Northwind

Northwind is the final novel by author Gary Paulsen, who died in late 2021. It serves as a fitting bookend to Paulsen’s canon, featuring the author’s signature approach to coming-of-age stories. Namely, the novel chronicles the journey of a young boy on a quest for identity in a hostile wilderness that tests his ability to survive. In a Norse village in Scandinavia, orphan Leif ekes out a hardscrabble existence as an enslaved person on seal-hunting ships. After his ship maroons him and others in a remote fish camp and an outbreak of disease leaves Leif the sole survivor, he must learn to survive by wit and instinct while also respecting the indifferent and often violent power of nature. Paulsen wrote over 200 books in his lifetime in addition to many articles, short stories, and plays. Paulsen’s most famous work is Hatchet, which became the Brian’s Saga series. Hatchet, The Winter Room, and Dogsong are all Newberry Honor books. In 1997, the ALA gave Paulsen the Margaret A. Edwards Award for his contribution to young adult literature.

This guide is based on the 2022 Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers e-book edition.

Content Warning: The source material features depictions of child abuse, child death, and mention of suicidal thoughts.