Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for the review copy of this book. I was so excited to see another memoir from Gary Paulsen was coming! I loved his book Guts, and couldn’t wait to hear more! Although this book is beautiful and insightful, it is also heartbreaking. Gone to the Woods is quite dark for a middle grade memoir. Paulsen dealt with a lot of junk young children shouldn’t have to deal with - reminiscent of A Child Called It by Dave Pelzer.

He chose to tell the story in third person (referring to himself as simply, “the boy”), rather than first person, which may be difficult for a younger middle grade reader to understand.

Gone to the Woods is divided into five sections of Paulsen’s life. Beginning as a five year old entertaining the men at the bars his mother would frequent and ending with his life as a soldier. I would have a difficult time giving this book to my younger readers, but I can see my older students enjoying the survival that led to a beloved classic.

I found that I loved Gary Paulsen's stories when a middle school librarian recommended Hatchet for me to read aloud to one of my earlier classes of kids, who hated reading and even listening to me read. They were a rambunctious group of boys and girls with low comprehension/reading abilities. They had nodded and dozed through the first book I'd read and I hoped this would be different. Boy was it. Paulsen woke them up and inspired a love of reading in many. They, girls and boys both, begged for me to keep reading. We read our way through that section of the library! Oh, how I hope they find this book in their adult lives (I've taught many of their kids since). I think this one reads much like his other stories, but this one is real! I am now working with older, high-school-aged, kids but will definitely be making recommendations to some of them to read this one!

This is a page-turning memoir about Gary Paulsen's horrific experiences growing up. I cried several times. The way he described coming awake to the beauty of nature when he went to live with his aunt and uncle on their farm was so moving. The things he saw after that, the events he endured, the hardship, the neglect, the cruelty... it makes for a very good book and a heart-breaking read. It's a miracle this boy survived at all and even more of a miracle that he became a celebrated, prolific author. How the librarian changed his life was particularly moving to me, being a librarian myself. I understood the librarian's tears as he told her how the first book she gave him created affected him. I wonder about Paulsen's decision to write his memoir in the 3rd person, calling himself "the boy." I also wonder if he ever saw his aunt and uncle again. And did he ever go back to thank the librarian who changed his life; did he send her his first book? I'd love to hear more and that's a sign of a great book.

Surviving a Lost Childhood is the perfect subtitle for Paulsen’s memoir. By using third person, he gave the story the feel it needs. Always called The Boy, Paulsen makes clear the lack of human love in his life. At five, when went to live with an aunt and uncle, he had a chance to understand what caring adults could mean to him. That joy was short lived as he was returned to his drunken parents. But like many misfits, he found his place in a library and books. Long before he wrote Hatchet he was living his own survival story. A librarian and the Army rescued him and showed him the power he had as a storyteller. While this release is being labeled as children’s nonfiction/middle grades, it deserves a place on adult shelves, particularly for those who fondly remember Paulsen’s ability to pull the reader into a story.

This autobiographical story of Gary Paulsen's life gives us insight into the passion and detail he brings to his "Hatchet" book series. In "Gone to the Woods" we learn the sometimes heartbreaking story of Paulsen's childhood and youth, and how he drew on lessons he learned early in life to craft an adulthood that gave him peace and fulfillment.

From the age of 5 we see him learn not only the tasks he is taught, but the lessons he learns from observing his surroundings. From Minnesota's north woods to The Philippines, he is largely left to figure out life for himself, and Paulsen's descriptions of how he did that is a valuable resource for today's kids. Children largely taught to wait for instructions may well not 'get' how Brian in the 'Hatchet' series could figure out how to survive, as well as how to determine what makes him happy.

My one concern is that kids from 8-10 years old need to start thinking about these life lessons, but some of them will be too sensitive for some of the descriptions of alcoholism and war. Rather than a group read for this age group, a careful suggestion to the right readers will get this book into the hands of kids who can both digest the events and appreciate the lessons to be learned.

This is a gripping and fascinating memoir of Gary Paulsen's life, adapted from his previously written account (Eastern Sun, Winter Moon: An Autobiographical Odyssey ) particularly for an older middle grade/YA audience. There are some disturbing situations that aren't really appropriate for younger middle grade.
The things that he survived as a child and teenager are astounding, from being shipped away alone on a train to live with relatives he didn't know as a five-year-old, to scraping by on his own after running away as a young teen. To me, the most touching moments are when he spends time in a library to get warm and ends up connecting with a librarian who opens his world to reading and writing.
He writes the book from a third person POV, and even though we know as readers that it is autobiographical, it helps the narrative to connect with everyone rather than allowing the reader to view at a distance as an observer. Even though Paulsen is known for his adventure and survival stories, his descriptions of food are mouthwatering and those passages were some of my favorites. His descriptions overall are fantastic, because they are so vividly depicted for the reader to envision.
Highly recommended for tweens, teens, and adults alike.

