Winter Danger: A Mountain Folk Survival Story About a Father and Son for Kids

by William O. Steele

A harsh winter forces mountain folk Caje Amis and his father to take shelter with distant relatives . . . and changes both of them.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Childrens, American History, Fiction, Survival, Middle Grade, Family

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1954

Reviews

[Margaret Chind · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another finish today! We read this one in two days and, my goodness, the Tennessee southern accent was real! Ha, iff'n I be a Georgia girl born and raised I might've well used the natural skill. 😆 I think we are going to enjoy reading more William O. Steele books in the future. 📚

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though this book was written for children, I absolutely loved it. If you like Jack London, you'll love this book. It is simply and beautifully written. I want to read all of the William O. Steele books now. Furthermore, all of my family is from northwestern Carolina and surrounding counties, in VA, KY, and Tenn, and the book rings true and sounds authentic (unlike when someone who has never spent any length of time in the region writes a book and uses stereotypical "hillbilly" language).

I don't want to give too much of it away but it is about a boy and his father who live in the wilderness. Winter is coming and food is scarce. They are forced to enter Native American territory and they escape an attack. The father brings the boy to relatives where they stay for a few months. The boy, the main character, has never lived in a cabin or on a farm and therefore has none of the expected skills of a boy his age. The story is about his perceptions and experiences as he adapts to the family and new way of life, and his relationship with his father during this process.

I highly recommend this book to anyone 10/12 or older.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pioneer fiction/adventure.
Does include an Indian encounter. The author tries to be sensitive on the topic per the introduction.
Might be a nice alternative to the "Little House on the Prairie", good descriptions, boy protagonist, hunting and survival, as well as the idea of looking out for each other.

[Kelly Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read with my daughter for school - very suspenseful and full of adventure. Provided good discussion about how God puts you where He wants you for a reason, as well as generally caring for those around you without expecting anything in return.

[Chris Gager · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the first "real" books I remember reading. Very engrossing and challenging for a 9-10 year old.

[Danielle Hardy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good story for boys with survival, suspense, and courage. You can feel the cold.

[Anne Severn Williamson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super adventure story for young readers, especially boys, but girls might find the action and setting highly enjoyable. I own a signed copy from the early 1960's. Authentic details, great characters. Very influential for my own writing in later years, especially the The Fairy Lore of Ghost Horse Hollow series. Takes place near Chattanooga, Tennessee with accurate descriptions and powerful suspense.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started off slow but got exciting in spurts. If you look at it as a illustration of the life lived by "woodsy" men of frontier times in Tennessee and the settlers, it is a wonderful character study. Good for anyone over 8 who isn't sensitive (they talk about having to kill a horse for food, he gets shot by arrows, and his dad bashes the Natives head with an axe, just stating what happened and that there is blood, not gratuitious)

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A coming-of-age story, Caje hates the hard life he leads with his fiercely independent father, living as woodsies, trapping, hunting, and running from Indians in the wooded wilderness of early frontier America. But after an unusually cold winter forces Caje and his father to take refuge on their relatives' farm, he learns to appreciate the skills he has honed living on the frontier with his father, and to use those skills to help others.

[Chey · Rating 5 out of 5]

kept me on my toes

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great, well written book.

[Matthew H · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book is ok i didnt really get where it was going at the begining of it. i probiably give this book a 3 star.

[Candice · Rating 4 out of 5]

LOVED the setting and the family, super good read for winter :)

[Mason Howell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice little frontier story. Shorter than I expected. Would be a good listen for a family with young boys on a short trip.

[Debbie Means · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good story written for youth. It has some great lessons about family, friends and how we can care for each other without expecting anything in return.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

On the surface this is an adventurous story for older children, but underneath it contains a lot of life lessons. Lessons about family and community. We all enjoyed this quick exciting read.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story of a young "woodsy" (trapper) who is left with relatives and how he finds a way to be a part of the family. A bit of dialect. But enjoyable.

