35 pages • 1 hour read
The River
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Summary and Study Guide
Overview
The River by Gary Paulsen was published in 1991 as a sequel to Paulsen’s first story about Brian’s survival in the woods, Hatchet (1987). Paulsen wrote this young adult adventure novel in response to letters from fans asking to know what happened to Brian after his rescue in Hatchet. Later, Paulsen wrote more stories about Brian including Brian’s Winter (1996), Brian’s Return (1999), and Brian’s Hunt (2003). Paulsen drew from his own experiences in creating Brian’s survival in the woods, and he uses The River to pique young readers’ interest in nature. This guide refers to the Ember 2012 edition.
Plot Summary
After Brian Robeson’s 54-day survival experience in the Canadian woods, he returns home completely changed. He is no longer a typical teenage boy; he highly values everyday staples such as food and warmth and has a close relationship with his mother. When government psychologist Derek Holtzer comes to Brian’s house and asks him to do it again—survive in the woods—Brian initially believes that Derek is joking. However, Brian gradually realizes how much his survival skills, both mental and physical, could help others in an emergency survival situation, and he agrees to take Derek into the woods to show him how he survived the first Unlock all 35 pages of this Study Guide Plus, gain access to 8,900+ more expert-written Study Guides. Including features:
Related Titles
By Gary Paulsen
