Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.

Northwind

Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

This stunning audiobook from the survival story master, set along a rugged coastline centuries ago, does for the ocean what Hatchet does for the woods, as it relates the story of a young person's battle to stay alive against the odds, where the high seas meet a coastal wilderness.
When a deadly plague reaches the small fish camp where he lives, an orphan named Leif is forced to take to the water in a cedar canoe. He flees northward, following a wild, fjord-riven shore, navigating from one danger to the next, unsure of his destination. But the deeper into his journey he paddles, the closer he comes to his truest self as he connects to "the heartbeat of the ocean . . . the pulse of the sea."
With hints of Nordic mythology and an irresistible narrative pull, Northwind is Gary Paulsen at his captivating, adventuresome best.
A Macmillan Audio production from Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

  • Formats

  • Languages

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from December 6, 2021
      Inspired by the late Paulsen’s lifelong love of the sea and his own journey up the Pacific coast, this captivating saga of survival and self-discovery, his final novel, centers a steadfast and levelheaded child in an apparently Nordic archipelago landscape. After growing up on fishing boats, orphan Leif is abandoned at a fish camp; when the camp’s men become infected with cholera, its leader instructs the 12-year-old to head north to safety in a canoe. Finding himself alone with few supplies in early summer, Leif struggles to survive along shorelines and inlets that teem with bears and whales, all described with Paulsen’s characteristic attention to detail. As the solitary child travels via canoe, carving his experiences into a piece of wood and dreaming of a mother he never met, he realizes that though “all his life... had not been a safe place,” the vast world is his to explore. Spare, survival-oriented prose keeps the reader immersed in scenes difficult and wondrous, offering a glimpse of the sheer awesomeness of nature, showcasing the beauty of the sea and its inhabitants, and regaling readers with a timeless and irresistible adventure that has resilience at its heart. Ages 10–14.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Narrator JD Jackson takes listeners to an unidentified Nordic region in Paulsen's last survival story. When a strange illness kills everyone in his fishing village, 12-year-old Leif follows Old Carl's advice to head north. There, he uses his wits to build a new life. At the book's opening, a dulcimer intro sets a tone of gravitas as Jackson recites the origin tale of the village. His warm bass voice projects a feeling of folklore as Leif's story follows. Listeners will smell the stench of death, cringe when the boy faces danger, and cheer when he escapes certain death. Voices are consistent throughout, and repeated phrases and lists are particularly strong. This story of survival among Scandinavia's cold fjords will linger in listeners' memories. S.D.B. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

Languages

  • English

Loading