“That simple. You lived or you died. And in between the two, if you kept your mind open and aware and listened and smelled and watched… In between you learned.” ― Gary Paulsen, Northwind

Northwind is quite a journey. The hero of our story is a 12-year-old orphan named Leif, whose life is upended when a deadly plague strikes his small fishing camp. It’s gritty and raw—Paulsen doesn’t shy away from the harsh reality of it all. To save Leif and another young boy, a dying elder puts the two kids in a cedar canoe and tells Leif to paddle north to where the air is fresh.

Unsure of his destination, Leif finds himself with few supplies as he navigates the shorelines that teem with wildlife, all described with Paulsen’s classic attention to detail. Throughout his journey, he comes to understand the importance of learning from nature.

I normally don’t read books for this age group, but I wanted to see how Paulsen wrapped up his legacy. After all, Hatchet was legendary, and he wrote a whole library’s worth more. From what I understand, he had a tough childhood, which may be why he wrote books about teenagers surviving on their own.

Booklist perfectly likened this short, middle-grade novel to a YA version of Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea. Sadly, it didn’t click for me. The storytelling felt lifeless and depressing, not at all what I expected. Paulsen clearly knew a great deal about nature, but little emotion made its way into the book.

The highlight for me was the author’s note—Paulsen shared bits about his life and his Norwegian grandma. That stuff was gold. Also, a heads-up if you prefer audiobooks—the narrator was talented, but maybe not the right voice for this one. I’m landing on 3 stars. For die-hard Paulsen fans, it’s a must-read, but don’t expect the same vibe as Hatchet.

** Thank to the publisher for a review copy of this novel. The opinions are my own.

As a fan of Paulsen’s tension-building survival stories for kids, I was very interested in reading Northwind, as the summary promised a bit of a twist on what readers have come to expect from him. Northwind definitely showcases some marked differences from much of Paulsen’s work. Sadly, the story doesn’t have enough meat to it to engage the reader. The action and suspense Paulsen’t readers have come to expect just isn’t there in this one. Some will appreciate this book simply because it’s the final book written prior to Paulsen’s death. Unfortunately, it was a miss for me. Thanks go to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Leif is an orphan. His mother died giving birth to him - and once he was old enough to work, he was placed on board a ship doing drudge work - cooking, emptying slop pots, mopping and cleaning. He was sold back and forth between ships. Or traded. He has finally found a community of friends - a mentor named Old Carl and a small child - Young Carl - when disaster strikes. A Russian ship enters their port and brings with it plague. Soon everyone is dead or dying. Old Carl puts Leif and Young Carl in a canoe and instructs them to head north. Leif and Young Carl both become ill (Paulsen tells us in a note at the end of the book that the disease is cholera) and Young Carl dies. Leif is close to death but manages to survive - and now he and his canoe with its meager supplies must head north and hopefully find a place to call home. Leif has many exhilarating and life-threatening encounters with the ocean, whales, ice bergs, and bears.
The story is almost lyrical in places - a type of free verse - which fits with Leif's character who has grown up with singing and dancing. Leif also creates a story board on a piece of wood where he etches out the details of his journey. The places Leif explores reminded me a lot of Alaska and the Pacific coast. But the author's note at the end says it could also be Norway -- Leif frequently mentions Odin and Valhalla in the book.
There are times when Leif feels hopeless and wants to give up but he remembers advice from Old Carl about life being a journey. And Leif does find moments of peace and joy as he learns more about the world and draws closer to nature.
I have always enjoyed Gary Paulsen's books - I will miss his tales of adventure and survival - and also his amazing sense of humor. Thank you, NetGalley and publisher, for the ARC!

Good book. quick read. My middle schoolers will definitly enjoy this. Really enjoyed the setting and the different wildlife.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for honest review.

This took a bit to get into, but I really enjoyed this tale, loosely based on Gary Paulsen’s time on the PNW coast. I also love the whales.

The last book from the amazing author Gary Paulsen. It's a middle grade adventure that will have you holding your breath all the way through and hits close to home with the recent pandemic.

Northwind by Gary Paulsen; Farrar Straus Giroux, 256 pages ($17.99) Ages 10-14.

...

A boy paddles a dugout canoe alone, ever northward, along the Norway coast in some bygone era in this gripping and eloquent survival tale by Gary Paulsen, author of "Hatchet" and a master of this survival genre. It seems fitting that this poetic narrative, in which a boy dreams of his dead mother and carves his experiences into a storyboard, should be the final work from the beloved author who died Oct. 13 at the age of 82.

Leif, an orphan who has endured ill treatment as a "wharf rat" passed from ship to ship, is stranded with a few others at a remote fishing camp when cholera strikes and the last man standing sends him and a younger boy off to sea in a dugout canoe. Both boys fall ill; Leif survives to discover he has much to learn in this perilous world.

Paulsen waxes eloquent in describing the drifting wooden ship that brought the plague to the camp: "Meant but not meant, not planned to be there but there, sending its death stink, the stink from blood-soaked decks and rotted gore and rendered fat, boiled off small whales, seals, dolphins – anything alive that had fat on it and could be made dead and the fat cooked out – ahead of the ship like a silent, dirty scream of filth. But something else, too: the smell of dying, rotting men."

