased the audiobook for him because he comprehends texts better when he can listen and follow along. Preface - my son is NOT an avid reader and he struggles greatly, so to even find a book that he will get past the first chapter is a struggle. Not with Woods Runner! He was so engaged and loved the historical facts about the time period that he wanted to read ahead! I couldn't believe how much he wanted to talk about the story and wanted to continue listening. Though I did not actually listen to this book in it's entirety, I did hear a few chapters and thought the narrator was a perfect voice for the story.

Students loved it and learned too!

Story told from a kids perspective of the Revolutionary War. Just enough gore and tragedy to keep the kids listening and engaged. Each chapter begins with brief factual information which made the story seem even more real to the kids.

Great read!

If you could sum up Woods Runner in three words, what would they be?

thrilling, believable, fascinating

What did you like best about this story?

The main character was young, but strong, self-reliant, and unselfish

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Didn't want it to end!

Any additional comments?

Great for almost any age.

Revolutionary War through the eyes of a youth

This story was wonderfully captivating. From the resonance of the reader's voice to the narrative of the youth I found this book difficult to pause. Never before have I heard a book so compelling and informative to include both story and facts rarely heard. A treasure.

Good

Good recommend it to in readers good good good good good he he pen he n

Another wilderness adventure with Gary Paulsen.

As usual Paulsen's rich settings in the wild lead his young protagonist into challenges beyond his years.

great listen

this is a really great story about the American Revolution. it's really interesting and even in the less action packed parts it is extremely attention getting.

loved the book

loved it it was so good I loved the readers voice he was really good

story is amazing

Best book in a while I loved this greatly narrated book. it is an amazing book