Canyons

by Gary Paulsen

Two boys, separated by the canyons of time and two vastly different cultures, face the challenges by which they will become men.Coyote Runs, an Apache boy, takes part in his first raid. But he is to be a man for only a short time.More than a hundred years later, while camping near Dog Canyon, 15-year-old Brennan Cole becomes obsessed with a skull that he finds, pierced by a bullet. He learns that it is the skull of an Apache boy executed by soldiers in 1864. A mystical link joins Brennan and Coyote Runs, and Brennan knows that neither boy will find peace until Coyote Runs' skull is carried back to an ancient sacred place.In a grueling journey through the canyon to return the skull, Brennan confronts the challenge of his life.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Adventure, Realistic Fiction, Middle Grade, Mystery

196 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Gary James Paulsen was an American writer of children's and young adult fiction, best known for coming-of-age stories about the wilderness. He was the author of more than 200 books and wrote more than 200 magazine articles and short stories, and several plays, all primarily for teenagers. He won the Margaret Edwards Award from the American Library Association in 1997 for his lifetime contribution in writing for teens.

Reviews

[Chantal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a great adventure story. I liked it very much even though it is written for young adults. It has a great story in it and I couldn't put it down, I needed to know what the end would be. This book is one of the better written books by Gary Paulsen. Fast read for a Sunday afternoon!

[Josiah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two narratives, more than a hundred years apart from each other, unite in this lightly mystical novel that shows peace can find a person even after hope seems lost. Coyote Runs (an Apache living in 1864) and Brennan Cole (living in America of the late twentieth century) are both in their mid-teens. Coyote Runs rejoices when the elders of his tribe invite him along on a horse raid. The men wouldn't trust a child on such a delicate and dangerous maneuver; this is proof that Coyote Runs in on his way to manhood. His Apache brethren are skilled at swarming the camps of white men and making off with horses, but their luck can't hold out forever. A botched raid ends with several massacred Indians, and Coyote Runs is unable to escape the white men who unleash their retribution in the form of a bullet through his skull. All his potential to serve his tribe is lost.

Brennan and his mother live alone, though men have entered and exited their lives. Brennan is used to not having a father. His mother's latest boyfriend is Bill, a good-natured guy in charge of a youth group. Bill invites Brennan and his mother to come with the group on an expedition along the canyons, and though Brennan prefers solitude when he communes in the outdoors, he agrees in order to please his mother. He, his mother, Bill, and a bunch of rowdy kids sleep under the stars near Dog Canyon that night, location of Apache raids a century ago, and that's when trouble begins. Brennan snaps awake in the night in a panic, thoughts racing through his head that aren't his own. A misshapen stone is gouging into his back, but it's not actually a stone: it's a human skull with a large round hole through the forehead. Brennan knows removing things from a nature site is illegal, but something in him insists he conceal the old skull and take it home. Is he losing his grip on reality?

There's a tragedy behind the skull, Brennan is sure. His knowledge of Dog Canyon is limited, but John Homesley, a biology teacher at his high school, might be able to help. Homesley has little to go on but Brennan's conviction that the skull is important, but the teacher calls in favors and conducts his own research into the skull's history. It's a sad story of an adolescent killed because of culture clash, and Brennan is powerfully affected by it. The boy whose skull he possesses deserved better than to rot in the desert as food for predators and scavengers; Brennan doesn't know what he can do to set right the wrong done to Coyote Runs, but he senses his only chance is to return the skull to Dog Canyon and trust the Apache boy's spirit to tell him what to do. He'll never take life for granted again.

