Follow the River

Surviving Bear Island #2

by Paul Greci

When Billy and his dad are injured, Tom summons the courage to get back on the water to save them. This time, he must travel in a rickety old homemade canoe through the Alaska wilderness to get help. But it’s not just the canoe and the terrain he has to worry about—he’s surrounded by adversaries. Are his skills enough to fight them off or will his journey be cut short and Billy and his father left stranded?

Genres: Middle Grade, Adventure, Survival, Realistic Fiction

192 pages, Hardcover

Published August 20, 2021

Reviews

[Valerie McEnroe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tom, his best friend Billy, and Billy's dad are spending a few weeks at a cabin in the Alaskan wilderness. Billy's dad is incapacitated after a boating accident which leaves Tom with no choice but to venture out in a makeshift canoe to find help. Help is 150 miles downriver. Most of the book is about Tom's efforts to keep the canoe from getting damaged, coming up with fixes when it does and avoiding dangerous animals, all while a forest fire rages around him, making breathing difficult and breaks on land almost impossible.

Interspersed between these chapters are flashbacks describing the two days leading up to Tom's present situation, alone in a canoe in the Alaskan wilderness. There are quite a few references about an incident which occurred on Bear Island when Tom was kayaking in the wilderness with his dad. That all played out in book 1 and this is book 2 in a series. I would read book 1 first, even though it's not absolutely necessary before reading this one.

A great book for survival enthusiasts. I do, however, think there was way too much descriptive detail. Virtually no dialogue. Two boys in the canoe would have done wonders for adding that little bit of character interplay that makes a story interesting. That's probably why I always perked up during the flashback scenes which included both boys. The author appears to be an expert in survival. He just needs to tamp it down a bit.

[Candida · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was surprisingly realistic for the age group it's written for. This adventure story is reflective and moving. The main character has suffered so much heart crushing loss. His best friend convinces his family to go to court and open up their home to him after he loses his parents. We see how hard it is to be a child and at the mercy of others. His home is sold when his uncle takes charge of him and he is face a very big move...from Alaska to Michigan. He is able to convince his uncle to let him stay with his best friend and his dad on a camping trip for the summer. The trip is far from idyllic and he know has to face his fears and make challenging trip down river to find help for his injured friends.

[Critter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Billy and his father have both been injured and Tom must now journey to go find help for them. He has to sail down the river in an old canoe and faces many threats along the way.

I haven't read a survival story in a long time. I used to love them when I was younger. Tom is a very likable character. The book was exciting. The illustrations were fantastic. The only issue I had is that there seemed to be a lot going on in a few pages and it almost felt like there was a checklist of threats Tom had to face. Overall, I thought this was a great read and I loved the illustrations.

I would like to thank Move Books for providing me with an ARC.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Greci has written another seat-of-your pants survival story set in Alaska. Tom is journeying hundreds of miles down a raging river in an antique fabric-covered canoe to get help for his best friend Billy and Billy’s dad. Alternating chapters explain the circumstances that led up to Tom needing to seek help. Tom not only has to deal with a balky canoe, he must also escape wild animals and a raging forest fire. Warning: do not start this book unless you are prepared to stay up late to finish it.

[Sandy Sopko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another gripping Alaska survival story, in Follow the River, Tom must overcome his fear of being out on the water when his best friend Billy and Billy's dad are injured and need help a long ways upriver from anyone. Tremendous person versus nature and person versus self conflict with stunning Alaska as the setting.

[Heather Rauch · Rating 3 out of 5]

My 7th grader insisted I read this amazing book. It is a well-written adventure.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. Such resilience & raw emotion.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book out loud to my 12-year-old at bedtime, and he was always begging me for 'just one more chapter.' This book was written with reluctant and struggling readers in mind, and the pace and plot are just perfect for those kids. The story follows Tom, who is in a homemade canoe, racing against time and a wildfire to seek help for his friend Billy and his Dad, and then moves back in time to explain how Tom ended up in his current situation. We also follow Billy and his Dad in their precarious position, both injured, and lacking any kind of transportation or communication to avoid the wildfire that is raging in the area.

As an Alaskan who lives in the general area described in the story, this book has a special meaning to me, but should be equally accessible to anyone, whether they have knowledge of Alaska and wilderness survival or not. 'Follow the River' is a follow-up to Greci's 'Surviving Bear Island,' but can certainly be read as a stand-alone. My son loved this book and I did too. I work with the author and when I asked my son if he'd like Mr. Greci to sign his copy, he was eager. Can't recommend this book highly enough.