Northwind By Gary Paulsen

 Leif was orphaned very young in a small Viking port town.  He was raised by various townspeople until he was old enough to work on a ship and then went to sea. His ship is stranded in a 

northern village where the crew got along alright catching and smoking salmon and eating local berries and plants.  Then one day a ghost ship comes, bringing death and plague.  Leif and another boy escape the village in a canoe but fall ill as well.  Finally, Leif finds himself alone in the northern wilds and has to figure out how to feed himself and avoid being killed by the fierce nature around him. As he does, he discovers unspeakable beauty and peace, and the strength that lives within himself. 

I am a huge Gary Paulsen fan and with this short survival story he did not disappoint.  The writing is so good!  Is it narrative or free verse poetry?  I would say poetry. The descriptions of nature are transcendent and I just know, having met Gary Paulsen and knowing a little about him, that he personally experienced all the things that Leif experienced. That is why he can write them so well. I know a couple of years ago he was doing a long stint living on a boat and traveling around the world. I am guessing this story arose out of experiences he had on that trip. I think that Leif's description of writing on the piece of bark also explains why Paulsen, himself, writes. I am just glad he has an agent that keeps bugging him to turn in his writing so that he can get it published so the rest of us can see the world through the author's eyes. I am eager to give this book to teen boys who like Hatchet but also the Ranger's Apprentice series. (256, 2022)