Wild Boy

by James Lincoln Collier

In this rousing coming-of-age story set on the American frontier, one ornery twelve-year-old has a lot to learn if he's to survive his new life as a mountain man. Having run away after hitting Pa in a bout of rage, Jesse decides to fend for himself. Too much uncontrollable anger and inexplicable emotion since Ma went away have taken their toll. All he wants now is to be left alone. At first, every day on the mountain is a struggle. Beset by hunger and cold, fear and loneliness, Jesse stubbornly and defiantly refuses to concede defeat. Gradually, he learns to hunt, to skin and cure animal pelts, to build a cabin … all skills necessary to life in the wilderness. He takes on a mad mountaineer and even helps kill a bear. In so doing, Jesse slowly gains confidence and insight beyond his years. "I was watching me turn myself into a mountain man." An action-packed adventure proves a provocative voyage of self-discovery as one young boy observes the best and worst in nature, people, and himself.

Genres: Survival, Historical, Fiction

125 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2002

About the author

James Lincoln Collier (born June 27, 1928) is a journalist, author, and professional musician.

Collier's notable literary works include My Brother Sam Is Dead (1974), a Newbery Honor book that was also named a Notable Children's Book by the American Library Association and nominated for a National Book Award in 1975. He also wrote a children's book titled The Empty Mirror (2004), The Teddy Bear Habit (1967), about an insecure boy whose beatnik guitar teacher turns out to be a crook, and Rich and Famous (1975), sequel to The Teddy Bear Habit. His list of children's books also includes Chipper (2001), about a young boy in a gang. His writings for adults include numerous books on jazz, including biographies of Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman and Duke Ellington. He has also contributed entries on jazz-related subjects to the Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians.

In addition to his writing, Collier is an accomplished jazz musician who plays the trombone professionally.

Reviews

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a wonderful book and certainly not your typical coming-of-age story. I would reccomend this for any man or boy and particularly those who struggle with anger issues or a sense of not belonging.

[Landon Binfet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought that this book was great. It was fiction but it was still vary reel. It's about a kid that goes up into the mountains to get away from people. He ends up finding it's not as easy as he thought. He ends up meeting a mountain man named Larry And they go on lots of Adventures. All at the same time he is still wondering about his mom. He keeps getting weird flashbacks of something that happened but he does not now what. He ends up almost killing a man for burning down his cabin. At the end he ends up learning that he is not old enough yet And goes back home To his Pa house's . Overall this book was really good.

[Miss Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

gr 5-8 159 pgs.


??, frontier West Coast ?. For as long as he remembers, 12 year old Jesse has had trouble controlling his temper. When ends up hitting his father, Jesse runs away and decides to live as a mountain man.

If you're looking for a good story of a father and son resolving their differences, I would recommend William Durbin's "Blackwater Ben". In comparison, I thought "Wild Boy" was a little disappointing..

[BarbaraNathalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is wonderful for young boys! Ages seven to eleven.