Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 02/04/2022 Gr 4–6—The illustrious Paulsen, who wrote more than 200 books for children and adults, passed away October 2021. Northwind is his final novel, and what a gem it is. This accessible, captivating adventure story is destined to become another Paulsen classic: a lightly historical fiction sea story, set on the Coast of Norway, and inspired by his impressive sailing adventures in the Pacific Northwest. Leif, an orphan, is sent off north in a cedar canoe with basic survival supplies after his village comes down with cholera. With hints of Nordic mythology, the story follows Leif as he survives the sickness, learns how to catch fish, and finds blackberries while staying clear of bears. He witnesses the power and beauty of inlets, the ocean, orcas, dolphins, whales, and icebergs. The language is simple but rhythmically captivating; some paragraphs are a sentence long and some words or phrases are repeated to dig deeper into a concept. Chapters are 10–15 pages long and episodic, an important authorial choice that will draw in more than just avid readers. VERDICT An essential purchase for libraries serving middle grade and YA readers. Kids will be captivated by Leif's inner monologue as he makes life-and-death decisions and reflects on the lure of the north, and the power of the sea.—Jamie Winchell - Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 01/01/2022 *Starred Review* Call this posthumously published novel The Young Man and the Sea (pace Ernest Hemingway) and you’ll have a pretty good idea what this survival story is about. The hero of this maritime Hatchet is an orphan named Leif, whose life changes when a deadly plague descends upon his fishing village. To save him and another young boy, Old Carl puts the two kids into a canoe and tells Leif to paddle north to where the air is clear and clean. And so Leif does, but not before the illness finds him and his companion. Sadly, the younger boy dies, but Leif, who becomes deathly ill, recovers to continue his voyage. Paulsen once again demonstrates his extraordinary knowledge of nature and the outdoors as he creates Leif’s often-dangerous journey, one that is plagued by huge bears, a whirlpool, unfriendly ocean currents, and more. As he survives various obstacles, Leif begins to feel at one with nature and an ineluctable joy, an emotion that readers will likely find in the pages of this splendid story. Beautifully written, it’s classic Paulsen at his best. - Copyright 2022 Booklist.