Tucket's Gold is such a good book. The way Francis takes care of those kids, it shows how much he cares about them. I would recommened this book to anybody who like adventures and a lot of other things. This book is going to make your life different. (it's a good difference.)

Tucket's Gold
I am writing about the book called Tucket's Gold. This book is an adventure for the grades of 4 - 6th.

My book Tucket's Gold takes place after the mexican war. Along the of the Oregon Trail. Francis the main character is trying to find his parents along the Oregon Trail with his two friends he found in the other books on his way towards the Oregon Trail.

One night Francis was watching out when a snake bit him. He and his friends Billie and Lottie were taken to this pueblo village to be treated for the snake bite. Billie and this pueblo boy teaches Billie how to hunt with bow and arrow.

Towards the end of the book they find some gold and silver and some wild ponies. One day they were riding the ponies towards the oregon trail when Courtweiler and Dubs that are two bad guys meet up with them and they try to kill Francis when Billie out of nowhere he shoots them with arrows and killed them. Then they were back to head towards the oregon trail.

I would give this book a 5 stars if it was a 5 star scale.

Tuckets
Gold
4-24-02
Tuckets Gold is a adventure book. It has a lot of action and adventure. This book is very sad in some ports and some are very good. In some prots you do not want to stop in the middle crapter. In so ports you can see you in the book.

If you were in 3rd grand and up you would like this book. But if you were in 2rd grand it would not be that good. I bet 9 and up would like this book. Both grils and boys would like this book. People who like to slove problems would like this book.

The three crilderend in the story are runing away for killers through the hole story. It starts in California and it goes thorgh Utah Oregon. The oldest boy was Francis Tucket and a little boy named Billy and his sister Lottie. Their was a old man named Grime and he helped him in the first port of the story.

Iwould give this story a five star, and a rating 1-10 score. This is a very good book and I recommend it to 3rd and up.

Captive is a great book that is definetly worth reading. The author puts a visual in your head that makes you feel as if you are actualy there whitnessing the story.the story is about an African American Kofi who gets taken out of his home and is shiped to an owner to be his slave. his only possesions are the clothes on his back and a flute. On the ship the author describes his frusteration and confusion wtih not being able to talk to any one.He meets two other boys and they get sold to a master. his master beats him and tourchers him.The masters wife however teaches him to speak to learn and to write English. Then him and his two friends dreanm of being free again and plan to ecscape. Will Kofi and his friends ecscape?Will Will kofis dream of being free someday come true?
I enjoyed reading this book and I hope you will too.It has all the things that I like in a book action suspence and emotion. so if you are looking for that kind of book this would be a good one.

After the first 10 pages, I felt as if I could not stop. All of the African religions and action. I do feel bad for the characters in the book when they get kidnapped and sent to America. It was very sad when Kofi had to earn his own belongs back when some one stole it from him. When he escaped from the Browne's house and then they went to court I felt very happy for them and I felt bad for Tim because he had to go back. Read the book and find out the rest of the story.

This book is really good because Its about a son of a great Ashanti chief who is captured and sold to be a slave and its about how he tries to get back to his people and he meets 1 american slave called Joseph and another kid who is a british bound servant called Tim.The coolest part is when Kofi learns how to speak english because he can understand people and not make everybody frustrated.The worst part is when Kofi gts taken away to be a slave because he looses his freedom and can't do anything but work.

This is a book written by Gary Paulsen. He's an interesting author. This book is about slavery,and how a man named NightJohn helped a little girl named Sarny teaching her how to read and write. NightJohn had two kids Delie and Tyler they were in New Orleans. He also tied to get to the North for freedom. After the slaves get a chance to leave from Waller (which is a white man who controlled the slaves) he drinks whisky. So NightJohn moved to the North and started searching for his kids. After all the trouble he went through with passing soliders by the border.His daughter Delie became a business type of person,his son Tyler became a doctor for 30 years,but also died happily.I like this book because for many of slaves many didn't know how to read or write.This showed that NightJohn was a very brave and smart person. This book also shows me the steps through the hard work they were put in to do during this hard period of time.

