Growing Inside Outside

by Thomas Hall

Anyone who loves the great outdoors will enjoy this book. It accurately portrays what a "real canoe trip" to the Boundary Waters is like, including the good, the bad, and the scary. Tom and two other teachers design a summer school class for junior high students called Growing Inside Outside. It includes a seven day canoe trip to the Boundary Waters of Northern Minnesota. The class begins with three weeks of preparation at a local lake before the teachers divide the students into three groups of eight students. They travel to a large group of lakes on the Canadian Border where they are outfitted with canoes, tents, food and camping equipment. During the final week, each group takes a different route through the Boundary Waters where the lakes are all connected by small worn paths called portages. Tom?s group, rightly named "The Red Duffers", starts out as strangers. Through rough waters, stormy weather, and losing direction, the group becomes very close. The four boys, four girls, and two chaperones become a community. After many adventures, campfires, fishing expeditions, and interactions, the masks come off while personalities emerge and individuals become real and open with each other. Chris, a leader among the students, and Tom become close lifelong friends. The book concentrates on characters, relationships, courage, and loyalty. When the trip is completed, lifetime memories and friendship emerge as a reward for this incredible experience. The students, chaperones, and leaders have grown inside, outside. All the experiences shared actually happened during the five summers Tom taught this summer school class to ten different groups of students. The chilling tales of adventure and warm tales of friendship all combine to make "Growing Inside Outside" a great read.

172 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 25, 2017

About the author

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