The Rifle by Gary Paulsen

First Line: It is necessary to know this rifle.

This short little book traces the history of one flintlock rifle from its creation during the American Revolution to the 1990s.

The rifle's creation is a months-long labor of love by a journeyman gunsmith named Cornish McManus. When completed, it is most definitely a "sweet rifle" (meaning one of stunning beauty and accuracy). In desperate need of money, Cornish reluctantly sells the gun to John Byam, a sharpshooter in the Revolutionary War who dies of dysentery.

The rifle, intended as a gift to a son killed in battle, is tucked away and forgotten as the centuries pass. In the 1990s it is found, and changes hands a few times until it rests above the mantel of a home in Missouri. Tragedy will ensue because-- during all this time and through all the hands it's passed-- no one has ever checked to see if the rifle is loaded.

The first part of this book is wonderful. The craftsmanship that goes into the making of this rifle is phenomenal, and Paulsen brings the entire process to life. The rifle's "life" while in the hands of sharpshooter John Byam is also vivid and well done.

But the book falls apart in the end. It's obvious that the author wants to teach children how deadly serious guns are, that no matter how beautiful they are or how innocently they are kept, guns are made to kill-- and they will kill. But it strains credulity to the breaking point to believe that a gun loaded in the 1770s will still fire first-time true in 1993.

Paulsen does not believe that "guns don't kill people, people kill people," but the tragedy that occurs at the end of the book is due entirely to humans who don't care about simple gun safety. The ending of the book, in particular, bothered me: "And in the meantime the rifle sits in the gun cabinet. Waiting." Guns are not inhabited by evil spirits who lurk patiently until the unwary come within range. (Although all too often they are owned by people who have no business having them in their possession.)

Middle school children may well take Paulsen's message to heart, and I hope they do, but for most of the adults who read along with their children, the aim of his story is going to fall short.

The Rifle by Gary Paulsen

ISBN: 0440219205

Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers ©1995

Paperback, 105 pages

Genre: Childrens Books

Rating: C

Source: Paperback Swap

The River by Gary Paulsen

Title: The River
Author: Gary Paulsen
ISBN: 0440407532, Dell Yearling, 1991
Genre: Young Adult, Brian Robeson #2
Rating: C+

First Line: Brian opened the door and stood back.

This book is the sequel to Paulsen's Newbery Medal-winning The Hatchet which I reviewed a few months ago. In this book, some men who run a government survival school want Brian to go back to the Canadian wilderness and show them how he survived. Derek Holtzer, the psychologist running the program, believes that the teaching will be much more successful if he's gone through the real thing.

After much talking with Brian's family, it's agreed that the young boy can go. When they reach the last leg of their journey, Brian puts his foot down: if Derek really wants to learn how to survive then the tents, food, guns, sleeping bags...everything must stay behind. If any of those items come along they will be used, and Derek won't be learning how to survive.

Derek knows that Brian is right and agrees to the plan, only bringing along communication gear. They don't even have time to set up camp properly when a rip-snorting storm blows through the lake area. Derek is struck by lightning; the communications are knocked out. The only thing Brian can do in an effort to save Derek's life is to build a raft and travel by river to a small trading post.

Brian is an exceptional character, and I enjoyed reading about him again. The problem with this book is that the premise is over within the span of five heartbeats. Zap! The lightning strikes. Bam! Derek is gravely injured. Pow! Brian builds the raft. Zowie! They're on the river. Oof! They're at the trading post. There's just not enough meat on the bone in which to sink your teeth.

Fortunately, this isn't the last book that Paulsen has written about Brian, so when I need a survival fix, I'll look up the other books in the series. This is a young character who has definitely gotten under my skin!

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

Title: Hatchet
Author: Gary Paulsen
ISBN: 0689826990, Simon Pulse, 1999
Genre: Young Adult fiction
Rating: A

First Line: Brian Robeson stared out the window of the small plane at the endless green northern wilderness below.

Thirteen-year-old Brian's parents have just gotten divorced. Brian lives with his mother in New York State, and is allowed to stay with his father, who works in the Canadian oil fields, during the summer. This will be his first summer with his father, and Brian's mother sees him off at the airport, giving him a gift that he feels is a bit silly: a hatchet.

Flying in the small plane takes some getting used to; it's very noisy, it's cramped, and at first the pilot doesn't talk very much. After a while, the pilot does begin to talk with Brian and even lets him take control of the plane for a bit. Then the absolute worst possible scenario occurs: the pilot has a massive heart attack and dies, leaving Brian at the controls of an aircraft that he really doesn't know how to fly.

Brian survives the crash, and then realizes that the plane has flown so far off course that he probably won't be found any time soon. He now has to survive the Canadian wilderness. He's a kid, and he does wallow in self-pity, but not for long. Brian isn't a typical soft city kid. Somehow he's able to put together bits and pieces of things he's learned in school, and he's able to carve out a place for himself on the shore of a remote lake. He takes pride in each accomplishment, as well he should. But the longer he lived in his lakeside home, the more nervous I got. Summers don't last all that long in Canada.

This was a captivating read, and I can understand why it was a Newbery Honor Book in 1988. Paulsen had me on the shore of that lake right at Brian's side. I was slapping mosquitoes and taking pride in Brian's level-headedness and ability to survive. If you're looking for a quick read that's well-written and puts you right in the middle of the action, Hatchet is an excellent choice.

Gary Paulsen's life is as interesting as the books he's written. In reading about the author, I learned that there are a whole series of books about Brian. I wouldn't be at all surprised if you see reviews for more of Paulsen's work here at Kittling: Books!