Brian's Winter by Gary Paulsen
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Book Reviews of Brian's Winter
Book Review: Brian's Winter Review
Summary: 5 Stars
Brian's Winter
By Gary Paulsen
Review by Samantha S.
I've never been in a situation of life and death before, but Gary Paulsen allowed me to feel, what it's like to be in one. Brian has already been in the wilderness for about 54 days, on his own. His plane crashed and he later discovers an emergency bag in the plane, where he has some useful objects. It's just the beginning of Fall and Brian doesn't know the true meaning of the word Winter. Brain's Winter is about how Brain survives the winter and hopefully gets rescued. Brain has many obstacles in his way, but that doesn't stop him. Brain's Winter is also a sequel to the book Hatchet.
Brian starts to get use to the wilderness and becomes more aware of the nature, all around him. He observed that different animals defend their territories differently. The wolves would mark their territory by peeing on trees, but the birds would defend their territory by singing beautiful tunes. He thought the animals would respect him, just like all the other animals do, if he marked his territory. Just as winter was approaching, Brian finally saw some of the warning signs nature was giving him. The clouds had changed from a blue to a grey, the leaves on trees had already changed color, and the weather was getting just a little cooler than before.
Brian thought about his food supply as well as how he would be able to get his food. Brian remembered seeing arrowheads in a store he had visited and tried to remember what they looked like and how to make them. Brian was able to hunt many animals. He used the fishing lines and sinkers, from the emergency pack, to catch fish for when he wasn't able to hunt any rabbits or fool birds. He saw two wolves with a leg in their mouth and decided to go where they came from. Brain found a young deer with the head and shoulders left. All Brian did was smile and took the left of the meat back to his shelter. A bear runs into Brian's shelter because of the smell of the meat, but his friend, Betty the skunk, saves him by spraying him with her foul odor.
He also has to decide on ways to keep him warm. He has a sleeping bag that keeps him warm, but not warm enough. He tries to make a fire in his shelter, but all the smoke won't let him breathe. He makes a chimney, so that he can have a fire in his shelter without suffocating him. Another way Brian tries to keep warm is he makes a vest out of rabbit skin. Later, he makes sleeves and boots out of skin, for extra warmth. In order to keep the fire going, Brain makes an insulted door to keep the wind and cold air out of the shelter.
I like this book because Gary gives you a lot of survival skills; you never know when you might need them. "There could be only one reason for a larger arrowhead- to kill a larger animal." (Paulsen 27-28) I enjoy reading it because I learned something new. "Dark came suddenly at four in the afternoon and he sat in the dark for a while and thought on the problem and was leaning back gazing into the fire when he remembered the rabbits. They grew larger feet." (Paulsen 105) Before I read this I didn't know that rabbits grew larger feet during the Winter and I didn't know that they changed color either. I also enjoyed reading this story because I learned stuff about Gary before and found out that he writes books about outdoor activities and things that happened to him. The one thing that I dislike about this book is I think he could have made a better ending. After reading and reading, people want to know exactly what happens to Brian, they get curious. I feel that overall Gary Paulsen is a good writer because he got a library card when he was young and he has been reading other people's stories ever since.
In conclusion, Brian's Winter is the sequel to Hatchet, another novel Gary has published. If you ever see pictures or illustrations in one of Gary's books then you know that Gary's wife illustrated them because she illustrates his books. If I were to rate this book to other children, I would give it an eight because the ending was so good but all the information is accurate.
Book Review: Brians Winter
Summary: 5 Stars
Brian's Winter
Gary Paulsen
Irineo Vargas
Have you ever gotten lost in the Canadian Wilderness? Well Brian did. The
name of this book is Brian's Winter, and the is Gary Paulsen. Brian was stranded in the
wild. He arrived after a plane crash in the Fall and was there for most of the Winter. It
was in the Northern Canadian Wilderness, which is close to the North Pole. The Winter
gets very cold and intense. The time period is about in the 90's.
The main character is Brian, who is an average boy about thirteen years old!
Brian is very brave and has no fear. He has no fear of living in the wilderness by himself.
He is very determined, to solve his problems such as finding food. He is also very
intelligent. He created clothes from the hides of the animals. He also built his own
shelter, he was able to build by observing the Beavers. He is also very athletic, he was
always working to build his shelter and hunting.
There were a lot of important events in this book. One of them was when one day
Brian was out hunting and he spotted a moose. It was really a Cow because it was
female. He shot at the Cow once but missed. Then he shot at it again a second time and
it hit in a vital area. But the Cow was still up. The cow went into a rage and charge at
Brian. It hit Brain, Brian got knocked out. When Brian woke up he the Cow was on top
of him. While he was on conscious he had a flashback about his mother. Another event
is when he two loud pops. He thought it was two loud gun shots. But it was just pieces
of a tree snapping because of how cold it was. One more major event is was when he
was out hunting and he saw a deer. He shot it vital organ but it didn't die instantly.
