Dogsong

by Gary Paulsen

Overview

In the Old Days There Were Songs
Something is bothering Russel Susskit. He hates waking up to the sound of his father's coughing, the smell of diesel oil, the noise of snow machines starting up.
Only Oogruk, the shaman who owns the last team of dogs in the village, understands Russel's longing for the old ways and the songs that celebrated them. But Oogruk cannot give Russel the answers he seeks; the old man can only prepare him for what he must do alone. Driven by a strange, powerful dream of a long-ago self and by a burning desire to find his own song, Russel takes Oogruk's dogs on an epic journey of self-discovery that will change his life forever.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780689839603
Publisher:	Atheneum/Richard Jackson Books
Publication date:	02/01/2000
Edition description:	Reissue
Pages:	192
Sales rank:	759,634
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.25(h) x 0.70(d)
Lexile:	930L (what's this?)
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

Gary Paulsen (1931–2021) was one of the most honored writers of contemporary literature for young readers, author of three Newbery Honor titles, Dogsong, Hatchet, and The Winter Room. He wrote over 100 books for adults and young readers.

Editorial Reviews

In this Newbery Honor book, 13-year-old Russel Susskit heeds the words of a wise Eskimo shaman and leaves his familir village to begin a journey of self-discovery. The thoughtful plot is laced with physically profound scenes, realistic and savage, as the young man learns to survive in the cold white reality of the wilderness.
— The Mailbox

Deborah Zink Roffino

"Unusual and moving...a remarkable book." — School Library Journal, starred review

From the Publisher

Paulsen's 1986 Newbery Honor Book introduces 14-year-old Alaskan Russel Suskitt, who is worried that his people are losing their traditional skills with dogs by surrendering to snowmobiles. Setting out on a modern quest with a dog team borrowed from a village elder, Russel crosses mountains and tundra in search of his destiny. The novel has just been released for the first time as an audiobook, but narrator Robert Ramirez is a familiar voice to audio bookworms. Ramirez places the dogs and the dangers, from polar bears to ice floes, in stark relief, his voice a fine match for Paulsen's powerful words. He believably uses tone to project the passionate intensities of youth. Ramirez's steady, inviting voice makes this a glorious blizzard of a book that sends shivers down the listener’s spine. M.M.C. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine

OCTOBER 2009 - AudioFile