Name: Woods Runner
ISBN: 9780385738842

Gary Paulsen

From his 1776 Pennsylvania homestead, thirteen-year-old Samuel, who is a highly-skilled woodsman, sets out toward New York City to rescue his parents from the band of British soldiers and Indians who kidnapped them after slaughtering most of their community. Includes historical notes.

Woods Runner

Amanda Kordeliski

Paulsen has written another great book for reluctant readers. Woods Runner gives a different perspective on the Revolutionary War. The story follows Samuel, who at age 13 is the main provider of meat in his family because of his natural ability to track animals and find his way through the woods. His family lives on a small homestead on the outer edge of Pennsylvania and is far, far from the warfront. The war becomes a tangible thing in Samuels life when Redcoats raid his community and take his parents hostage. Samuel begins tracking the English to find and rescue his parents. 

Like most Paulsen books, this is a short, fast-paced read. Unlike his other historical fiction, Paulsen has included informational pages at the end of each chapter giving the reader more information about the time period and facts about different aspects of the Revolutionary War. A great book for boys, reluctant readers of all kinds and fans of Revolutionary War fiction.