Brian felt guilty and bad because the deer didn't die instantly.
Now I will talk to you about some quotes from the story. One quote was when
Brian woke up from the hit from the Cow gave him. He had a flashback "His mother
calling for him to come back. He was little again, a small boy and playing outside, and
his mother was calling for him to come inside but he couldn't move because there was a
huge weight on him, holding him down, keeping him from coming home..." Brian was
having a flashback. This flashback was about when he was a little boy and was out
playing in his house. Then his mom started to call for him but he couldn't go inside
because something was holding him back. In an other quote Brian called himself fat he
said "I am fat". Brian called himself fat because he would hunt and kill a lot. He would
kill a full grown deer for food.
The author of this book is Gary Paulsen. Gary Paulsen was born on May
17, 1939. He has also written another part to the Brian series, the name of this book is
Brian's Return. This book is a Young adult fiction. I think the genre is right for this
book because it really attracts the attention of the reader and is a very surprising story. I
liked the way Gary Paulsen writes, he is a very descriptive writer. He creates pictures in
your mind. If I were to rate this book from a one to ten I would give it a ten. I would
give it a ten because it is a really interesting book. It is very adventurous. The author
puts pictures in your head. He writes in a really descriptive way. It grabs your attention,
it almost feels like you are Brian trying to build your shelter, trying to hunt, and trying to
stay alive. That's why I gave this book a ten out of ten.
Book Review: The Great Survival
Summary: 5 Stars
Brian's Winter
By: Gary Paulsen
Review by Kevin Wiatr
It is amazing how much Gary Paulsen turned around his disappointing childhood and became a successful author who wrote this book, Brian's Winter. Even though I have never been stranded in a Canadian Wilderness the author Gary Paulsen made me feel as if I was stranded with the main character Brian Robeson. Brian is stranded in the Canadian wilderness with nothing but the clothes on his back, his hatchet, and the survival pack that he found in the wrecked plane. The entire story is told by the main character Brian and how he feels about this whole experience. Brian had to hunt, build a shelter/make clothing, have fake conversations, and stay warm if he wanted to make it out of the wilderness alive.
This book is probably one of the most adventurous books I have ever read because of all the bold and daring things Brian did to survive for more than three months. The main thing though, is that Brian had to risk his life every day by going out in the middle of nowhere and killing some violent animals with nobody around to look out for him. Even though at first he only ate rabbit and fool bird it became more dangerous when he was trying to hunt the deer and moose. Not only do you have to worry about that animal, but you also have to worry about the hungry wolves that are ready to attack at any given moment.
Another big conflict Brian had to deal with was building a suitable shelter that he could live in. At first, he built a pretty weak shelter. It was almost a blessing in disguise when the bear attacked his shelter. This made him realize he had to improve his shelter or worse things could happen. Also, clothing was just as important as shelter especially because winter was just around the corner. Without the proper clothing Brian would freeze to death or get very sick. Both of these tie together because they will both keep Brian from freezing to death.
One important thing that helped Brian more mentally than physically is that he had fake conversations with himself. The main reason fake conversations were so important is because this reminded him of his family and gave him a reason to live. This helped him feel like he was at home with his family and friends. This was also a good way to relieve stress and calm down and forget about all of his troubles. Without doing this Brian would not have been able to overcome all of his troubles.
When you are trying to survive in the winter, one of the key elements is warmth. Without this, no one would be able to survive the harsh winters the Canadian wilderness has to offer. Without warmth you would probably either get extremely sick or maybe even pass away. The best way to stay warm in the wilderness during winter is obviously making a fire. The good thing about making a fire is that it is not that difficult to create and there is plenty of wood in the wilderness to use.
Not only is this a serious story but it also has some comedic scenes like when Brian says, "Wonderful- I have a roommate with a terminal hygiene problem..." (Paulsen 55). This is when Brian encountered the skunk. As you can see, this story not only has a great lesson but also parts that make you want to laugh out loud. Even though Gary Paulsen struggled through his life and was a bad student this goes to show you that with hard work and determination anything is possible. Over all I enjoyed reading this book. This was honestly one of the best novels I have ever read. The reason I enjoyed it so much was because I felt this book taught me a valuable lesson of overcoming life's obstacles. I enjoyed the ending, a touching part of the story, when Brian left the wilderness and David said, "It will be here when you come back. We'll keep the soup hot." (Paulsen 133). The coincidence of this statement is that Brian will return to the wilderness he once withstood.
Book Review: Brian's Winter
Summary: 5 Stars
Brian's Winter
By: Gary Paulsen
Review by: Monika Juknaite
Kids get lost all the time, supermarkets, movie theaters, big crowds, but have you ever heard of anyone getting lost in the woods? Not just any woods, but the Canadian wilderness, where the weather is crucial, and the chances of surviving during the winter are very slim. Gary Paulsen, the author of Brian's Winter and many other award-winning novels, wrote a book about a young boy getting lost in the wilderness and how he tries to survive.
