Far North

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Popular adventure-survival book kids love.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that realistic action and punchy writing keeps the story zinging along. This is a popular adventure-survival book kids love.

  • Main characters refuse the advice of an experienced old man and suffer the consequences.
  • A plane crash, falls into icy rivers, fights with animals. Main characters in a constant struggle to survive.
  • Not applicable.

What's the story?

Electrifying nonstop, realistic action as two teenage boys fight to survive the winter after their plane crashes in Canada's Northwest Territories. They ignore good advice and raft through a dangerous, icy river, winding up in a valley with no available food. After they tramp through the deadly cold to hunt, a grizzly steals their game. Can they beat the incredible odds?


Is it any good?

 

The breathtaking action in FAR NORTH never lets up, and the locations in the book really exist, including the cabin in Deadmen Valley. Gabe and Raymond don't rebel against authority, but they do make poor decisions. Anxious to avoid spending the viciously cold six-month winter in a sod teepee, they ignore the advice of an experienced elder and build a raft and sail off down the river, losing most of their food. However, they come to their senses and realize that the old man represents their only real chance for survival -- even though they can barely communicate with him.

Throughout their adventures, the two boys realize that their growing friendship means as much to them as their lives do. When they make it to safety, they honor Johnny Raven by speaking at a potlatch given in his memory. The story unites not only the two boys in friendship but also the younger and older generations. The book's length may intimidate reluctant readers at first, but once they start they'll enjoy it.


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What families can talk about

Families can talk about making difficult decisions. What kind of tough choices do the boys face? What kind of tough choices have you faced?


This review was written by Monica Wyatt
Teen, 15 years old
August 31, 2011
 
Very good
Its a very good book with lots of details about everything the main characters see!

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Teen, 15 years old
March 7, 2011
 
hdrty mjdy

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Parent of 19 year old
March 29, 2010
 
When I was reading this book, I thought that I was having a deja vu...many, many times over. Everything in this book seemed to happen twice. There was no 'climax' to the story, everything was expected and I remember poking fun at the fact that the most exciting thing that happened was violence towards a sheep (and that's one of the only things not repeted). The characters situation isn't at all relatable, either, or realistic for that matter. It's a slow read, I must say, but people interested in books with survival skills and wilderness may enjoy it.

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Teen, 16 years old
April 9, 2008
 
i hate reading...THIS BOOK WAS AWSOME
i absulutly hate reading but this book is an exeption. WOW AMAZING

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Adult
April 9, 2008
 
a great book
this reveiw is like a book report in one paragraph.a kid named gabe and hi freind were all in a plainnc zxdnfvshdbvshdvdvbhsajdbvsa

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Adult
April 9, 2008
 
Great book!
This is the story of survival of 2 teen boys in the arctic-like cold after their plane crashes. Lots of excitement. I highly recommend this book.

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Teen, 18 years old
February 25, 2009
 
a great boook
I feel that the book “far north” was somewhat touching in the way that strong friendships and family loyalty can all be disrupted or even broken through heart break and misfortune (as provided in the book) yet can be brought back together through hope and sacrifice. The teenagers proved that nothing is stronger then the bond between two people when in troubled times, related or not, and that only if people look inside themselves they will find that everyone can be friends if they just try. I feel the book has made an impact on how I felt about every day stresses and hurt because they showed that it could always get worse and people can work through all their problems if they just try. This book was thoroughly thought out and written as told by a 15-year-old sophomore of whom goes to the far northern area of Canada to visit his father and starts at a school where he meets a native of the area around the same age as him, Raymond. The man who drove him to the school invites the young boy named Gabe on a flight, and they soon run into disaster when they take a detour and crash into the river. The story tells of their misfortunes and loyalty, they run into many amazing situations and plenty of adventures. This attention grabber will, I believe, humble those who feel everyday life is troubling and hard. Finally, I would recommend this book to anyone who seeks a book that keeps your attention through all of the pages, cover to cover.

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This review was written by Monica Wyatt
Author:Will Hobbs
Book type:Fiction
Genre:Adventure
Publisher:William Morrow
Publication date:January 1, 1996
Number of pages:216
Paperback price:$5.99
Publisher's recommended age(s):12 - 14

This review was written by Monica Wyatt
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

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