Sarny is an interesting book to read. It is about a young woman named Sarny who was a slave for a long time. A war was occuring to either end slavery or keep continuing it. Her two children, Tyler and Delie were sold to a man named Chivington in New Orleans. Before Sarny's owner died, he freed her and she set out on a journey to find her children. She found them and were glad to see them.

I enjoyed this book a lot. As I was reading, I was learning at the same time. Sarny really went for her goal and never gave up. She struggled so many times but never wanted to give in. If there was something she was fighting for, she would fight until the end. I liked the way she acted and responded.

My favorite part of the book was when Sarny finds her children. It was the happiest day of her life. This part was my favorite because everyone was excited and overwhelmed. This event brought Sarny and her family together. I was even joyous for Sarny to find her children. I relished reading this book.

I really enjoyed Sarny. I never realized the horrible things the slave owners did to their slaves. I was glad when the young soldier shot Sarny's slave owner. That was terrible of him to sell her children especially when the war was almost over. I didn't think she would ever find her children. It was quite a quest to go on to walk to New Orleans. I was shocked when Sarny's second husband was killed because Sarny started a school for the ex-slaves. It was good of Sarny to use her talent of teaching and use them. I'm glad that Miss Laura gave a lot of her money to Sarny. I didn't realize she was So rich. I think Sarny did a good job of saving and spending her money. A lot of people would have wasted it right away but she was wise. I really enjoyed this book. It really brings you up to terms at what really happened to the slaves during and after the war.

How Angel Peterson got His Name
Remember watching the "Road Runner"
cartoons? I could never understand why Wile
E. Coyote kept trying all those crazy and wild
stunts just to get the Road Runner. Gary Paulsen
in his book, How Angel Peterson Got His Name,
compares himself and his friends as teenagers to
the coyote because they all pushed the limits time
after time. Just to have fun, Paulsen as a teenager,
went over a waterfall in a barrel. He was left "with
a bleeding nose, sitting on the bank below the dam
contemplating the fickleness of fate, which endowed
me with an uncanny, lifelong ability to identify with
the hapless coyote in the Road Runner cartoons."
Paulsen's characters, like the coyote, tried everything
imaginable and unimaginable. However, this book
is not only about extreme sports and crazy antics.
The book talks about the excitement of being a
teenager but with a twist.
I believe that the twist or the message the author
is trying to say is to "have fun, but be careful." He
describes what teenage boys are like, willing and ready
to push the limits without thinking of the consequences
or the worse that could happen. Paulsen describes the
crazy antics of he and his friends flying behind cars
while on skis, fighting a bear, going over a dam in a
barrel, and flying bikes over multiple objects. After
describing each activity, Paulsen is quick to point out
that he, himself, can't believe that he survived his
teenage years. "This book is dedicated to all boys
in their thirteenth year; the miracle is that we live
through it."
In a fun and entertaining way, the author
tries to teach kids that you can have fun and try
new and different things but be cautious and know
when to stop before it is too late. He ends the story
of his teenage years with a very powerful message
for all of us, that we should believe in ourselves
and try and try again, never giving up.
"We also believed in ourselves and what we
could do or thought we could do. It didn't
matter that it hadn't been done before. It was
still worth trying."
I would highly recommend this book to dare-
devils, fans of extreme sports, tweens (kids ten to
twelve years old, and teenagers.
Remember: Have fun but be careful!

Paulsen has written another book about his youth, similiar to Harris & Me and The Schernoff Discoveries. Paulsen tells about his extreme sports endeavors when he was 13. As he warns the readers in 1954, kids weren't as smart as they are now and there was no safety equipment. The first chapter, which gives the book its title, will have you laughing until you cry. In fact, this is too good for kids. Give this as a gift to that wacky brother who did some wild stunts as a youth. Relunctant boy readers will love this one and it will make a great read aloud. That is if you can keep from laughing.