The whole book is told by Brian Robeson a young teenage boy whose parents live on two different sides of the country. Brian's plane crashed and he's been stuck in the wilderness for a while. Instead of Gary Paulsen rescuing Brian, he wrote a sequel about what would happen to Brian if he would have never gotten rescued. The main point that the book talks about is surviving. Gary Paulsen does a great job of describing Brian's stay in the wilderness.
Brian did not have any brother's or sisters, he was an only child. And his parents were divorced. He lived with his mother, and had to take a plane to see his father. When one time, as he was flying to see his father. The pilot of his plane had a heart attack and crashed the plane. That is when Brian was lucky enough to survive.
Brian try's to survive in the wilderness by quickly adapting to the environment and trying to learn from his surroundings. The weather during the winter was extremely cold, thirty, forty, even fifty below zero. "It felt as if the moisture on his eyes would freeze-he had to blink to keep them from freezing" (Paulsen 98).
The young boy needs to hunt food to survive. And during the winter the selection of the food that you can get is very limited. The lake is frozen, so you can not fish, and there are no trees that have fruit growing on them. Brian carves arrow heads and makes weapons, so he can hunt animals, and later on starts to hunt bigger animals like deer and doe.
Not only Brian needs to hunt for food, he also has to protect himself and his food. There are many animals that may hurt Brian in the wilderness. "Half a beat and Brian lay still, staring up at the bear" (Paulsen 60). He has to be very careful about what he does. The author describes very well in the novel, about how Brian survives, and what he does to keep warm, keep away from hunger and not be lonely.
I believe that Brian's Winter is a great novel for young adults. Probably the most interesting thing that the author does in this book is how he talks about everything. He describes very well how Brian lives in his cave, and how he hunts and how the animals die in front of him some slowly some quickly. If the author would have not described the book so well, I don't think I would have liked it as much. I feel that the book may inspire some young writers, and gets a great message across to its readers.
Gary Paulsen, even though in his older years of life still has the niche of writing. He loves to write stories and if not for the fans, Brian's Winter would have never been published. Gary Paulsen has written many books, like Dog Song, The River, The Voyage of the Frog, and of course The Hatchet which is the first part of Brian's Winter, so I suggest if you want to read Brian's Winter you should read Hatchet first.
Book Review: Great Book
Summary: 5 Stars
Author: Gary PaulsenBy: Melissa Williams
04/30/03
At the age of 13 Brian took a plane on vacation by himself. On this trip it was only him and the pilot who was driving the plane. During the plane ride the pilot was having a hard time and crashed the plane into a lake. Brian was very scared and wasnt sure if the pilot was still alive or not. Brain got up and knew he wasnt really hurt and he saw the pilot and saw that he was dead. Brain got out of the crashed plane and began to look around for a good place for him to stay, since he knew he would be in the wilderness for a while.
As the days went on Brian began to make himself arrows that he could kill animals with. It took him a while because he built small arrows for rabbits and larger ones for Deer. He also built himself a nice little home that he could stay in that kept him warm, and he would build a fire everyday just so he wouldnt freeze. It started to get colder and the leaves were falling off and Brian knew right away that winter would be there soon. So he began to kill more animals and use their fur for gloves and other things to keep him warm. The next day brain was out in the forest looking for animals and he spotted a moose. So he tried to shot at it and when it hit the moose it didnt die. It Charged at Brain and Brain didnt know what to do. He tried to shot at it again but he was struggling. The moose tackled him and Brain and right as that happened brain shot it, but by the strength of the moose it knocked Brain out.
When Brain woke up He wasnt sure if he was alive or not she he just tried to more every body part 1 at a time slowly. He realized that when he shot the moose it had killed it, and it was lying on top of him. Brain got up and he felt bad but he knew he needed the meat and fur. So he dragged it back to his house he built. That night right before Brain was going to fall asleep he heard a noise that sounded like a gun shot. He didnt know what to think so he waited awhile and then he heard it again, But he just decided to go look in the morning. When he went in the morning he wasnt finding anything not even tracks. He was standing up against a tree and all of a sudden the tree exploded and made the same noise he heard before. So really there was nobody shooting it was just trees exploding because it was so cold. After that it became very cold out and Brain and enough food to last him and the house he had made kept him same and warm. Soon it began warm again and it was easier for Brain to find food. One day Brain heard what sounded to be a gun shot, but it sounded just like it sounded before and that was really trees exploding. He though to his self how could it be trees exploding when its warm out. So he began to walk around the lake and look for people. When he got to other side of the lake he saw something that made him so happy and changed his life.
I myself would have to rate this book a 10. This book was one of the best books that I have ever read. I really enjoyed it because it had very good description and it was just a good book in general. I think that many kids my age and maybe older and younger would really enjoy this book, and I recommended it to younger kids to read because Im pretty sure they will enjoy it.