Staff Picks
Remembering Gary Paulsen (May 1939 - October 2021)
- Ariel H.
- Thursday, October 14, 2021
Collection
Gary Paulsen, a well-known YA fiction author, passed away on the morning of October 13, 2021.
A list has been created to recognized the amazing contributions he has made to many readers throughout the world.
The Amazing Life of Birds
(the Twenty-day Puberty Journal of Duane Homer Leech)
Published in 2006
As twelve-year-old Duane endures the confusing and humiliating aspects of puberty, he watches a newborn bird in a nest on his windowsill begin to grow and become more independent, all of which he records in his journal.
The Beet Fields
Memories of a Sixteenth Summer
Published in 2000
The author recalls his experiences as a migrant laborer and carnival worker after he ran away from home at age sixteen.
Brian's Hunt
Published in 2003
Two years after having survived a plane crash into the Canadian wilderness, a sixteen-year-old returns to the wild to befriend a wounded dog and hunt a rogue bear.
Brian's Return
Published in 1999
After having survived alone in the wilderness, Brian finds that he can no longer live in the city but must return to the place where he really belongs.
Brian's Winter
Published in 1996
Instead of being rescued from a plane crash, as in the author's book Hatchet, this story portrays what would have happened to Brian had hebeen forced to survive a winter in the wilderness with only his survival pack and hatchet.
Call Me Francis Tucket
Published in 1995
Having separated from the one-armed trapper who taught him how to survive in the wilderness of the Old West, fifteen-year-old Francis gets lost and continues to have adventures involving dangerous men and a friendly mule.
Canoe Days
Published in 1999
A canoe ride on a northern lake during a summer day reveals the quiet beauty and wonder of nature in and around the peaceful water.
The Car
Published in 1994
A teenager left on his own travels west in a kit car he built himself, and along the way picks up two Vietnam veterans, who take him on an eye-opening journey.
Caught by the Sea
My Life on Boats
Published in 2001
Gary Paulsen, author of Hatchet and other adventure novels, tells about his lifelong love of sailing, boats he has owned, and the storms, sharks, and peaceful lagoons he has experienced on his voyages.
Crush
The Theory, Practice, and Destructive Properties of Love
Published in 2012
Afraid to actually ask Tina Zabinski for a date, eighth-grader Kevin spends most of his time theorizing about love and romance and observing and analyzing male/female interaction.
Family Ties
The Theory, Practice, and Destructive Properties of Relatives
Published in 2014
"'I'm the greatest family member you'll ever meet.' Kevin Spencer has a history of big ideas going completely awry. This time around, it's personal--suddenly he's kind of in charge of a double wedding in his backyard, and a whole tribe of wacky relatives is crowding him out of his own house"-- Provided by publisher.
Field Trip
Published in 2015
Ben and his twin classmates, Charlotte and Jacob, are missing a school field trip so Ben's father takes them, his new apprentice Brig, and the dogs on an adventure during which Ben manages to try out for a hockey academy against his parents' wishes and the twins turn the road trip into a learning experience.
Flat Broke
The Theory, Practice and Destructive Properties of Greed
Published in 2011
Fourteen-year-old Kevin is a hard worker, so when his income is cut off he begins a series of businesses, from poker games to selling snacks, earning money to take a girl to a dance, but his partners soon tire of his methods.
Full of Hot Air
Launching, Floating High, and Landing
Published in 1993
A humorous commentary on different aspects of ballooning using photographs of professional participants in the sport.
The Glass Cafe, Or, The Stripper and the State
How My Mother Started a War with the System That Made Us Kind of Rich and a Little Bit Famous
Published in 2003
When twelve-year-old Tony, a talented artist, begins sketching the dancers at the Kitty Kat Club where his mother is an exotic dancer, it sparks the attention of social services.
Guts
The True Stories Behind Hatchet and the Brian Books
Published in 2001
The author relates incidents in his life and how they inspired parts of his books about the character, Brian Robeson.