A quick, fun read. Perfect for those reluctant boy readers, as Paulsen shares some of his friends' daredevil escapades of growing up. I laughed out loud when he shared his first date to Harris's (his cousin from Harris and Me) "bungee" jumping.
Full of voice and action. It would be a great read aloud in a middle school classroom...but have your boys sign waivers that they won't try the "sports" at home. :)

I lent this book to a coworker and he went out the next day and hooked his husky to his bicycle and let her pull him all over the neighborhood. This book inspires that 'fine madness' in all of us.
'Winterdance" is a delightful read that will have you laughing out loud - more than once. Palusen's vivid descriptions of his triumphs - and (more hysterically) dreadful mistakes - as he learns to race dogs for the Iditarod paint a picture of a sport that perhaps requires professional counseling when you decide to participate.
In addition, Paulsen's descriptions of the Alaskan wilderness take your breath away, make your feet cold, and leave you clinging to the fact that he MUST live through this mess if he wrote the book!
A delightful read - or an excellent gift to a dog lover, outdoor enthusiast, or friend who enjoys a good laugh.
And watch out for those Moose.

This book packs quite a punch. Each chapter ended with this reader wincing for the author, who had just spent the night stumbling through a Minnesota swamp, his eyes almost swollen shut from mosquito bites, searching for his runaway dog team, or had been blown down an Alaskan mountainside with his team, in the midst of a blinding snowstorm.

Not to mention the five-skunk night.

It takes a great deal of physical as well as mental toughness to train for the Iditarod, much less run a team of half-wild dogs in the actual race.

"Winterdance" reminds me of Algernon Blackwood's "Wendigo:" in both stories men are caught by the spirit of the Great Northern Wilderness, and perish or almost perish. I think the most telling moment in Paulsen's book comes when he runs his team to the end of his trapline---and then keeps on going in the dead of a Minnesota winter, just to see what lies beyond the next hill. His wife's intuition to call out a search team was correct, even though Paulsen eventually did turn back. The 'Wendigo' or wanderlust had almost captured his soul.

It also reminds me of "Call of the Wild." Like Jack London, Paulsen has a laconic, fluid writing style, and both authors include the Wilderness itself as one of their major characters. I won't say that either man subscribed to Blackwood's weird brand of pantheistic mysticism, but read how Paulsen slowly bonds with his dogs--and other wild animals.

This book is also a grand dog story with more pratfalls than a "Three Stooges" movie. The author spent many a night on his backside, being dragged down a dirt road (or worse, through a second-growth forest) by his lusty team. Running the Iditarod takes a very special madness, and Paulsen endured moose attacks, blizzards, dog bites, and too many helpings of moose chili to draw us into his very beautiful and brutal world.

I have lent this book to countless people, and everyone has loved each page. Even my husband, who does NOT like novels, couldn't put this book down. Winterdance is a novel that has a fine pace, spectacular imagery, and wonderful humor. It is an engaging story. Gary Paulsen, a celebrated children's author, highlights a time in his life where he was not a writer, dead broke and totally in love with his dogs and the great outdoors. Winterdance chronicles Paulsen's discovery of "running dogs" and follows him all the way through the grueling Iditarod. Along the way, he reflects on personal transformation as well a passion for nature. His writing paints beautiful pictures of the northern wilderness areas without going on and on. He is funny, compassionate and very much an individual. It is a quick read and a MUST read.

The Transall Saga by Gary Paulson is a great book that anyone should read. This book is full of thrilling adventure and mind compeling events. This book is about a "city boy" named Mark that convinces his parents to let him go camping by himself in the desert. While camping he discovers a strange blue light. He fell through it and found himself in a strange world with many alterations. There are different animals and plants. Colors of things are different too. some how he has to survive in this world, as he is learning he is also growing in many ways. Read this book to find out how he survives in this wilderness. This is an awesome book in my point of view.