First and foremost, thank you to the publisher who gave me access to this advanced copy. This book gave me so many memories of a Child Called It. At times, I found the book hard to get through, mainly because of triggering memories of my own childhood. I really think this author pulling from his own experiences is what gave this book the depth he was seeking. I definitely think that it’s for the older end of middle grade. I found myself tearing up multiple times, then hugging my kids when I was done. I wish that this story had a happier tone, not because it needed it but because of how heartbreaking the story was.

Thank you again for tugging at my heartstrings ❤️

“PLEEEEASE, DON’T STOP!” This is the plea heard by the Grateful Reader from a class full of students when reading a Gary Paulsen novel aloud. Novels such as Hatchet, DogSong, The Winter Room, are all beloved; burned in the memory of students as all-time favorites. Gary Paulsen’s tales of survival in the wilderness, gloriously vivid descriptions and gut-wrenching situations are so understandable after reading this memoir. Revealing his own struggles during childhood -from being dropped off at a train station as a 5- year-old, all the way to his revelation that the Army would be his destiny, keeps the reader in suspense, hanging on every word; even knowing that the storyteller survives to tell his story!
Time and time again, “the boys” grit, smarts, and determination to survive the unthinkable circumstances keep him alive. With neglectful parents who never cared or worried about him- he was fishing or “gone to the woods”- Gary feels deeply that he is “supposed to be here.” Readers will feel the same as they are transported to the edge of a stream to see a whitetail doe for the very first time. Spellbinding and magical. New readers and those that have fond memories of listening to or reading Gary Paulsen’s books, will be blessed by the calling to share his action- packed life; his victory over “jobs of work,” sharks, Manilla, and living as a street rat. Gary’s “brain-pictures” and the smiling librarian that introduced him to reading the “whole book” as a thirteen- year-old, helped him see that “he didn’t want to live in his past, but to see ahead, see what was over the next hill…”
Some heartfelt passages will be read over and over; others so brazenly hard to read that skipping over is an option. But EVERY word, paragraph, and page, is one step closer to SURVIVING Gary Paulsen’s childhood. Be brave. “The boy” is victorious and readers will feel the same. Five star “Survival Badge” from the Grateful Reader.

Oh Mr.Paulsen you can't stop there!!! You must continue - you really MUST. Enter the boy, the real life Gary Paulsen refers to himself as such throughout this journey beginning when he was five years old. And although you are anticipating to learn of his difficult childhood - you are shocked from the start and continue to read with your mouth dropping to your chin over and over again. Hatchet's Brain Robeson only went thru walk in the park for heaven's sake. You can not put this book down and you want to know so much more. He mentions a wonderful librarian who touched his life and you wonder if he ever tried to contact her in his later years. This is a stay awake and finish it to the end book but it makes you want to scream at Mr, Paulsen to take that notebook out and keep going. How did he end up where and what he is and did Uncle Sig ever try to find him? I need to know.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan for the opportunity to read Gary Paulsen’s newest novel, a memoir of his childhood and youth. No one who reads any of Paulsen’s survival or adventure stories would ever doubt he had firsthand experience with his subjects, and this moving, yet stark, memoir gives readers a glimpse into the events that shaped the creator of some of the most memorable stories my students and I have ever read.

The subtitle, Surviving a Lost Childhood, perfectly describes the narration of this book. Paulsen had every reason to give up and make choices that could have resulted in an unremarkable and unrealized life, yet he illuminates readers as to the character and determination that has resulted in him becoming one of the most revered middle and young adult authors out there. With his usual style, his writing once again left me shaking my head in anger, crying tears of frustration, laughing at his thoughts and words, and feeling my heart moved by his descriptions of small human kindnesses that changed his life. As a librarian, I had to reread the sections about how the library was a safe haven for him and how the librarian believed in him several times because his words brought me such joy. My only disappointment with Gone to the Woods was the abrupt ending. I know his other memoirs give glimpses into his life after this book ends, and now I’m going to need to reread or seek out the ones that I haven’t read that show what happens next. Perhaps that is the plan, though, to further intrigue and draw-in current and future readers. As always, he has succeeded.

My students are going to love this book. They adored Hatchet and wanted to read the rest of the series. I showed them This Side of Wild and they ate that up. This book is different from those, but I think they will enjoy the other side of his life. The more realistic side to his life. The chapters are perfectly sectioned for each important part of his life. I can't wait to get this for my classroom.

I discovered Paulsen's books as an adult and consumed everything he'd written to that point, including his adult autobiography 'Eastern Sun, Winter Moon' which wrecked me. So I was interested to see how he'd tell his story in a children's biography. He definitely toned down the really horrific parts and told it in 3rd person to distance his emotions a bit, but kept the beautiful bits that truly tell who he is and why. I cried through the librarian section because I'm a high school librarian who hopes I've reached teens as she reached Gary.
Powerful story but think I'd start at a middle school level to recommend although I know there are younger kids who NEED to see this for the hope it might offer them for their own lives. Thank you Gary for being willing to bare your pain to help others see hope.

What an incredible book! I've always been a fan of Gary Paulsen's novels, and this one is no exception. A memoir about his life, we see how certain events in his childhood, teenage years, and early adulthood made him into the writer so many readers admire. His descriptions of his scenery are beautifully written. Highly recommended!