Hatchet
Published in 2002
Brian Robeson, 13, is the only passenger on a small plane flying him to visit his father in the Canadian wilderness when the pilot has a heart attack and dies. The plane drifts off course and finally crashes into a small lake. Miraculously Brian is able to swim free of the plane, arriving on a sandy tree-lined shore with only his clothing, a tattered windbreaker, and the hatchet his mother had given him as a present. The novel chronicles in gritty detail Brian's mistakes, setbacks, and small triumphs as, with the help of the hatchet, he manages to survive the 54 days alone in the wilderness.
Hatchet
Published in 1987
After a plane crash, thirteen-year-old Brian spends fifty-four days in the wilderness, learning to survive with only the aid of a hatchet given him by his mother, and learning also to survive his parents' divorce.
How Angel Peterson Got His Name
Published in 2003
Author Gary Paulsen relates tales from his youth in a small town in northwestern Minnesota in the late 1940s and early 1950s, such as skiing behind a souped-up car and imitating daredevil Evel Knievel.
Lawn Boy
Published in 2007
Things get out of hand for a twelve-year-old boy when a neighbor convinces him to expand his summer lawn mowing business.
Lawn Boy
Published in 2009
Things get out of hand for a twelve-year-old boy when a neighbor convinces him to expand his summer lawn mowing business.
Lawn Boy Returns
Published in 2010
Having expanded his summer lawn mowing job into an ever-growing business conglomerate, a twelve-year-old boy gets involved in high finance thanks to his hippie stockbroker, takes on sponsorship of a boxer, and becomes a media sensation.
The Legend of Bass Reeves
Being the True and Fictional Account of the Most Valiant Marshal in the West
Published in 2006
An account of the life of Bass Reeves.
Liar, Liar
The Theory, Practice, and Destructive Properties of Deception
Published in 2011
Fourteen-year-old Kevin is very good at lying and doing so makes life easier, but when he finds himself in big trouble with his friends, family, and teachers, he must find a way to end his lies forever.
Molly McGinty Has a Really Good Day
Published in 2004
When supremely organized seventh-grader, Molly McGinty, loses the notebook she relies on to keep her life in order she spends the day in chaos. Annotation. TODAY MOLLY Learned her wacky grandma was coming to spend the day at school with her; Lost her Notebook with Everything that Matters in it, including her homework; Got a black eye. Tore her skirt. And it's only 9 a.m. Could things get any worse? You bet! From the Hardcover edition.
The Monument
Published in 1991
Thirteen-year-old Rocky, self-conscious about the braces on her leg, has her life changed by the remarkable artist who comes to her small Kansas town to design a war memorial.
Mudshark
Published in 2009
Principal Wagner confidently deals with a faculty washroom crisis, a psychic parrot, and a terrorizing gerbil, but when sixty-five erasers go missing, he enlists the help of the school's best problem solver and locator of lost items, twelve-year-old LyleWilliams, aka Mudshark.
My Life in Dog Years
Published in 1998
The author describes some of the dogs that have had special places in his life, including his first dog, Snowball, in the Phillippines; Dirk, who protected him from bullies; and Cookie, who saved his life.
My Life in Dog Years
Published in 2000
The author describes some of the dogs that have had special places in his life, including his first dog, Snowball, in the Philippines; Dirk, who protected him from bullies; and Cookie, who saved his life.
Notes from the Dog
Published in 2009
When Johanna shows up at the beginning of summer to house-sit next door to Finn, he has no idea of the profound effect she will have on his life by the time summer vacation is over.
Paintings from the Cave
Three Novellas
Published in 2011
"In these three novellas, Gary Paulsen explores how children can survive the most difficult circumstances through art and the love of dogs"--Provided by publisher.
Puppies, Dogs, and Blue Northers
Reflections on Being Raised by a Pack of Sled Dogs
Published in 1996
Minnesota author and dog musher Gary Paulsen reflects on the growth of his sled dogs as he and his animals discover the world around them.
The Quilt
Published in 2004
During World War II, while his father is in Europe fighting and his mother is working in Chicago, a six-year-old boy goes to live with his grandmother in a rural Norwegian American community in Minnesota. Based on events from the author's life.
