"Should appeal to all rugged individualists who dream of escape to the forest."
—The New York Times Book Review Sam Gribley is terribly unhappy living in New York City with his family, so he runs away to the Catskill Mountains to live in the woods—all by himself. With only a penknife, a ball of cord, forty dollars, and some flint and steel, he intends to survive on his own. Sam learns about courage, danger, and independence during his year in the wilderness, a year that changes his life forever.
“An extraordinary book . . . It will be read year after year.”
—The Horn Book
"I write for children. Children are still in love with the wonders of nature, and I am too. So I tell them stories about a boy and a falcon, a girl and an elegant wolf pack, about owls, weasels, foxes, prairie dogs, the alpine tundra, the tropical rain forest. And when the telling is done, I hope they will want to protect all the beautiful creatures and places."Jean Craighead George (1919–2012) was the author of more than 100 beloved books for young people, including the Newbery Award–winning Julie of the Wolves , the Newbery Honor–winning My Side of the Mountain, On the Far Side of the Mountain, and Frightful's Mountain . She was a lifetime naturalist and a household name. Her website can be found at www.jeancraigheadgeorge.com.