With the vivid detail readers loved in "Hatchet," in carefully crafted prose with a hypnotic cadence, Paulsen describes the making of a fishing spear, the spearing of the salmon, the building of a fire, the satisfaction of eating your fill, the nearly fatal failure to notice signs of the presence of bears, the beauty of whale music, the spiritual communion with orcas.

In paragraph upon paragraph he describes Leif learning to navigate the currents, the nuisance of defending his food from ravens and eagles, the hazards of whirlpools and leaping whales, the wonder of sighting what at first appears to be a blue ship. Leif learns: ""pure raw hunger was the driving force of everything in nature. .... he decided he did not want only that in his life... did not want to be only hungry. Go north, be north, but see and be more than just what he shoved in his stomach." On this solo journey, the boy discovers "if you kept your mind open and aware and listened and smelled and watched, you learned."

Paulsen, who documented his lost childhood in his poignant 2021 memoir "Gone to the Woods," in an afterword says this book was inspired by tales of the sea told him by his Norwegian-born grandmother and by his own adventures sailing the coast of North America.

As someone who was first introduced to Paulsen with his book Hatchet I can happily say that even with years between then and now his writing has withstood the test of time.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. I loved Gary Paulsen's books as a young reader but found this book hard to get into. I am going to try it on audio, but for now, it is a DNF.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Childrens for the review copy of Northwind by Gary Paulsen. This book was a must read for me simply because it was written by Gary Paulsen. It has a bit of a different meaning knowing it will be the last book he wrote.

This book was described as Hatchet on the Northern sea, and it is fairly fitting. The main character, Leif, is adrift on the sea near Norway after a disease outbreak kills off the others from his island. The descriptions while he is on the raft of nature and its wonder are beautiful. The prose in much of this book felt poetic.

I would be careful before putting this into the hands of a younger or sensitive reader. The descriptions of the disease and some of the peril Leif faces are quite gruesome and may be too much for some readers. Although I do not think this book is as good as some of Paulsen's other work, I do believe it would make a great addition the the classroom for students looking to fill the space left after reading Brian's adventures.

Another excellent survival tale by Gary Paulsen. When disease begins to quickly decimate their small community, our main character is quickly launched down the river with a younger companion who quickly succumbs to the disease. Quite a few near death experiences and some outstanding writing about wilder life. Totally recommend!

I love Gray Paulsen's books. This one was no exception. It's a solid middle school read. Fans of his other books will gobble this one up.

I love the way Gary Paulsen writes and this novel did not disappoint. The word that comes to mind, is magical.

In the true spirit of Gary Paulsen we are given another Northwest survival story for the ages. Although this is middle grade I enjoyed it. Paulsen is beautifully descriptive which helps paint an easy picture of the story in my head. I feel that middle grade students, especially boys, would appreciate this one the most.

I was both excited and sad to read Northwind. Excited for a new book from an author I recommend to students all the time and sad to know it is his last. It is an historical fiction adventure, yet there is not as much action as other adventure books. While I found the tale compelling, I fear my students will have trouble falling into this book as many will not have the background to relate to Leif's journey and the beginning of this book is so very sad - not so much what many of my students need right now..Even though very different, the Tom Banks movie "Cast Away" kept coming to mind as I read this - one person, all alone, trying to survive. While the plot seems to move slowly, the survival story is strong and Paulson's descriptions help you to be able to picture everything in your mind. I specially enjoyed reading Paulson's author notes about his connection to this story which made it seem to be a "full circle" way to end such an amazing career.

I've loved Gary Paulsen's work since Hatchet, which I read when I was 9(?). I feel really honored to have had the chance to read his final book so close to his passing. I'll miss him, but this was a wonderful last memory.

Gary Paulsen has written novels before that contain meditative sections of reverence to nature, speculations on life. But in Northwind he has elevated the inner musings of the central character almost to the point that they become not just thoughts, but nearly actions, plot. The lone, often treacherous journey of an orphan boy in a canoe is suited to the lyrical language and observations. As with Gone to the Woods, Paulsen seems at times to speak to a much more adult audience than to one middle- school-aged. But while the tension and action are subtle here, sensitive readers and Paulsen fans will appreciate this, his final book.

A very compelling title, by a well-known author. This book shares life threatening dangers and adventure. It takes the reader to another place and time. A truly unique novel.

Knowing that this is one of Paulsen's final books puts extra pressure on this narrative. We want it to be perfect. Of course it isn't but it is a solid read. While the heavily historic setting makes it a harder sell for some middle grade readers, it is very atmospheric. And it's about more than just the drive for survival. Leif spends much of his journey reflecting on his place in the world and what it means to truly live. For a kid into survival stories, this is worth a read. And for the adult who grew up on Hatchet, this book is a nicely contemplative bookend to Paulsen's career.

Thank you Mac Kids Books for the gifted book that I read along with the library audio.

I really wanted to love this book. But I think it's just too literary for my taste. It is a middle grade survival story written in a very poetic way. Leif is an orphan, fleeing his disease stricken home where he never felt safe anyway. He takes off on a wooden canoe into a new life. He experiences nature in all her wonder. Birds, bears, and whales are all a part of his tale, and it is beautiful. It reminds me a bit of Island of the Blue Dolphins or Alone by Megan E. Freeman which I read last year. However, unlike those two titles, I didn't feel as attached to Leif as a character. Overall I still think it's a stunning book, but just not in my wheelhouse.