Gary Paulsen takes you on an exciting adventure to a new world in The Transall Saga. Mark, the main character, is on a hiking trip through the desert when suddenly he finds himself transported by a blue tube of light to some primitive world. This new world is like nothing he's ever seen. He must use his skills to survive. As he travels through this magnificent world, he discovers his own startling powers. This book is packed with adventure through its 56 chapters and 248 pages. I've read this book three times and each time, I've learned something new. This is the kind of book you won't want to put it down.

Read about Mark Harrison's fight for freedom with his human creature friends, and Sarbo. He steps into a blue light when on his solo camping trip in the desert, and is warped to a strange dead place with weird creatures and people, in a primitive land. The people aren't as smart as people today, but are very strong. I think the book is great. It is action packed and Gary Paulsen expresses action in all the best ways. If you like action, suspense and adventure, you have to read this book. The Transall Saga is one of Paulsen's best novels yet!

i like this book alot becasue it was short but interesting. i liked the way that they described the throne room and the other missions they had to complete.this book was funny beacuse they told us how they got small and that they were afraid but they had to work together to beat the game .i was glad that they were able to work together beacuse if you have two people trying to do domething they aren't going to go anywhere if they dont work with each other, just like in real life.thats why i liked this book and i wouldn't mind reading it again.

"Rodomonte's Revenge is a cool and exciting book. It's about two boys that love video games. They played a virtual reality game, and everything that happens in the game starts happening in real life.

Have you ever played a video game that invaded your mind? Brett and Tom did in Rodomonte's Revenge when they had to fight to survive against the powerful computer. The two boys went to the arcade to play a virtual reality game and before they knew it, the game had taken over their minds. Even when they left the arcade, they had hallucinations about parts of the game. One time, they were sitting in their classroom at school when a 'buzz-bug' destroyed the dassroom door and attacked the teacher. Another time a 'tunnel spider' burst out of the floor. Only when they returned to the arcade could they defeat the 'Rodomonte.' They had to struggle to stay alive. Rodomonte's Revenge was an exciting book. The author describes many action scenes. Any person who plays video games will understand how the characters in the video game might invade their minds. This is a book that's hard to stop reading because you want to find out if Brett and Tom will beat the computer.

This is a great book. It's about a man who owns a dog kennel. He loves the dogs more than life itself. But, he gets heart disese. He may have to give up the kennel. This is a drama that kept me interested. I don't usually read this type of book, so it had to be very good to interest me. I hope you like it.

My eight year old son has a passion for the Iditarod, and is just starting to read chapter books. This book was perfect for him, and he finished it crying he was so attached to Cookie, the main dog. Paulsen writes beautifully about dogs, appealing to all ages. This is a wonderful book, beautifully illustrated, for all ages of dog lovers.

Paulsen has written one of the funniest books we've ever read, about preparing for and racing in the Iditarod. Like all the best humorists, his humor comes from the heart. This book is much more serious but it still comes from the heart and succeeds for that reason.

Here he is writing about his dogs and in particular a dog named Cookie, a female who served as his lead dog in the Iditarod and also was mother to many of his other dogs. He starts with the birth of her last litter of pups and goes on from there. Some of the most striking anecdotes show just how intelligent and sensitive these animals are: one of the other dogs teaching the puppies how to get all of the meat out of the skull, and Cookie herself seemingly forcing a pack of dogs to go back and help her owner when he has to let all of them go in order to extricate himself from a predicament.

In the end, they both have to give up running, and of course humans live longer than dogs, so we know how it ends: sadly but poignantly, as the author says goodbye to someone he obviously considers a friend.