A boy needs a father, and if one isn't available, a good surrogate is crucial. Homesley is that surrogate for Brennan, a caring teacher who respects Brennan's mission regarding the skull even though it seems bizarre. Homesley's mentoring started well before Brennan's part in this book, when Brennan was at risk of not passing biology class. Homesley taught him a few quirky facts about beetles, then confronted him with a remark that changed Brennan's perspective: "I can't believe you don't want to know things." What else could explain Brennan's lack of effort in class? Brennan does care about learning, he just doesn't think he's capable of comprehending biology, but Homesley shows him that isn't the case. He also teaches Brennan about the arts, especially music. Brennan doubts he'll have any interest in classical music, but the swelling, emotional pieces that Homesley plays for him from his own collection let Brennan see the wonder he's been missing. "I didn't know...didn't have any idea music could be that way..." Much like the Foxman in an earlier Gary Paulsen novel, Homesley helps Brennan become passionate about learning, as a good teacher should. Education has minimal value if it doesn't incite a desire to continue learning, and Homesley has done his part to turn Brennan into a lifelong learner.

It's hard to keep track of all Gary Paulsen's books. Canyons isn't of the same incredible caliber as The Rifle or Woodsong, nor does it match the insight and intrigue of Hatchet, My Life in Dog Years, or Paintings from the Cave: Three Novellas. I'd categorize it alongside The Night the White Deer Died or The Car, philosophical novels with a dash of excitement and drama. I might consider rating Canyons two and a half stars, and I recommend it for fans of Gary Paulsen's stories about Native American culture. One can learn a lot from what he has to say.

[Kade Gulluscio · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recall reading this many years ago when I was younger, so I wanted a refresher.

It starts off a tad confusing ot be fair.
This story follows a native american boy by the name of Coyote Runs. The second part of the story follows another boy named Brennan who is trying to accept a new step dad. The main idea is that both of these boys are starting the journey to becoming a man. It's told in the 1860s and present day.

The book was well-written, and I did enjoy it.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Paulsen is normally a good writer. I'm not sure what was going on in this book. While I enjoy many of his tales, this one just didn't do it for me and the writing was kind of haphazard.

The story tells the tale of two different boys. One is Coyote Runs who has been invited to his first raid and takes place a little bit in the past while the Apache nation roamed the area. It is during this raid that he faces danger and so affects Brennan, the boy in the future's life. Brennan is a mostly self sufficient boy who is on a camping trip when he finds a skull. Not knowing why, he takes the skull home and strange things start to happen. He is determined to find out how to make himself stop feeling so crazy and believes the skull is behind it.

The characters in this book weren't really developed all that well. Their motivations aren't really explained and they seem to change their minds for no reason at all. Poor Coyote Runs is barely in the book at all before it is all turned to Brennan, and really, he isn't that interesting of a character.

The writing may appeal to younger boys but I wasn't taken with it. It was too rushed and things weren't explained enough. I liked the concept of the book but thought the execution could be better. It probably won't turn me off of Paulsen altogether; indeed he has some very good books out there, this just probably wouldn't be one that I'd recommend.

Canyons
Copyright 1990
184 pages

Review by M. Reynard 2011

[Karen GoatKeeper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two 14-year-old boys living a century apart.
Coyote Runs is an Apache boy yearning to be a man. To do this he must be included on a raid. The day comes when he is included on a raid into Mexico to steal horses.
Brennan barely remembers his father. He feels estranged from his mother and from most of life. What he loves to do is run, not for competition, but for the joy of running.
Brennan's mother has a new boyfriend who takes them camping in a canyon. The group of small boys on the trip are wild. Brennan withdraws to a space under a boulder to sleep - and finds the skull.
At first the chapters alternate between Coyote Runs and Brennan. Even so, the book pulls the reader along. Gary Paulsen is good at keeping a reader reading whether there is a lot of action or not. The book flies along.
This is a young adult book or older. The Indian Wars were not a nice time. The book is not gory but is definitely rooted in true events of that time.
I find the book haunts me. The ending is uplifting in a bitter sweet way. The book pulls on the emotions in excitement, joy, fear, exultation and more. It is an easy read in time and vocabulary. It is more emotionally.

