Copyright Date:
2007
Edition Date:
2007
Release Date:
09/01/07
Pages:
123 pages
ISBN:
1-551-43841-0
ISBN 13:
978-1-551-43841-2
Dewey:
Fic
LCCN:
2007930415
Dimensions:
18 cm.
Language:
English
Reviews:
Voice of Youth Advocates
After his father's violent death, Matt decides to be a hermit and builds himself a cabin in the woods. The cabin, however, attracts mountain-man Forrest, who teaches Matt about crossbows and gets him to talk about his father. To spend time with Forrest, Matt begins to ignore his friends, family, and homework-and the suspicion that Forrest has been stealing food and supplies. When a rifle goes missing, though, Matt can no longer ignore the truth. This book has many good points. The characters and their relationships are well-drawn, there is solid information about deforestation, and Gaetz gives a vivid sense of place. In the end, however, most of the plot lines remain unresolved, and the book's message is unclear. Better choices for readers not needing hi-lo titles would be any of Gary Paulsen's or Will Hobbs's wilderness stories.-Rebecca C. Moore.
Word Count:
15,906
Reading Level:
4.0
Interest Level:
5-9
Accelerated Reader:
reading level: 4.0
/ points: 2.0
/ quiz: 118640
/ grade: Middle Grades
Reading Counts!:
reading level:3.4 /
points:7.0 /
quiz:Q42346
Lexile:
HL630L
Guided Reading Level:
T
Fountas & Pinnell:
T
I felt light and free, like an escaped prisoner. Tonight, for the first time ever, I would sleep up here on my own. Just me and the wilderness. I wanted to bellow out in triumph, like a big old bull elk. But I had almost reached my cabin, so I loped along on silent feet. Like a creature of the wild, I approached my lair in silence. I slowed down, advanced cautiously, stayed on high alert to keep my territory safe from predators.
I raised my head, sniffed the air and knew something was wrong. Mixed with the musty odor of damp earth and the Christmas-tree scent of firs, was a trace of wood smoke. A chill spread up the back of my neck. Here in the forest, smoke could come from only one place. My cabin.
Excerpted from Crossbow by Dayle Campbell Gaetz
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
Fourteen-year-old Matt has only one goal in life: to become a hermit. He has no use for school, but he loves the solitude of the forest. When he hikes up to the cabin he built for himself, he discovers a mysterious stranger named Forrest has moved in. At first Matt doesn't connect Forrest's appearance with the rash of local robberies. Forrest seems to be the perfect hermit, and he teaches Matt the skills he needs to achieve his goal, including how to hunt with a crossbow. But when Forrest tries to kill an endangered Roosevelt elk, Matt questions the ethics of his new friend. When Matt discovers a stolen rifle in his cabin, he finds himself trapped in a dangerous situation.