"Alida's Song" is written by Gary Paulsen. The book is about a boy whose parents were alcoholics and his grandmother was the only one who cared about him. After his grandmother took him under his wings, he learned a new meaning of life which helped him discover his potentials. The story's setting transforms from the harsh city life to a little happy farm. The author's realistic descriptions in the story paint a real life picture in the reader's mind. He describes the boy's surrounding environment very thoroghly to give the reader a good idea of how it affects the boy's social life and his survival methods. The characters are realisticly and fairly portrayed. The author shows the character's funny and emotional sides to help the reader get a better understanding of the characters. He doesn't use any offensive language; instead he uses vivid and clean words in his dialogue. The author also keeps the ending very hidden and gives almost no clues of how the book is really going to end, which makes the story more interesting. Along with the story the author gives some information about how life was in the early 1920's to give the reader a clear picture. I would recommend this book to other fellow readers because this story was very interesting and vividly written.

Although I am not much of a reader, Alida's Song, a book by Gary Paulsen, really caught my eye. Now I will tell you three reasons why this is the book for you. The first reason why you should read this book is it shows how a grandmother will do anything to help her grandson.. When she finds out her daughter and son-in-law are getting drunk and leaving their son hungry with no money, she brings him to the farm she works on to help out he learns a lot about his grandmother. There is also the compassion that he finds after he meets the Sirs' of the house. For example, as they are riding through the fields to get water from the well, he noticed few logs with beautiful faces while he is looking he notices one he said, "That is my grandma" Last, love is shared with his grandma and him. Every year there is a party thrown for Alida, and she can choose any man to dance with for her special song. She chooses her grandson because he turned out to be a special young man. Truly, I hope this is a book that you will enjoy as much as I did.

Jackie King
11/12/02
5th period

Although I am not much of a reader, Alida's Song, a book by Gary Paulsen, really caught my eye. Now I will tell you three reasons why this is the book for you. The first reason why you should read this book is it shows how a grandmother will do anything to help her grandson.. When she finds out her daughter and son-in-law are getting drunk and leaving their son hungry with no money, she brings him to the farm she works on to help out he learns a lot about his grandmother. There is also the compassion that he finds after he meets the Sirs' of the house. For example, as they are riding through the fields to get water from the well, he noticed few logs with beautiful faces while he is looking he notices one he said, "That is my grandma" Last, love is shared with his grandma and him. Every year there is a party thrown for Alida, and she can choose any man to dance with for her special song. She chooses her grandson because he turned out to be a special young man. Truly, I hope this is a book that you will enjoy as much as I did.

Paulsen writes about seasons in his hometown being determined by types of fish caught down by the dam, under the Ninth street bridge, or in frozen lakes, and not by dates on calendars. When fishing ends, hunting is the obsession for Paulsen and friends he calls "orphans of the woods." He explains, "When we were in the woods or fishing the rivers and lakes our lives didn't hurt."

This book is a nature lover's choice. Paulsen writes of growing up in a small Minnesota town and he intertwines this town's life with stories of adventurous boys. Two of my favorite essays are "Running the River" and "Bow Hunting." The first is a hilarious tale of an overplanned camping trip gone wrong when the boat, full of supplies and boys, sinks, forcing the boys to walk back to town. "Bow Hunting" is a coming of age essay in which a boy, after killing his first doe, poignantly describes his realization that while his life will continue, hers will not.

This book truly brings nature to your fingertips. As a reader, I felt as if I was out in the wild, experiencing everything of which Paulsen wrote. With the descriptive settings and easy-to-relate-to tales, Paulsen makes the reader feel as if they have entered the woods along with the characters in the story. The essays on fishing and hunting in the northern woods are definitely his best work yet! This book is easy to follow, yet has very deep and interesting accounts.
I recommend this illustration to anyone who enjoys the great outdoors. If you want to learn about cold, winter morning fishing excursions, or hot, summer days in the woods, this is the perfect book to help fulfill your curiosity. Father Water Mother Woods is worth your time of reading and is definitely a classic.

This is an excellent book. The book is written in such detail that it is easy to imagine yourself being there. This is a great book for those of any age. It will bring back some good memories of your childhood.