[Mitchell Larkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Canyons is a book about two boys. One boy is named Coyote Runs he is 14 years old and the other boy is Brennan Cole who is 15 years old.The story starts with Brennan making a short story about his life and switches back and forth from Brennan and Coyote Runs. Later in the story, the switching ends when Coyote Runs gets shot in the head during his first raid that would, if successful, make him a man among his Apache tribe. However, he is shot by American soldiers and dies instantly. Almost two hundred years later, Brennan finds his skull with a bullet hole in its forehead and becomes obsessed with it. From that point on in the book, Brennan has sort of a special connection with the Coyote Runs' spirit. After talking to his old biology teacher, he runs sixty miles in a day and a night to return the skull to the top of a canyon - a place Coyote Runs calls his “medicine place." After a grueling run and a chase by Brennan's search party, he gets Coyote Runs' skull back to the medicine place, this is at the end of the book.

[Jayelee · Rating 3 out of 5]

?? Eh, hmmmm.. ehhhhhhhhhhhh, meh.

[Mazzou B · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very well-written (as with all of Gary Paulsen's works) but I didn't like the Native American Spiritualism. In fact, the whole plot of this book centers around a modern-day (when the book was penned) boy trying to bring a skull back to its final resting spot as the spirit desires. IN the end, the spirit finally gets to depart.... not my kind of book, thank you. But as I said, it was beautifully written.

[Raymond Angana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book. Light read.

[Eric Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

So gripping and powerful.

[Maddox Rebling · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an amazing book. I encourage others to read Gary Paulsen's books. This is a good book to start with.

[tim Skaggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a new fan of Gary Paulsen after this.

[Orry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought that "Canyons" by Gary Paulsen started out confusing but ended up being a good book. The way the story is told confused me because of the way it changed every chapter. The most important thing I learned from the book is that if you only have one parent that it is ok to accept change like a soon to be step dad.

"Canyons" starts out telling the story of an Native American boy that is becoming a man. The boys name is Coyote Runs, who has to go on a raid with the tribe to bring back horses before he becomes a man. "Canyons" goes back and forth between two parts of the story. The second part of the story is about a boy named Brennan who is on a camping trip with
his mom and her boyfriend, Bill, and siblings. While camping Brennan finds a skull when he lays down to try to sleep. Coyote was alive during the 1860's and Brennan is alive during present day. Brennan tries to find out information about the skull. Coyote was shot in the head by bluebellies during his raid in the same canyon Brennan is camping in. The canyon is called Dog Canyon.

Coyote Runs is a teenage Native American, Apache male or boy becoming a man. Brennan is a teenage Caucasian, white, boy that is also becoming a man. They both are the main characters.

"Canyons" starts out taking place in the 1860's. Then the story changes to present day. "Canyons" stays taking place in the same state of Texas in the city of El Paso.

The main theme of this book is about two boys that enter into the stages of becoming a man. More than one hundred years spans between these two boys' lifetimes, but there is a mystical connection between the two that leads to the discovery of Coyote Runs' death. Another theme with this book is having the lack of a father figure in life. Brennan lives with his mom and deals with her dating again. His mom wants him to really like Bill and accept him because she thinks he is the one.

I would recommend "Canyons" by Gary Paulsen to anyone who likes books about history. The book was an easy read, easy to understand book. Once I started reading the book it was not hard to get into the book.

[Trisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Short and Sweet of It
Coyote Runs takes his place as a man among the Apache as he goes on his first raid. Over one hundred years later, Brennan Cole goes on a camping trip where he finds a skull which begins a journey connecting him to the past.

A Bit of a Ramble
I first read this book way back in the early 90s, and I fell in love. I may not have remembered the story, but I still remember the feeling I had after reading, that hard to explain sinking feeling. Not "sinking" like bad, but sinking like good. A depression that the story is over, a bittersweet acceptance of the ending and an appreciation of the journey the story took you on. Few books truly give me this feeling, few books truly touch the soul. Canyons did that for me when I was a young girl, and I devoured many of Paulsen's other works because of this. And I must say that many did truly speak to me.

Obviously, I am a much different person at 31 than I was at 11, and that difference is certainly felt upon re-reading a book which was so moving. While I enjoyed the story, I didn't love it the way I did back then. I do still appreciate the same things about the story though: the feeling of a connection to the past, a connection to a place, the strength of a young boy's resolve, the beauty of an adult's acceptance. This is a simple story which feels epic. All of these things - which are way more clear if you've read the book - are reason enough to read the book, and I highly urge you to pick up a Paulsen if you get the chance.