As a lover of Hatchet and other Paulsen works, I was excited to learn more about the author behind the story. I had never imagined the life that he has led. Paulsen gives a vivid and raw account of the joys and challenges of his life. From a loving farm with his aunt and uncle, to a treacherous boat ride and stay in war ravaged Philippines, to being the child of alcoholics in a rough neighborhood, to finally entering a library and discovering books, Paulsen takes the reader on an unforgettable journey. His vivid descriptions and love of nature shine through, as does his own spirit of survival. While I loved this book and appreciate the eARC, it has mature content. This book is more appropriate for older MG and YA readers.

Reading about what must be Gary Paulsen's earliest memories was wonderful. Having read nearly all of his books, I knew that his own life must have shaped so many of the characters in his novels. His own origin story is both exciting and heartbreaking in turns.
Imagining placing a five year old on a train alone for any amount of time is pretty unthinkable these days and yet I loved reading about his responsibilities on the farm at the same age. This story will give you and your kids plenty of discussion fodder for how times have changed and how they haven't. Children are still forced into living with parents who may not be well equipped for the responsibilities involved and librarians still grow readers and writers out of kids every day.

This book brought me back to my younger days when I read some of the authors other works. If you like survival stories, you’ll like this one.

It's a great story, but it's damn hard to read. Not exactly stream-of-consciousness, but something like it. It's fascinating, and I wonder how much is true. Memory is a funny thing. Thanks #netgalley for the ARC.

I almost missed reading books by Gary Paulsen. His books came out well after I would have been interested in reading his kind of adventure stories, and my children had interests in other themes and genres. Fortunately there was a teacher or two who required my children (and their classmates) to read Hatchet - and I often tried to read what they were reading (if I wasn't already familiar with the book) so that we could talk about.

I enjoyed it and quickly read many of his other books. Which of course brings me now to this, Paulsen's narrative autobiography.

This is one of the most unusual biographies I've ever read. It does not read like a biography. It does not read like a memoir. This reads exactly like one of Paulsen's adventure tales. This means a couple of different things.

First, this means that the book will be easily read and devoured and enjoyed by the same audience that reads Paulsen's novels This younger audience is already familiar with how he lays out a plot and narrates a story. He spends most of his time here relating about his early years - the same age as Brian from Hatchet or Russel from Dogsong.

The second thing this means is that Paulsen had an extraordinary childhood. The subtitle, "Surviving a Lost Childhood," isn't just hype to make the book sound more interesting.

Before he was even school age, Gary was witness to the horrors of war. He lived in Manilla where his military father was stationed. His father was mostly absent - which was probably a good thing. When he was home, Gary's parents were abusive alcoholics - worse together than separate. He learns at this time to fend for himself and to not trust adults.

He is shipped off to live with and aunt and uncle - the first time he's ever shown any warmth or caring - and it is here, through the gruff manner of his uncle that he learns how to venture safely outside in the wilderness.

But just as he is learning to trust in his family foster parents, his mother and father move back to the United States and want him 'home.' A young child doesn't have much say in this, and most would assume that being with his real mother and father is best for him.

Not much has changed in their behavior and when he's not stuck living in the corner of a cold basement, he is living outside, sleeping under the stars.

Another positive, memorable moment in his early life is when he discovered the public library and the kind librarian (whom at first he didn't trust because, like all adults, she must have had a secret agenda) who exposes him to the many worlds found in books, and encourages him to write down his own thoughts (when he tells her all the inaccuracies in the books he's read).

It's a powerful autobiography, and more than just a little depressing. Paulsen saw, and experienced, more terrible things before he was a teen than most people will in a lifetime.

This will definitely appeal to anyone who's read a Gary Paulsen book, and it might very well reach a new audience who will come to discover some of his classic books because of this biography.

Looking for a good book? Gone to the Woods, Gary Paulsen's autobiography is quite possibly more adventurous and frightening, more a tale of survival, than his classic children's books.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

This book tells about some of the important experiences that influenced Gary Paulsen's writing life. There are a number of harrowing and heartbreaking experiences. Each of these experiences formed Paulsen's life as a writer and as a person. This is a compelling tell and will be interesting to many readers.

I really enjoyed reading about Gary Paulsen's childhood from about age 5 to his 20's. It was an amazing life of surviving day-to-day. I saw Mr. Paulsen at a book signing many years ago and I remembered he said that the library, really the librarian saved him. It really stuck with me back then. I'm not sure if I was already volunteering in my own children's library back then or if I was in grad school getting my master's degree in Library and Information Science. I have loved reading his books for a long time and especially love sharing his books with students. Love hearing that a student loved reading "Hatchet" for the first time and that book was the first book they ever finished let alone enjoyed and asked for another book by him. When I tell them there is a sequel to "Hatchet", I love to see their eyes light up and be able to continue the journey. Gary Paulsen did that for many, many young readers. Taught them to love reading.

I was hoping to read more about how he started writing books for children and teens. He does share how he started writing but I was hungry for more information. I felt like the ending was a huge cliffhanger for me. I wanted to read more about his adult life. Still worth reading like all of his books. A must-have for any library!