itss goood , beginning is a bit boring , but very detaileedd . yeahhh .
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The Rifle
(1995, Fiction - Historical Fiction, Written by Gary Paulsen)
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Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings(Flash is loading. If this text does not disappear you need to install the latest flash version)
Not age appropriate for kids under 9, age appropriate for kids over 11; suggested age 11. -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
Historical yarn follows the life of a gun.
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 11 and Up
The good stuff
What to watch out for
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Violence:
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Sex:
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Language:
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Consumerism:
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Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
About The Rifle
Parents need to know that this book has straightforward writing and good storytelling, with an original approach that uses a gun as the main character. Simple but effective prose conveys a powerful message, and the Revolutionary setting provides a historical backdrop for a contemporary issue.
Read our full review by Megan McDonald
Families Can Talk About
- Families can talk about guns. Do you think guns or people are to blame for gun-related deaths? How do you feel about the rifle in this story?
Our Members Say
Most Recent Reviews
- I rate this title on for age 11 and give itMy concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- My highlights are:
- Educational
The Rifle , my opinion
- I rate this title on for age 2 and give it
- I rate this title on for age 2 and give it
must read now!
It is necessary to know this book. Cornish McManus has just started his own gunsmithing career. For the next year, he works on an immensely accurate or “Sweet†rifle, working through the night, taking extra care to make the rifle beautiful, making sure there were no flaws. Here Paulsen demonstrates his talent for description of details, focusing on Cornish’s care for the rifle, making such a statement in so very few pages. Soon after the rifle is finished, Cornish decides to sell the rifle in order to raise money for his fiancé before starting a family and thus, it comes into Legend to be John Byam’s hands. When he dies, the rifle is put into an attic and lost for years, and when it is found, will it have a fatal impact on one modern boy? This book is a must read. Paulsen has passed the test of literature for youth with flying colors! His knack for detail is demonstrated by the fact that it is not too wordy, does not bore you and forces you to keep reading, and he fit it all into 105 pages only! If you have a love for reading, and a background knowledge of war and weapons, this is the book for you! The constant atmosphere of death and despair makes it the Lemony Snicket of its time. You will never find a moment of content or pure happiness within its dark and gloomy contents. And yet, that is what draws us, compels us, to read. To see the issues of our fellow man and the despairs of mortal life as we know it, being a pointless existence in the ever expanding reaches of deep space. You won’t want to stop! Here’s to you Gary, on a job well done!
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