Puzzles Presents: Ultimate Reading Challenge 2015 discussion

Post the title, description, and your opinion of the book with a one word title.

Hatchet

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen was one of those books growing up that I had always heard of but never got around to reading. When I ran across the audio book version in the library and saw that the narrator was Peter Coyote, I knew it was time to read it. While the book is great, the narration by Coyote (who narrates all those PBS historical documentaries) is fantastic. Hatchet is your basic survival story in the vein of My Side of the Mountain and Island of the Blue Dolphins (which I loved as a child) where a youngster finds themselves on their own in the wild. The book narrates the main character’s quest for survival as he interacts with the new environment around him. This book probably would have been more compelling to me at a younger age, but I did find it very enjoyable.

This could fit into the category of a book my mom loves; however, I chose to place it here. Skellig by David Almond is a beautifully written story with a touch of magic and fantasy. A boy moves to a new house and discovers a strange creature in his crumbling garage. Parallel to his “new kid in town” story, which includes befriending the creature and a home-schooled girl, the narrative also explores his relationship with his father and concern over his sickly baby sister. This story was at once hopeful and truthful. I smiled and sighed at the end. It’s a quick read, so be prepared that it might end sooner than you like.