Northwind

Northwind

Gary Paulsen

FSG/Macmillan, 2022

Grades 4-8

Adventure

Leif is an orphan from a time in the long ago past. He is raised by his fishing community and sent off to sea for a life of drudgery and beatings. Left on an island to prepare salmon with other young and old men, a ship carrying a terrible disease pays them a visit. Leif's companions succumb to the illness and die, one after another. A kind older man sets Leif off in a homemade canoe with an even younger boy and a few supplies. Both boys get deathly ill and only Leif survives. Now alone, weak, and unsure he must set off to try to make his way in the world, avoiding men with their cruelty and disease. Leif follows the old man's parting advice to "go north" and as he goes he learns how to survive in this cold, dangerous and unforgiving climate, avoiding bears, fishing, making friends with the birds, dolphins, and whales, and learning the ways of the land and sea. Through the journey he comes to terms with his past and makes peace with both the landscape and those who left him behind as he gradually starts seeing a future for himself.

Award winning middle grade author, Paulsen, offers maybe his best work yet published posthumously after the author's 2021 death. Paulsen returns to the world of his best know story Hatchet as a boy, now from the past, makes his way through a summer of a northern wilderness. What makes it very different from Hatchet is the writing style. Where Hatchet is contemporary and plot driven, Northwind has ancient Viking setting and a lyrical and dream-like quality. Almost like poetry, this book is beautifully written-maybe a bit too well written for the average middle grader. I would recommend this story to kids who love wilderness survival stories. It is too quiet for the I Survived crew and requires a thoughtful reader. There are some violent bits and death, so sensitive kids may want to stay away. An author's note explains Paulsen's inspiration for the book: his grandmother's Norwegian tales and his own adventures sailing in the Pacific Northwest. Although the text hints at Leif being from Viking stock, it is never explicitly stated and may go over the heads of young readers. Northwind is a beautiful work of art and a great exit piece from a beloved author, yet requires just the right reader. Adult fans who grew up loving Hatchet will be the target audience.