Like The Giver, I read Canyons while feeding Madison Paige during the night. I think I'm going to pick up another Paulsen tonight for my next book...probably Hatchet as that one also touched my soul back in my pre-teen years.

[William Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought the book “Canyons”, by Gary Paulsen was a very good book. In the beginning of the book it tells about a young indian boy named Coyote Runs. He goes on a raid with other members of his tribe and they get attacked by soldiers. Coyote Runs goes up to a canyon and is killed by the soldiers. Brennon, a young modern day boy, goes camping at the canyon where Coyote Runs was shot. He finds a skull and learns that it is Coyote Runs and he goes on a journey to return the skull.

Coyote Runs is a young indian boy who goes on his first raid to become a man. He is ambushed by soldiers and killed in a canyon.
Brennon is a modern day young boy who likes to run. His family goes camping and he finds the skull and learns more about it with his biology teacher.

The setting is in the desert of Arizona. Half of the book is in the past with many Indian tribes, the other half of the book is present day. It is important because Coyote Run flees the soldiers in a large canyon in the desert. It also shows how good at running Bennon was because he had to run for miles in the desert.

I would recommend this book to everyone because it has a good story.

I would give this book a 4 out of 5 star rating.

[Mashfee Alam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Canyons, by Gary Paulsen follows the story of 15 year-old Brennan who finds a skull that belonged to someone else but from a different time period. The book starts off switching between two characters from chapter to chapter. This may seem a bit confusing at first, but because Gary Paulsen does such a good job on switching between character to character, the story flows very smoothly. Another great part of this book is the character development of Brennan. His view on the world and what he thought he was meant to do changed drastically throughout the story. The plot was also great with a lot of suspense because it would usually change from character to character in the exciting moments. This leaves the readers thinking about what will happen next to both characters so the constant excitement never runs out. The only negative side to this book was its confusing start. At first you have no idea what is going on but it all starts to connect and end up as a great book. Overall, I greatly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who likes books about suspense and adventure.

[Trevor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finding interesting items or objects while camping is a thrilling and exhilarating experience. The pure rush of adrenaline of finding something worthwhile and meaningful is an incredible feeling to have. But what if the object found was a human skull? In the novel “Canyons” by Gary Paulsen, published in 1994, Brennan discovers a skull while camping in the Rocky Mountains.
In the novel, Brennan is living life in El Paso, Texas with his mom, then it switches back and forth from Brennan and the young Apache Indian character “Coyote Runs”. As the story progresses, the switching ends when Coyote Runs gets shot in the head during his first raid on an American fort that would, if successful, make him a man among boys in his Apache tribe. However, he is shot in the head by American soldiers and dies instantly. The raid was unsuccessful, with the other members of the Apache tribe retreating in fear. Nearly two hundred years later, Brennan finds his skull with a bullet hole in its forehead while on a camping trip and becomes obsessed with it. From that point on in the novel, a mystical link connects Brennan's mind with Coyote Runs' spirit. After talking to an old biology teacher from freshman year, he goes to the extreme measure of running sixty miles in a day and a night through the forest and canyons to return the skull to the top of a canyon, which was the place Coyote Runs calls his “medicine place." After a grueling run and a chase by Brennan's search party, he places Coyote Runs' skull back at the medicine place, ending the bond and the novel.
One thing about the novel that I agreed with was how the author incorporated a massive amount of respect from Brennan towards the school of coyote run. Even though Brennan did not know who the Indian was, throughout the novel he did everything that was involved with the school out of respect for the sacredness and dignity of the Indian who once lived with that skull. One thing that was definitely researched by the author was how the Apache Indian tribe tended to attack American settlements and forts out of acts of anger and frustration, and if it was successful, it would make the leader of that read a prominent member of the Indian tribes society. This was an actual historical reference to what the Indians did back in the day to American settlements moving west.
The authors use of irony throughout the text was a critical asset to understanding the main character in the possible flaws he had and what happened to him throughout the story. The use of irony really helped me to understand the main character and also shed light on The historical references made throughout the text regarding the Apache Indian tribe.
The novel to me was something I would definitely pick up and read again and feel the same exact way I did the first time I read it. In all honesty, I was happy Brennan brought back the skull to Coyote Run’s sacred medicine place. He put himself and his safety at risk to do a good deed for a dead Indian 200 years ago he never even knew. If I were to recommend the book to anyone I would recommend it to my siblings or cousins who love the outdoors because they really like to read books about outdoors activities like camping and would enjoy a climactic and genuinely good read.

