Mr. Tucket (Francis Tucket Series #1)

by Gary Paulsen

Overview

Fourteen-year-old Francis Tucket is heading west on the Oregon Trail with his family by wagon train. When he receives a rifle for his birthday, he is thrilled that he is being treated like an adult. But Francis lags behind to practice shooting and is captured by Pawnees. It will take wild horses, hostile tribes, and a mysterious one-armed mountain man named Mr. Grimes to help Francis become the man who will be called Mr. Tucket.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780307804167
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	08/31/2011
Series:	Francis Tucket Series , #1
Sold by:	Random House
Format:	eBook
Pages:	192
Sales rank:	278,373
Lexile:	830L (what's this?)
File size:	2 MB
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Gary Paulsen is the distinguished author of many critically acclaimed books for young people, including three Newbery Honor books: The Winter Room, Hatchet, and Dogsong. His novel The Haymeadow received the Western Writers of America Golden Spur Award. Among his most recent novels are Soldier's Heart and The Transall Saga. He and his wife, the painter Ruth Wright Paulsen, have homes in New Mexico and on the Pacific Ocean.

Editorial Reviews

In a starred review, PW called this western adventure ``a real knock 'em, sock 'em ripsnorter'' with a ``thrill-a-minute plot.'' Ages 10-up. (Dec.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Francis Tucket is 14 years old when he strays from his family's wagon on the Oregon Trail and is captured by the Pawnee. With the help of Mr. Grimes, a one-armed trapper who maintains an uneasy truce with the Pawnee by trading them guns and ammunition, Francis escapes and spends a winter learning to survive by living off the land. The boy's admiration and respect for Mr. Grimes causes him to question his role in "civilized" society and delays his return to his family. Francis' image of Mr. Grimes is altered forever, however, when Grimes takes revenge on an old enemy with what Francis sees as unnecessary savagery. Paulsen nods in the direction of responsibility in his depiction of Native American peoples, and he gives us a fast plot and sufficient character development. Unfortunately, he wraps everything up in the final two and one-half pages, resulting in an abrupt "surprise" ending that is ultimately unsatisfying.

Janice Del Negro

"A real knock 'em, sock 'em ripsnorter...Superb characterizations, splendidly evoked setting, and thrill-a-minute plot make this book a joy to gallop through." —Publishers Weekly, Starred

From the Publisher

Though plain and unadorned, Gary Paulsen’s action-filled frontier adventure should enthrall young listeners in this audio interpretation. Narrator Randolph Jones employs a clear, no-nonsense tone throughout. Although characters are barely individualized, Mr. Grimes--the one-armed mountain man who rescues young Francis Tucket--comes to life through Jones’s marvelous narration. Mr. Grimes’s forceful personality and humor drive the tale, enhancing Paulsen’s exciting storyline and vivid Western setting. D.M.L. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine

OCT 94 - AudioFile