Downriver

Will Hobbs
Downriver
Laurel-Leaf Books, 1991
Narrative, Adventure/survival


Jessie has been sent off to Wilderness Training Camp by her father who is getting remarried. Jessie is bitter about losing her father to a new wife and is unhappy about the program in which he enrolled her. After a disasterous attempt to climb a peak, the group sets off to do some river rafting. While their leader is getting the permits, the kids decide to take off and go illegally down the Colorado through the Grand Canyon. Eventhough they are successfully navigating many of the rapids, they still have problems. When their leader Troy goes too far, the rest of the group heads off to get the help they need. Having grown through the experience, Jessie is able to make a new start with her father and his wife and Star-one of her friends from the trip.

Hatchet

Gary Paulson
Hatchet
Scholastic, 1999
Narrative, Suspense/survival

Brian is flying to visit his father when the pilot on their small craft suffers a heart attack. Brian ends up using the little information the pilot had told him about flying a plane to land in a lake. Having survived the crash, Brian must find a way to survive in the wilderness. Suffering a series of difficulties including a porcupine, skunk, moose, digestive distress, and a tornado, Brian meets the problems head on and begins to look at how he will survive the winter since no one has come to save him. When he dives to the plane and recovers some gear, Brian feels secure that he will be able to survive. Part of this gear is a transmitter that allows rescuers to find him.

My Life in Dog Years

Gary Paulson
My Life in Dog Years
Yearling, 1998
Narrative, biography


Paulson shares stories of the dogs in his life. We find out about the author's life and how dogs have affected and helped shape his life. Each chapter tells the story of another of the dogs that were instrumental to him.