[Jaiden Wuori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! What an exciting read! There is action and an intense spiritual aspect that many readers will be able to appreciate. In this book, Gary Paulsen spends the first several chapters jumping between two different storylines: Coyote Runs's and Brennan's. Coyote Runs is an Apache boy in 1864 who is excited to go on his first raid. Being allowed to take part in the raid is a huge deal, and when he successfully helps with the raid and is given his own horse, he knows that he has symbolically become a man. Unfortunately, as the men make their way home, they are caught by soldiers, and Coyote Runs is killed. While these events are happening, we are also being introduced to Brennan--a boy living sometime in the late 1900's in El Paso, Texas. Upon Coyote Runs's death, the book shifts its focus from both boys to Brennan alone, but Coyote Runs is not completely gone. After finding a skull with a bullet hole while camping, Brennan feels an intense need to figure out the story of the skull. Guided by the spirit of Coyote Runs, and with the help of an old teacher, Brennan discovers the truth about the skull and the boy who it belonged to. It is hard not to root for Brennan as he pieces the puzzle together and fights to give Coyote Runs the closure that he deserves.

With a Lexile score of 930L, this book is suggested for students in 6th-8th grade. Personally, I would have to agree with this suggested reading level. With the story majorly focusing on a murder, I wouldn't suggest the book for audiences younger than 6th grade. There are also various other aspects of the books that may make it harder for younger readers. While the language isn't overly difficult, there are some references to certain land formations and other terms that may require some clarification. Additionally, the switching main characters and storylines in the first several chapters-- although differentiated with different chapter headings and fonts--could be confusing for some students. For those reasons, I would suggest that the book be used in the classroom with 6th-8th graders. This is a great book for teaching character development, and it is great for engaging students who enjoy thrilling storylines and/or historical references.

As a reader, I really enjoy connections made in literature. Whether it be a connection between two characters or the parallels between two storylines, I just think there is such power in connections. This book did a wonderful job of showing just how powerful connections can be. The bond between the spirit of Coyote Runs and Brennan pulled my heart into the pages. It felt as though I couldn't finish the book fast enough, because I just had to know how the boys' story would end. Then, as I reached the end, I was delighted to find many parallels between Coyote Runs's last chapter and Brennan's last couple of chapters. Those parallels really showed that the only thing truly separating the boys was time. I really enjoyed reading this book, and I can't wait to put it on my classroom shelf in the future.

[Wyatt]

Canyons by Gary Paulsen is about an indian boy named Coyote Runs and it is also about a boy named Brennan Cole. In the beginning of the book it is about Coyote Runs and his first raid and how at the end of it he got shot in the head by the Bluebellies. When Brennan was three his dad left him and his mom. In the book is fourteen and he loves to run one day he went on a camping trip with his mom’s new boyfriend in the same canyon that Coyote Runs got killed in and Brennan slept under the same rock Coyote Runs was shot in and in the middle of the night he found the skull of Coyote Runs and in the rest of the book he tries to find out who’s skull it was.
I think this book was worth spending the time to read because it is a book that is exciting and it makes you want to keep reading it. The most exciting part was when Coyote Runs was on his It was cool how it switched back and forth between the two stories and I think it was cool that in the book right when Coyote Runs was shot Brennan suddenly woke up and found his skull. That was a cool perspective to read it in. Also It was cool how Brennan who is living in the present and Coyote Runs who was living in the 1860’s connected so much. Some connections were that they were both fourteen and they both wanted to become a man. Coyote Runs’s skull also somehow connected to Brennan’s dreams and thoughts. Brennan's personality is a kind of shy kid who feels free when he runs and he loves to run but since him and his mom dont have enough money he has to work and mow lawns for Stony Romero. Coyote Runs’s personality is an Apache boy who really wants to become a man and have his own horse. This book is an exciting book.
People can be similar and connected even if they don’t live during the same time. Coyote Runs and Brennan lived at different times but somehow they connected and they also were the same age and they wanted to become men. So Brennan and Coyote Runs are connected. In conclusion, this is an exciting good book to read.

