Paulsen, who has received Newbery Honors for three of his novels, is the best author of man-against-nature adventures writing today. Woodsong is an autobiographical celebration of his longtime love of dogsledding and sled dogs, a love that suffused the pages of his best novel, Dogsong. Woodsong is divided into two parts. In the first part, “Running,” Paulsen relates anecdote after anecdote about how his dogs and the frozen, wintery adventures he has had while sledding have taught him to be more human. The anecdotes run the gamut from hilarious to tragic, and truly sing with the wonder, violence and grace of the woods. The second part, “Racing,” the pellmell story of Paulsen’s first Iditarod–a sled race across the Alaskan wilderness from downtown Anchorage to downtown Nome–burns with feverish intensity as one grueling day follows another. Like Paulsen’s novels, Woodsong blends deep introspection with fast-paced action and succeeds admirably on both levels. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. –This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
An autobiographical book that gives through spare but vivid language a look at a man who thought, because he was a hunter and a trapper, that he knew about the outdoors. Instead, he discovered he knew very little until he opened himself to the realities of predators and prey, and to the lessons taught to him by the animals he encountered and the sled dogs he trained and raced. This is not a life story, with dates and names and achievements, but rather Paulsen’s reflections on the peculiarities and surprises of nature. Some of the lessons are violent and painful, brought on by the natural instincts of wild animals or Paulsen’s own mistakes; others are touching or humorous, and convey a sharp sense of observation and awareness of the various personality traits of the dogs he has raised and run. And some are unexplainable–mysteries of nature that would seem incredible if written in a work of fiction. The anecdotal style and rhythmic, sometimes abrupt sentence structure demand close attention, and the switch in the last third of the book to Paulsen’s day-by-day account of the Iditarod is sudden, though expected. The Iditarod story is intensely personal, focusing on Paulsen’s thoughts, actions, and hallucinations during those 17 days rather than presenting a comprehensive view of the race and the competitors. Both segments of the book generate wonder at the abilities of animals and should introduce fans of Paulsen’s fiction to a different type of writing. –Susan Schuller, Milwaukee Public Library
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. –This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
A LIFE AS EXCITING AS FICTION
Gary Paulsen, three-time Newbery Honor author, is no stranger to adventure. He has flown off the back of a dogsled and down a frozen waterfall to near disaster, and waited for a giant bear to seal his fate with one slap of a claw. He has led a team of sled dogs toward the Alaskan Mountain Range in an Iditarod — the grueling, 1,180-mile dogsled race — hallucinating from lack of sleep, but he determined to finish.
Here, in vivid detail, Paulsen recounts several of the remarkable experiences that shaped his life and inspired his award-winning writing.
A School Library Journal Best Book
A Booklist Editors’ Choice
Winterdance: The Fine Madness of Running the Iditarod
Fueled by a passion for running dogs, Gary Paulsen entered the Iditarod–the 1150-mile winter sled-dog race between Anchorage and Nome– in dangerous ignorance and with a fierce determination. Winterdance is his account of this seventeen-day battle against Nature’s worst elements and his own frailty.
Paulsen and his team of dogs endured snowstorms, frostbite, dogfights, moose attacks, sleeplessness, and hallucinations in the relentless push to go on. Map and color photographs.
