Northwind - by Gary Paulsen

About the Book

The stunning New York Times bestseller from three-time Newbery Honor winner and survival story master Gary Paulsen, whose books have sold over 35 million copies worldwide.

Book Synopsis

The stunning New York Times bestseller from three-time Newbery Honor winner and survival story master Gary Paulsen, whose books have sold over 35 million copies worldwide. Set centuries ago along a rugged coastline, Northwind does for the ocean what Hatchet does for the woods, as it relates the story of a young person's battle to stay alive against the odds, where the high seas meet a northern wilderness.

"Wondrous . . . A grand and worthy journey." --The New York Times Book Review

★ "Destined to become another Paulsen classic." --School Library Journal, starred review

When a deadly plague reaches the small fish camp where he lives, an orphan named Leif is forced to take to the water in a cedar canoe. He flees northward, following a wild, fjord-riven shore, navigating from one danger to the next, unsure of his destination. Yet the deeper into his journey he paddles, the closer he comes to his truest self as he connects to "the heartbeat of the ocean . . . the pulse of the sea." With hints of Nordic mythology and an irresistible narrative pull, Northwind is Gary Paulsen at his captivating, adventuresome best.

More Accolades and Praise for Northwind:

A "Best Book of the Year" from The New York Times ● Wall Street Journal ● Kirkus Reviews ● Publishers Weekly

★ "Beautifully written, it's classic Paulsen at his best." --Booklist, starred review

★ "A timeless and irresistible adventure that has resilience at its heart." --Publishers Weekly, starred review

★ "[A] mesmerizing modern-day epic." --Shelf Awareness, starred review

Don't miss Gary Paulsen's other acclaimed books from Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers: his riveting memoir Gone to the Woods: Surviving a Lost Childhood and the father-son comedy How to Train Your Dad.

Review Quotes

New York Times Best Children's Books of the Year
Wall Street Journal Best Children's Books of the Year
Kirkus Reviews Best Middle Grade Books of the Year
Publishers Weekly Best Middle Grade Books of the Year

"Paulsen . . . was not only a master storyteller, but also a master world-builder . . . Wondrous . . . A grand and worthy journey." --Neal Shusterman, The New York Times Book Review

"A voyage both singular and universal, marked by sharply felt risks and rewards and deep waters beneath." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Spare, survival-oriented prose keeps the reader immersed in scenes difficult and wondrous, offering a glimpse of the sheer awesomeness of nature, showcasing the beauty of the sea and its inhabitants, and regaling readers with a timeless and irresistible adventure that has resilience at its heart." --Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Call this posthumously published novel The Young Man and the Sea . . . [A] splendid story . . . Beautifully written, it's classic Paulsen at his best." --Booklist, starred review

"[A] mesmerizing modern-day epic . . . The tale of man versus nature is as old as time, but Paulsen, who died in 2021, goes beyond the genre by exploring the complex perspectives of animals . . . Narrative devices like kennings and repetitious phrasing hark back to epic sagas such as Beowulf and the Poetic Eddas: tides become moon-currents, silence becomes non-sound and memories become thought-pictures. But possibly the most compelling aspect of the work is the lesson Leif learns along his journey: 'Don't go to a place. Go to be. Just to be.'" --Shelf Awareness, starred review

"What a gem . . . This accessible, captivating adventure story is destined to become another Paulsen classic . . . An essential purchase for libraries serving middle grade and YA readers." --School Library Journal, starred review

About the Author

Gary Paulsen (1939-2021) wrote more than two hundred books for children and adults, including the father-son comedy How to Train Your Dad, and the acclaimed memoir Gone to the Woods: Surviving a Lost Childhood. Three of his novels--Hatchet, Dogsong, and The Winter Room--were Newbery Honor books. In 1997, he received the ALA's Margaret A. Edwards Award for his contribution to young adult literature. His books have sold over 35 million copies around the world. The journey described in Northwind is partly inspired by the author's own sailing adventures, particularly in the Pacific Northwest.