[Christian Owens · Rating 2 out of 5]

Canyons, by Gary Paulsen, was a very bland read compared to other reads by Gary Paulsen. The story involves two different main characters in the book in two different time settings. The first character to make an appearance is a young Indian boy named Coyote Runs. He’s quite an anxious young man, ready to conquer many missions and prove to many that he’s a man, especially to Magpie. Magpie is also a main character in the same time setting as Coyote a Runs. He’s an Indian leader who’s old but wise. In the other time period is Brennan Cole, whom lives in El Paso, Texas. Brennan is a young boy whom has no father. The only person who is present in his life, is his mother. She works constantly and makes just enough time to say hi to Brennan. Brennan really isn’t all that exciting. He’s a very bland kid who has had no real life. All characters in both time periods embrace for a remarkable journey.
Gary Paulsen made a story of which he thought would be a spectacular story to many. Now of course, I’m sure it is a spectacular to many readers, but this book didn’t quite catch my full attention. I believe the book didn’t start off too well, as it was very bland and dry. There was no real kicker in the beginning. The story slowly progresses and many events happen. Of course, some were exciting, but many others were not. The climax in both time periods really wasn’t all that exciting. There wasn’t enough guts to the story to keep my interests high. The endings weren’t what I expected them to be either. Again, it was very dry.
Overall, I didn’t quite find the book interesting unlike many of Paulsen’s other reads. The book lacked too much to keep my interested, such as not enough action, and even suspense. I myself would not recommend the book to someone who likes the story to take right off, as it takes quite a bit of time for that to happen in the book Canyons. I am not in any way, shape, or form telling you not to read this piece. You yourself may find it interesting, I myself did not.

[Josh Mattke · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book “Canyons” by Gary Paulsen has yet to be another decently written book by Paulsen. The book is slightly confusing as it goes, which I had to power read through, as it switches perspectives from two boys from two different cultures and time periods. Brennan Cole finds a skull that was pierced by a bullet. Which becomes one of his biggest obsessions along with trying to find out more information about the skull. When Brennan gets a mystical link that proves the skull is Coyote's Run. As Brennan runs along trying to find more information about the skull the book flashes back, giving other information and flashbacks about Coyote and another boy named Apache boy. Brennan understands that there will not be peace within himself, or Coyote, if he doesn’t put the skull where Coyote is buried. Throughout the book he leads an mysterious adventure that makes different hints and clues of where the actual grave site of this Coyote Run’s actually is. The book all in all was a decent read, as I had to power through the confusing twists and flashbacks that weren’t very well distinguished in my opinion. Brennan went through many places, hoping to gather information on the skull and get closer to the grave site, which eventually he did find and did put the skull back in the correct spot, so that Coyote and Brennan could both be a peace finally now that everything was how it was supposed to be in the first place, without a doubt.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

p.10 She did not dislike him so much as resent the burden she though he was; and he did not dislike her so much as want to relieve her of the burden.
p.79 There were the edges of something, some greater horror that he did not understand.
p.163 He had changed in some basic way.

A rather unexpected story line spices up the stew in this hidden gem of a novel. Much to my surprise, the novel dabbles in historical fiction as it relates to the Apache tribe.

At its heart, the novel is a coming-of-age story occurring in parallel characters who are from decidedly different eras. The reader is taken through a wild adventure, raiding Mexico and stealing horses, through the eyes of a young Apache, Coyote Runs. While the reader is delivered an action story from the southwest during the Civil War era, alternating chapters detail the life of a modern young man named Brennan, a young man who is growing up in El Paso without a father.

