An interesting, sometimes heartbreaking, look into Mr. Paulsen’s childhood,

Thank you to Gary Paulsen, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR), and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this ebook.

I think this is probably a great children's book, but I was reading for a committee in 2021 and had to choose which books to spend my time on. This was not for list but good for reader's advisory.

I enjoyed this story of Gary Paulsen's life. There were a lot of interesting facts that I never would have imagined he had to deal with growing up. He had a tough life and its amazing he grew into such a successful person. He could have grown up to be so bitter and not taken advantage of the opportunities that came his way. The story is full of lessons about how you can be resilient and even though life throws some pretty horrible circumstances your way, you can still turn those lemons into lemonade and become a well known, successful person.

I loved learning who Gary Paulen was and how his life was shaped. I keep thinking back to the people in his life who were meaningful to him and who gave him the tools to lead him down his path as an author.

This was a tough read. Like most reviewers, I enjoyed the early portions set in Canada, but even here, the unanswered questions begin building. I truly don't understand how Paulsen's extended family lost care of him, lost track of him. As Paulsen relates portions of his middle childhood and teen years, he cannot withhold the graphic nature of the violence he was exposed to. That he suffered a loveless young life is more than implied. Overall his dire story is hard to read as an adult, and I'm not sure I could recommend it to younger readers.

I've been a Gary Paulen fan for years. I haven't read all his works, but the books I've read by him have always struck chords and remain memorable. I knew many of his books were based on his life. I actually attended a library talk years ago when he spoke of his life- both hearbreaking and hysterically funny. I can't recalal the stories he told being in any of the books I read at the time. I had hoped I'd find them in this, his last book. They weren't, but maybe in ones I haven't read? Anyway, this one doesn"t disappoint. The stories are heartrending and personable. Mr. Paulson was an amazing storyteller. I'm certain his stories will be appreciated for many years to come by al ages.

I’ve always loved Paulsens work. He writes in a gritty way that doesn’t shirk away from what children can handle. His survival stories have enthralled so many children over the years. And now here is the story of his own survival from a childhood of abuse and neglect. Oh I tip my hat to him.

Gone to the woods is a fascinating look into the adolescent years of Gary Paulsen. Paulsen had a very interesting upbringing that undoubtedly influenced his years as a YA writer. Told in 5 parts, Paulsen divides his childhood into memorable segmented pieces. And spoiler: it's not all happy-go-lucky. This memoir reads like a narrative and will help keep the interest of middle grade students. I would not share this story with younger audiences, as Paulsen is very frank in some of his storytelling. I will be adding this to my library collection.

I am so thankful for this book! After a long, unsuccessful run of looking for the next great book for middle school students (grades 6-8), I finally came across "Gone to the Woods" by Gary Paulsen. This is storytelling at its best. The autobiography/memoir of Paulsen's early life reads like a novel. "Gone to the Woods" is Jeannette Wall's "The Glass Castle" for young readers. The book is great for reluctant readers; sophisticated readers will enjoy it as well. I highly recommend this book.

It is a joy to read a memoir that is told like a narrative. Gary Paulsen gives us a glimpse into his childhood and doesn’t shy away from the gritty details. I am in awe of the life he lived and how he came to be the Gary Paulsen we all love. I wish more authors would tell their stories this way. It makes you appreciate their work that much more.

Gary Paulsen the children's author of Hatch and Dogsong has written about a memoir of his growing up and practically raising himself as his parents were chronic alcoholics. At the age of 5 when he briefly live with an aunt and uncle in northern Minnesota and he comes to appreciate nature. He moves to Manila and is entranced by the exoticness of the place but experiences the horrors of WWII aftermath. He moves to North Dakota where he goes to the woods as much as possible but he credits a local library and librarian to opening his eyes to a larger world. Then it ends with him joining the military. Paulsen pulls no punches and due to the last couple of chapters regarding his stint in the Army I can only recommend this to 6th to 8th grade readers and fans of Paulsen's works.

Gary Paulsen is a gritty, honest writer. Multiple titles of his adventure and survival novels for young readers have evolved from some of his early life experiences, to great success. The survival anecdotes in Gone to the Woods actually form a memoir of Paulsen’s history as a child and young adult. A few events are heartwarming. Most are heartbreaking and raw, a window into the life of a survivor-become-successful author. The narrative is choppy though, with disconnected episodes, not a chronology. A Paulsen fan, I appreciated the book, but would recommend it only for teen, young adult, or adult reading.

Reading this book and learning so much of his difficult upbringing makes me want to go back and reread all his books through a different lens. Some of his hard experiences were tough to digest and they might be a little much for my 5th graders who usually read his books. This was a good example of resilience and having people step up in life.

This was an interesting read and it was great to get insight to a beloved author from my childhood. However, I don't think I would have my 10 year old read this, and it should be marketed toward a bit older age groups due to some of the content.

This newest memoir by Gary Paulsen is wonderfully written and brings the reader right into the difficult situations in which he grew up. It's promoted as middle grade, but I'm more inclined to consider it borderline young adult due to the often grim and sometimes mature content. It tells his story from age five when he spent a summer on a Minnesota farm with his aunt and uncle through mostly surviving on his own as a teen and ends shortly after he joined the army at age seventeen. I thoroughly enjoyed the descriptions of his daily life with his aunt and uncle and the time he spent alone in the wilderness. The descriptions of his time in Manila and any time spent with his mother were tougher. If you're a Paulsen fan, I think this will be well worth the read to see some of the real-life inspiration for many of his stories and characters.

As an elementary librarian, I was so excited to read this book. Paulsen's books are so popular with boys, including my three. However, this isn't a NF companion to his FIC books in an elementary library. I hope that he also writes a memoir for his younger audience.

This book describes Paulsen's childhood and on into young adulthood. There were many hardships and disappointments, and Paulsen make it clear that he felt at home, safe and competent in the woods. What touched me the most about this book was his gratitude for the librarian who groomed him as a young reader and encouraged him to write in addition to reading.

Fascinating autobiography of one of America's most treasured writer for young people. This biography provides insight into Paulsen's own riveting, true story.

Wow. Growing up reading Hatchet every year for school, I knew a little of where Gary Paulsen came from (thanks to the 25th-anniversary edition). When I saw a chance to review this book, I jumped right on board.
The first thing that stuck out to me about Gone to the Woods was the writing style. It was quite similar to the one in Hatchet but it was a bit choppy due to fragmented sentences. This got old pretty quick considering the length of this book.
However, the story really drew me in. There was so much that Gary went through as a kid and it was quite moving.
I absolutely loved Gary's reaction of finishing his first book and the library.
This book is marketed as middle-grade, but I do not recommend it to middle-grade readers. It deals with a lot of difficult and mature topics (domestic violence, abuse, violence of war, mentions std's, drinking issues).
Rating: 3.5/5
Language: a**, d***, p***
Violence: see above
Romance: n/a
Spiritual: n/a
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All thoughts are my own and a positive review was not required.

I loved this book, as I love all Gary Paulsen books especially Hatchet. It should be noted that Gone to the Woods is NOT appropriate for Paulsen's normal elementary aged audience.