Follow the River

by Paul Greci

Overview

When Billy and his dad are injured, Tom summons the courage to get back on the water to save them. This time, he must travel in a rickety old homemade canoe through the Alaska wilderness to get help. But it’s not just the canoe and the terrain he has to worry about—he’s surrounded by adversaries. Are his skills enough to fight them off or will his journey be cut short and Billy and his father left stranded?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781732213715
Publisher:	Charlesbridge
Publication date:	08/20/2021
Series:	Surviving Bear Island , #2
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	9.00(w) x 6.20(h) x 1.00(d)
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Paul Greci is a teacher who also enjoys exploring the Alaskan wilderness. The first time he climbed into a sea kayak he embarked on a nine-week, five-hundred-mile journey in Prince William Sound. He is the author of Surviving Bear Island. He lives in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Editorial Reviews

07/30/2021

Gr 3–6—Could you canoe down a river, by yourself, for over 100 miles in four days to get help for your friend and his father? Could you do it in unfamiliar terrain? Could you do it in the midst of a forest fire? Welcome to Tom's life; he's having a rough go of it. While it is not necessary to have read Surviving Bear Island, it would help readers understand Tom and the life events that have led up to this trip with his best friend, Billy, and Billy's father. In this action-packed adventure, chapters are very short, contain some illustrations, and often end on a cliffhanger, making this a solid choice for reluctant readers. Greci toes the line between abrupt and drawn out, with the action seemingly never slowing down for Tom throughout the entire book, but chapters end quickly and often switch time and perspective to other characters. Tom is an unrealistically rational child suffering through one event after another, which readers may find unbelievable. No characters are really described, but Tom is depicted as white on cover art. VERDICT Recommended for larger collections in need of books for the outdoorsy reluctant readers or fans of Surviving Bear Island.—Kerri Williams, Center Moriches Free P.L., NY

School Library Journal