Arranging the plot and the story structure to mimic the desperate characters into a unified story arc is the most impressive aspect of this novel. The structure of the novel alternates perspectives with each chapter, so the reader bounces back and forth from 1864 to 1990, roughly. The comparison of the two characters continues throughout the course of the novel, until the two characters are fused into the same spirit.

A quick and interesting read with well-developed and executed plot ideas.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐⭐ I picked this YA read as a short respite between a self-help book and a rather gnarly read on Jack the Ripper I'm finishing; Canyons was a welcomed adventure to be sure. 3.5⭐ rounded up.

The story shifts between two timelines and two 14-year-old boys: Coyote Runs, in 1864, and Brennan, in modern times. Coyote Runs is an Apache boy who is excited to become a man by going on his first raid with his elders. Brennan, on the other hand, lives with his single mother and endures meeting and hanging out with her string of boyfriends. That's until Bill comes along, who seems to be an all around good guy. Bill invites Brennan and his mother to an outing near Dog Canyon, a nature site where they camp with others. From there the two stories of the boys become entwined after Brennan discovers a skull at their campsite that has a strange, mystical power over him.

The 👍 and the 👎: I liked the spiritual aspect of Canyons and the connection formed between Brennan's present and the canyon's past. His good nature, inquisitiveness, and determination aided in the adventure and was quite wholesome. That said, it would've been great to get more of Coyote Runs' story. Alas, short stories sometimes feel rushed and some characters come off as underdeveloped. Despite this, Canyons was a fun read!

61/100 2021 Reads

[Griffin Huls · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my personal review of the book Canyons by Gary Paulsen. I like books that are from two narrative points and come together to make sense. In every other chapter the POV switches from Brennan, a 15-year-old boy from the 20th century, to a 14-year-old, Apache boy named Coyote Runs from 1864. In the book, we later learn that Coyote Runs gets shot on a raid and dies instantly. This is around the same time in the book when Brennan finds the ancient skull belonging to Coyote Runs. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an adventurous fast read, that includes some history.
There were not a lot of issues with this book, I found myself wanting to turn to the next page quite often. The only thing that I had a problem with was that I felt like it took too long for the book to get its plot and for Brennan to work to return the skull. Other than that I really enjoyed reading the book. Definity is one of the best books by Gary Paulsen.
There are some things that you can take away from this book. The ending is uplifting in a bittersweet way. The book pulls on the emotions of excitement, joy, fear, exultation, and much more. It makes me feel like the book was trying to represent a complete or whole feeling. As far as a general theme I don’t think there was one. Definitely a great fast read with emotion and history.

[Dawson M · Rating 5 out of 5]

CANYONS,by Gray Paulsen. It took place on a camping trip in the canyons. The main characters are Brennan Cole,Coyote Run,Mr Homesley,Bill Halverson,tibbets,and Brennan's Mother.A friend had recommend this book to me.


Brennan and his mother and her boyfriend was going to go camping in the canyons. Brennan starts to fall asleep after playing all day and when he puts his head down he discovers a skill from a human.He takes it home the next day to examine ti and finds a bullet hole in the skill and asks his teacher about it and what he finds out is that it was at least 100 years old and that it was a young Indian boys. will Brennan ever learn the true story about the head?


At the end of the book Canyons it was interesting and all every cool of how he learned a lot about the skill. What the old Indian told him really got my attention and I wanted to learn more about it.''Oh great ,Brennan thought,another relationship''


I wouldn't say this was my favorite book but it was every good and i learned lots of things. I recommend this book to every one who loves action. Another great book is TRACKER,by Gray Pualsen.

