That guy from Into the Wild may have read this book a few too many times as a kid. ( )

Read for Newbery club in Children's group. Seems implausible to me, and yes I did grow up rural and so I do know a bit about living off the land. ( )

First read in elementary school and has been a favorite ever since ( )

Runaway Sam Gribley is surviving in the Catskill Mountains with only a penknife, a ball of cord, $40, and some flint and steel. Along the way, he learns about courage, danger, and independence during his year in the wilderness, a year that will change his life forever.

It is an adventurous book, and I learned some new things from it. It is about a boy who runs away and lives in a tree that he howled out. He scavenges for food and makes things that are essential for living out of natural things like wood. It is a really good book that my brother and I enjoyed reading.

I really liked this book when I was young. I wished I could take off into the woods with a Frightful to keep me company! :) I wonder what I would think of it now?

Sam Gribley runs away from his family in New York City to live in the wilderness. He is well versed in how to manage survival in the woods, and with very few errors succeeds quite well, living over a year completely on his own. Apart from this, there is not much of a plot. Sam explains how he survives. In spite of the fact that not much happens, George's writing is engaging enough that book is never boring.
That said, I was quite bothered that he is running away form a seemingly loving family, with no reason other than a desire to survive on his own. Sam says nothing throughout the entire book to either suggest a reason he wanted to leave his family, or to hint that he is missing them at all. The last chapter touches on this a little, but this complete lack of expression of love for his family or his family's love for him pulls this down to a three-star rating for me. ( )

Adventure

Read because this was a book Ella had to know for Battle of the Books district wide contest in Feb 2024. A book about a boy who learns how to survive and thrive in the wilderness.
Kirkus: An exciting and evocative book about a young boy who decides to live the life of Thoreau throughout a year in the Catskills. The author, who has written extensively on nature, comes to basic grips with the facts of nature and man's attempt to adapt to its rhythm. The hero-narrator of the book sets off on his venture with text-book wisdom, soon to find that it is a more subtle, more crafty game he must play if he is to survive. And survive he does, meeting each challenge with his characteristic blend of humor, intelligence, and humility. A vivid character at the vortex of convincing and real adventure. Heroics? None, but of heroism, young Master Gribley has an ample share.

I loved this book as a child and thought it was time to revisit it. ( )

There is something so satisfying about survival stories. For one, I feel like reading them prepares me to face similar challenges should they ever come my way. (Actually, I seriously doubt I'm any closer to being able to start a fire from flint and steel just because Sam Gribley explained how in this book--but still! I have some small idea! Right? Sigh. This is like how I thought I could make cheese from raw milk after reading [b:Little House in the Big Woods|8337|Little House in the Big Woods (Little House, #1)|Laura Ingalls Wilder|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266449708s/8337.jpg|1200805] isn't it?)

Anyway. Survival stories have a natural rhythm and drive. There's just that basic question hanging out there: can the hero face down the elements and, you know, survive? Sam Gribley totally brings his troubles on himself, too, because he runs away from home. That might take away a little from the excitement of the struggle for survival, like in [b:A Girl Named Disaster|133775|A Girl Named Disaster (Orchard Classics)|Nancy Farmer|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1200867028s/133775.jpg|1160483] where Nhamo has no choice but to run away, but it also is kind of cool the way Sam takes charge of his life and decides how he wants to live. Props, Sam.

So here's to an excellent survival story! The audiobook was very good. ( )

Runaway Sam Gribley is surviving in the Catskill Mountains with only a penknife, a ball of cord, $40, and some flint and steel. Along the way, he learns about courage, danger, and independence during his year in the wilderness, a year that will change his life forever.

AR: 5.2

Great book, 1st book in series. Read in order. ( )

4.5 stars. ( )

What a great story! I couldn't put it down. I feel like I'm a kid again.... This was always my dream, to slip away into the wilderness and live on my own. To build a raft and float down a lazy river and watch the animals go about their routines. Most days that's still my dream. I think every kid wants to run away at some point in their life for one reason or another and it's nice to read a book like this once you have kids of your own to remind you of the thoughts and feelings you had at their age. I've found a new favorite. Thanks to my buddy Ryan for the recommendation! ( )

I always thought I had read this as a child but either I didn't or I just don't remember. Loved the description of life on the mountain. ( )

I loved this book as a child. It made me want to run away and be a survivalist and make flour from acorns. So I read it to my sons to let them experience this wonder and encourage their sense of adventure. They really enjoyed it. It's good for children who haven't yet lost their sense of wonder. Perfect for 8 to 11 years. ( )

Sam Gribley runs away from his family's cramped, crowded apartment in New York City and lives alone with his pet falcon in the Catskill Mountains, struggling to survive. Hunting and fishing sustain him in the wilderness, but when a terrible storm approaches, Sam has to fight for his life.

Sam’s story of surviving in the Catskills alone may not be the most plausible, but Jean Craighead George’s writing makes it a very enjoyable book to read anyways.
This was one of my favorite books in 4th grade when I first read it, and continued to be throughout my teen years. Returning to it now, I still found it good from start to finish. ( )

Loved this book as a kid, and still think its a great book when reading it now. However, as an amateur forager (thanks in part to formative fiction like this that celebrates nature) I have some opinions about some of the wildcraft practiced. Sams way of preparing acorns doesnt leech the nuts which will mess you up and taste pretty bad, watching birds are not a good way to find edible plants, and the best way to get vitamin c in winter is pine needle tea not eating liver (gross). ( )

A properly charming, low-key tale. I do not know if something like this would even be published today, unless the main character were supernatural. ( )

It is a very different type of reading than I expected, a somewhat nature-oriented book and I thoroughly enjoyed it. A true classic young-adult novel, I would recommend any coming-of-age kid read this book. ( )

Coming of age story of a young man. Fed up with living with his large family in a small apartment, he sets off to find his grandfather’s abandoned farm in the hill. He finds it and successfully lives off the land for an entire year. ( )

I enjoyed it, but I don't think that eating what you see animals eating is good advice. Some of the things that Sam ate aren't that good for you. I wouldn't advise anyone to ingest a lot of pennyroyal, wintergreen or even sassafras. ( )