[Anna · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just wasn't that impressed. Half of the story is the boy running around with his dad (Jared)in the woods. They come across some buffalo, attempt to shoot one, but instead some random Indian guy tries killing the boy? Jared kills the indian, the two of them take off, and run from Indians for the rest of the first half of the book. That's when the title of the book comes into play; they run out of food, someone breaks a leg, and Jared disappears. I'm a lot older than the intended audience, I'm sure, so younger kids may find the adventure in it interesting. I personally didn't because the storyline felt flat and nobody developed their character.

Content:
Language: None
Sexy Stuff/Romance: None
Violence: character is tomahawked in the back of the skull, others are shot, one guy falls off a cliff. Someone breaks a leg. Animals are shot. Not very descriptive. The tomahawk incident was probably the most detailed because it mentions the sound of the tomahawk pulling out of his skull as sickening.

[LadyHague · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable! Read in one evening. A good “survival” type book…complete with hunting, hiking, gathering food & building shelter.
There does come a time when the weather wins and you come in…or die.
Father and son live alone together in the woods. “woodsy” folks. When the squirrels run south father admits it’s time to head for the settlement.
When they get to family there, it a major change in lifestyle! Father struggles and even though the boy, Cage, thinks it will be heaven, he finds it a struggle for him as well.
I don’t want to spoil it…simply say that sometimes when you learn what your parents know, it’s hard to recognize truth outside of that small circle.
Excellent read! Values, survival, Indians, cabin in winter, farm life. I can’t wait to re read to my children. Expecting it to be an easy 2-3 day read aloud.

[Esther Filbrun · Rating 3 out of 5]

My brothers love survival stories, so when I picked this book up off the shelf recently, I guessed they’d probably love it. Sure enough—they did! I can’t say as it was my favorite read ever—I found the adventure and danger a little much at times—but overall, it was an interesting read. And it made for a good read-aloud! The part I found most interesting was the description of the hard winter. I don’t know that I’ve ever read about a winter this difficult—I had to wonder if it was based on fact, or was just the author’s vivid imagination. If you have children who enjoy adventure stories, and like danger, this could be a good choice.

CW: A description of a man who was brutally killed at the beginning of ch. 3. I skipped a paragraph or two here when reading aloud.

[Dottie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the story of Caje, a woodsey boy, who was left with his uncle through a long hard winter. He learned some very valuable life lessons from his farm kin.

Jillian - 5/5. Favorite character - Dorcas, because she is the oldest and most level headed. Favorite part - when Caje realizes that the Tadlocks are his family.

George - 4/5. Favorite character - Burd, because he is funny and calm and persuasive. Favorite part - when Jared and Caje found the cabin.

Dottie - 5/5. Favorite character - Caje, I liked watching him grow and realize that giving and receiving help is nothing to be ashamed of. Favorite part - Caje teaching Sam how to cook bear toes.

[Andrea Maendel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this aloud to my 1st and 4th grader. Overall good read, though I have mixed feelings about certain aspects. The main characters are definitely a bit rough around the edges and I found myself editing a few words for my younger kids ears. Also, be warned that the overall attitude toward the Native Americans are stereotypically negative. Definitely a bit intense in places for my kids, but overall I would say they enjoyed the adventure aspect by the end.

[Trina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this aloud to my 10yo. Somewhat of a survival story, partly about what it means to be part of a family and a good neighbor. Pet peeve: it has "could of" and other improper uses of "of." I get that it is trying to show the vernacular of the people, but it sounds the same, they could have put "could've."

[Devon · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting book to read with my 8 year old. We both enjoyed it!

[Iron Man · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is awesome :)

[Renee Haug · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part of my daughter's 3rd grade curriculum. Really interesting look at life in the 1800s. I love how it shows the importance of family and community.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and exciting. The kids enjoyed it, I don't know that it stood out particularly, parts of it seemed bland, but it also had important lessons and was enjoyable to read, so we all liked it.

[Carter Lange · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was really boring....

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Caje and his pa are very brave,strong,and smart. Caje saved his own family by hunting. Came is so glad he didn't have to eat his horse.

[Ranette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this simple book about surviving in the winter way back when. Each family depends on each other and their hunting skills are essencial. Great for kids.