The River
Published in 1991
Because of his success surviving alone in the wilderness for fifty-four days, fifteen-year-old Brian, profoundly changed by his time in the wild, is asked to undergo a similar experience to help scientists learn more about the psychology of survival. Sequel to "Hatchet."
Sisters = Hermanas
Published in 1993
The lives of a fourteen-year-old Mexican prostitute, living in the United States illegally, and a wealthy American girl intersect in a dramatic way.
Six Kids and a Stuffed Cat
Published in 2016
It seemed like a normal school day, until a horrible storm forced the very cautious school administration to make everyone hole up in a safe place. Six students find themselves stuck in a tiny, questionably smelly space, school bathroom, with a stuffed cat for entertainment. Hijinks ensue and the unexpected happens. They enter as strangers, and leave as friends.
Six Kids and a Stuffed Cat
Published in 2016
Six misfits get stuck together in a middle school restroom and discover friendship.
Soldier's Heart
Being the Story of the Enlistment and Due Service of the Boy Charley Goddard in the First Minnesota Volunteers
Published in 1998
Eager to enlist, fifteen-year-old Charley has a change of heart after experiencing both the physical horrors and mental anguish of Civil War combat.
The Time Hackers
Published in 2005
When someone uses futuristic technology to play pranks on twelve-year-old Dorso Clayman, he and his best friend set off on a supposedly impossible journey through space and time trying to stop the gamesters who are endangering the universe.
Tracker
Published in 1984
Only thirteen, John must track a deer in the Minnesota woods for his family's winter meat, and in doing so finds himself drawn to the doe who leads him and hating his role as hunter.
Tracker
Published in 2002
Only thirteen, John must track a deer in the Minnesota woods for his family's winter meat, and in doing so finds himself drawn to the doe who leads him and hating his role as hunter.
Tucket's Gold
Published in 1999
Fifteen-year-old Francis and the two children he has adopted travel across the Old West, evade Comancheros, discover a treasure, and wind up rich beyond their wildest dreams.
Tucket's Home
Published in 2000
Francis, Lottie, and Billy survive a series of hair-raising adventures while on their way West to the Oregon Trail where they hope to find the Tucket family.
Tucket's Ride
Published in 1997
When fifteen-year-old Francis and two younger children lose their way in the wilderness of the Southwest, they face capture at the hands of dangerous men.
Tucket's Ride
Published in 1997
When fifteen-year-old Francis and two younger children lose their way in the wilderness of the Southwest, they face capture at the hands of dangerous men.
Vote
The Theory, Practice, and Destructive Properties of Politics
Published in 2013
Fourteen-year-old Kevin impetuously announces that he will run for student body president, mainly to impress his girlfriend Tina, but soon gets excited about making a positive difference in his school and community.
The Voyage of the Frog
Published in 1988
When David goes out on his sailboat to scatter his recently deceased uncle's ashes to the wind, he is caught in a fierce storm and must survive many days on his own as he works out his feelings about life and his uncle.
The Winter Room
Published in 1989
A young boy growing up on a northern Minnesota farm describes the scenes around him and recounts his old Norwegian uncle's tales of an almost mythological logging past.
Woods Runner
Published in 2010
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.
Fishbone's Song
Published in 2016
"Deep in the woods, in a rustic cabin, lives an old man and the boy he's raised as his own. This sage old man has taught the boy the power of nature and how to live in it, and more importantly, to respect it. In Fishbone's Song, this boy reminisces about the magic of the man who raised him and the tales that he used to tell--all true, but different each time"-- Provided by publisher.
Gone to the Woods
Surviving a Lost Childhood
Published in 2021
Born into the middle of World War II, Gary Paulsen's turbulent childhood provided plenty of subject matter for his bestselling novels, and the librarians in his life gave him the inspiration and support to explore the world through books. As a soldier himself, his storytelling technique developed, and for the first time he shares his own.
How to Train Your Dad
Published in 2021
Follows a twelve-year-old boy, his free-thinking father, and the puppy-training pamphlet that turns their summer upside down.
Road Trip
Published in 2013
A father and son embark on a road trip to a distant animal shelter to save a homeless border collie puppy.