[Noah Rapinchuk · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the book "Canyons" By Gary Paulsen, we see how mch drive Brennan has for finishing something that he started. We see this right from the beggining when Brennan has a job of mowing lawns. He has had this job for a wile now and this shows howdedicated Brennan is. We also see his motivation while he is running. He says "When I float. When I run and float. God, he thought, his legs felt like they had belonged to somebody else, somebody who never became tired, and when he looked down at them pumping, driving, and moving him foward they marveled him. From all the running, from all the daily running in the streets and up the hills they had become so strong he didn't know them." (8). This drive out of Brennan later leads him to find a skull on a camping trip with a bullet hole in it, witch belonged to an Apache tribe member named Cayote Runs. Brennan later realized after he takes the skull home, he notices strange things that begin to happen around him. Because of this, he thinks that the skull has something to do about it and is determined to find out more about the skull to stop him from going crazy.

[Miriam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Canyons is a—well, I wouldn't really call it fantasy, but...there really is no other genre that describes it. (Just know that if you read Canyons looking for a fantasy book, you'll be disappointed.)

While camping with his mom, Brennan comes across an old skull. It turns out to be the skull of an Apache boy who was killed by soldiers in the 1800s. Brennan can't get rid of it, and he figures out that a sort of magical link connects him and Coyote Runs (the Apache boy), and he must return the skull to an ancient Apache burial place.

I'll admit, the premise of this book didn't grab me at first, but as I read it, I found myself genuinely interested and liking it. It's pretty short, so you don't need to invest a whole lot of time in it; an afternoon or two is probably all you'll need.

One thing that annoyed me a bit was the writing style: there were a lot of really long sentences that I thought could have used some commas to make them more readable. It read kind of like a string of thoughts. I know most of the book is Brennan's thoughts anyway, but still, there were a lot of sentences that were more like paragraphs. Once I got used to the style, though, it didn't bother me so much.

So all in all, Canyons is a fun adventure book with a good main character and exciting ending!

4/5

[Daniel Kleven · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this one. 1. It's Gary Paulsen, so it's engaging YA fiction, interesting characters/development, and a unique style; 2. It's a fascinating story that attempts to be sensitive to Native American history, telling a story in which the "heroes" are not white U.S. soldiers, but the Native Americans who resisted them; 3. it includes a great example of the kind of painstaking historical and archival work required to tell a true story about history; BUT 4. ...

...

in so doing, the book engages in a kind of "red-face" where the white protagonists identifies himself with the Native American character from the passt, and even starts thinking his thoughts and living out his actions. It's interesting, but it also gave me some second thoughts.



That said, I have to keep in mind it was published in 1990, and judged by those standards, it's actually probably a pretty progressive book for a white author at that time. Even today, I could see the "Anti-CRT Alarmists" trying to ban this book for it's portrayal of the U.S. Army.

So yeah, interesting book. Definitely still a GP fan.

[Ellie T · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.7 stars - I liked it, but it felt like there was too little actual “story”. Brennan sets off to return Coyote Runs’s skull when I’m three quarters into the book, which disappointed me a bit. This was a really quick read for me.
The ending doesn’t completely resolve the story, because it leaves you with Brennan standing at the edge of a cliff in a feel-y moment, and then he goes back down to meet the police- sorry, I mean the rescue team. Personally, I dislike cliffhangers, and while this wasn’t exactly a cliffhanger, I still felt like things weren’t fully resolved.
I can kind of relate to the ending, where Brennan is sad because he feels like Coyote Runs isn’t with him anymore - the book describes it as losing a friend. For readers, it’s like when a good book ends and, well, it’s kind of like losing a friend. Because you just want MORE of the story!
All in all, I didn’t dislike this story, nor did I feel ‘meh’ about it - I liked it! But I didn’t LOVE it. I guess that’s what 3.7 stars is for, right?

[Jessica Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

The copy I have of this is old and crumbling, where two folds in the cover made it crack in half. Goodness bless Little Free Libraries and their random finds 🙌

There are some things I liked about this: that the main kid didn't have a bike, so he just runs everywhere, even if it's forty miles away. The old military reports of Apache activity described as "hostiles". That this was written in the nineties, so no one has cell phones or internet, and that the main kid's biology teacher makes him find beetles for extra credit. The high desert landscape, with the canyons and mesquite and cold nights of summer.

Otherwise, the story felt a little flat and forgettable, even if the main message was a good one.