Running Wild
Running Wild
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Penguin
Annotation: Twelve-year-old Willa and her twin brothers have survived with their father in the Alaskan wilderness for five years. Bu... more
 
Reviews: 2
Catalog Number: #6648208
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Penguin
Copyright Date: 2021
Edition Date: 2020 Release Date: 01/12/21
Pages: 195 pages
ISBN: 0-8234-4749-9
ISBN 13: 978-0-8234-4749-7
Dewey: Fic
LCCN: 2019000891
Dimensions: 22 cm.
Language: English
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews

Twelve-year-old Willa must get her 10-year-old twin brothers safely through the Alaskan wilderness.Five years ago, Willa's widowed father uprooted their family to escape his grief by living out his survivalist, live-completely-off-the-land fantasies in rural Alaska. Since then, he's gotten meaner and abusive, and he has relapsed into alcoholism. A combination of her father's stubborn unwillingness to admit that they don't have enough food for the winter, escalating physical abuse, and Willa's fear that something's wrong with her (she doesn't know about periods) lead her to take the boys and flee to Fort Yukon on a rickety raft. They navigate wildlife (from bears to an orphaned wolf pup that one twin smuggles along), rough rivers, and supply problems, all while avoiding detection, as Willa's afraid they'll be returned to their father before she can contact their aunt in New York for help. Additionally, Willa has to continually persuade her brothers that they want to leave the only life they can remember, that there is something betterout there. The survival elements are entertaining and informative, and there's a good balance between self-sufficiencyand reliance on adults for appropriate help at the novel's climax. While not all is resolved by the end, the story concludes on a hopeful note. Willa's family is white while the Fort Yukon population introduces mainly Gwichyaa Gwich'in people. The acknowledgements thank a wolf expert and a board member of the Gwich'in Council International.Nuanced, character-driven action. (Adventure. 8-12)

School Library Journal

Gr 5-8 -Combining elements of survivalism, resilience in the face of adversity, and adaptation to the unknown, Bledsoe skillfully weaves a tale of adventure and coming of age on the Alaskan frontier. After their recovering alcoholic father moves them to the middle of nowhere following their mother's death, Willa and her twin younger brothers must learn to hunt, fish, ration, and simply exist in a terrain that neither suits them nor wants them. Her dad falls off the wagon, and Willa must put her own education on hold to cook, clean, and pick up the pieces, literally and figuratively, of his addiction. Finally, she reaches her limit and convinces the twins to run away with her. What ensues is a chase through the wilderness. Readers must suspend their disbelief at some of the plot twists. Despite these moments, Bledsoe makes Willa a likable, relatable, and strong lead who will appeal to readers of a similar age. Much like Ruthie of Bledsoe's short story "Rough Touch," this novel will have readers rooting for Willa and her brothers on their adventure. VERDICT With a plot and character traits akin to Gary Paulsen's Hatchet , Scott O'Dell's Island of the Blue Dolphins , and Julia Alvarez's How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents , this would be an excellent addition to middle grade libraries.-Jillian Woychowski, West Haven High School, CT

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Kirkus Reviews
School Library Journal
Word Count: 37,971
Reading Level: 4.5
Interest Level: 4-7
Accelerated Reader: reading level: 4.5 / points: 6.0 / quiz: 510933 / grade: Middle Grades

Twelve-year-old Willa and her twin brothers have survived with their father in the Alaskan wilderness for five years. But Willa knows this can't go on--they must escape. Now in paperback.

Since their mother died five years ago, Willa, her younger brothers, and her father have lived in the wilderness, in a log cabin they built. They survive on food they grow and animals they hunt. Every year they have struggled a little bit more to survive.

Now, with winter approaching and her father becoming more reckless, Willa wonders if they will live to see spring. She also knows her father will never agree to leave.

When her father goes on a hunting expedition by himself, Willa convinces her brothers that they must make the four-day journey down the Yukon River to Fort Yukon to get help. But first, they'll need to survive the treacherous trip . . . and all the while, their father is on their trail.

Perfect for middle grade readers looking for adventure stories with strong female protagonists, Lucy Jane Bledsoe's Running Wild is a page-turner that hooks you from the beginning and doesn't let go.


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