Found

by Joseph Bruchac

A teenage survival expert finds all his skills tested as he's pursued through the Canadian wilderness by men determined to silence him. On his way to teach at Camp Seven Generations, a Native outdoor school, Nick witnesses a murder and then is thrown off a train. Remembering and using the teachings of his Abenaki elders will prove to be the difference between life and death for him. Although his pursuers have modern technology to help them, Nick has something even more useful. In addition to the skills he's learned, he has an ally in the natural world around him. Found, like the famous story "The Most Dangerous Game," is a tale that focuses on being hunted until a way can be found to become the hunter.

Genres: Young Adult, Survival, Nature, Suspense, Middle Grade, Thriller, Adventure

120 pages, Paperback

Published January 28, 2020

About the author

Joseph Bruchac lives with his wife, Carol, in the Adirondack mountain foothills town of Greenfield Center, New York, in the same house where his maternal grandparents raised him. Much of his writing draws on that land and his Abenaki ancestry. Although his American Indian heritage is only one part of an ethnic background that includes Slovak and English blood, those Native roots are the ones by which he has been most nourished. He, his younger sister Margaret, and his two grown sons, James and Jesse, continue to work extensively in projects involving the preservation of Abenaki culture, language and traditional Native skills, including performing traditional and contemporary Abenaki music with the Dawnland Singers.

He holds a B.A. from Cornell University, an M.A. in Literature and Creative Writing from Syracuse and a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the Union Institute of Ohio. His work as a educator includes eight years of directing a college program for Skidmore College inside a maximum security prison. With his wife, Carol, he is the founder and Co-Director of the Greenfield Review Literary Center and The Greenfield Review Press. He has edited a number of highly praised anthologies of contemporary poetry and fiction, including Songs from this Earth on Turtle's Back, Breaking Silence (winner of an American Book Award) and Returning the Gift. His poems, articles and stories have appeared in over 500 publications, from American Poetry Review, Cricket and Aboriginal Voices to National Geographic, Parabola and Smithsonian Magazine. He has authored more than 70 books for adults and children, including The First Strawberries, Keepers of the Earth (co-authored with Michael Caduto), Tell Me a Tale, When the Chenoo Howls (co-authored with his son, James), his autobiography Bowman's Store and such novels as Dawn Land, The Waters Between, Arrow Over the Door and The Heart of a Chief. Forthcoming titles include Squanto's Journey (Harcourt), a picture book, Sacajawea (Harcourt), an historical novel, Crazy Horse's Vision (Lee & Low), a picture book, and Pushing Up The Sky (Dial), a collection of plays for children. His honors include a Rockefeller Humanities fellowship, a National Endowment for the Arts Writing Fellowship for Poetry, the Cherokee Nation Prose Award, the Knickerbocker Award, the Hope S. Dean Award for Notable Achievement in Children's Literature and both the 1998 Writer of the Year Award and the 1998 Storyteller of the Year Award from the Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers. In 1999, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Native Writers Circle of the Americas.

As a professional teller of the traditional tales of the Adirondacks and the Native peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, Joe Bruchac has performed widely in Europe and throughout the United States from Florida to Hawaii and has been featured at such events as the British Storytelling Festival and the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesboro, Tennessee. He has been a storyteller-in-residence for Native American organizations and schools throughout the continent, including the Institute of Alaska Native Arts and the Onondaga Nation School. He discusses Native culture and his books and does storytelling programs at dozens of elementary and secondary schools each year as a visiting author.

Reviews

[Sherry Guice · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great book for reluctant reader boys...lots of Gary Paulsen-like wilderness/survival details...very short and action packed with short chapters.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fast read that I enjoyed except I thought the ending came on rather quickly. If you’re into survival stories, this one is for you.

Traveling on a train, Nick is headed to summer camp, when he witnesses a tragic event en route to his destination. With only his small bag with him, Nick has a change of plans, when he’s suddenly thrown off the train. Relying on his skills as a survival instructor, Nick moves through the Canada wilderness with great precision and consideration. These skills are put to the test when Nick realizes that the individuals from the train are pursuing him and they’re wasting no time.

This was a fast, engaging read. Nick was a character I liked and enjoyed reading about. He respected the land and he planned out his next move. This wasn’t one of those far-fetched books where the character does outlandish things or the character acts stupid, Nick behaves and thinks intelligentially. I liked how individuals from Nick’s family would pop into his head as he was thinking or doing something, as that provided some information about him and how he felt or knew about an idea. I liked the idea of the rabbit stick too. As I said before, I think the ending was a bit abrupt for my liking. It’s a good, quick story, though. 4 stars.

[Deborah]

This is what a hi-lo should be--an exciting book with an adventure narrative. I'm choosing not to rate it because I personally didn't enjoy it, not being its target audience and having read it for work. But it executes is premise well and provides a lot of survival/action excitement.

What most sets this one aside is the representation. The way Bruchac discusses different First Nations validates a lot of readers who don't often see themselves represented, and can give readers who don't think beyond "Native American" a beginning vocabulary to discuss diversity within that category.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book for young readers and/or reluctant teen readers. It is really in the head of a young man forced to survive in the woods while on the run from a killer who is stalking and hunting him. Yet it's also about his thoughts and a journey into himself and finding the strength and knowledge to survive. This is a short book, so it gives students who may struggle with reading an easy yet also not dumbed down book to read. I enjoyed how Nick thought of his grandfather much, and what he had learned from him, as well as how he figured out how to keep focused on his goals.

[Julie Trapp · Rating 4 out of 5]

A teenage survival expert finds all his skills tested as he’s pursued through the Canadian wilderness by men determined to silence him. On his way to teach at Camp Seven Generations, a Native outdoor school, Nick witnesses a murder and then is thrown off a train. Remembering and using the teachings of his Abenaki Elders will prove to be the difference between life and death for him. [Amazon blurb]

Great book for reluctant readers. Fast paced, interesting and Nick was a likable character.

[Dawn Mazur · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nick ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time on the train to Camp Seven Generations that day. The grisly scene he stumbled upon will forever be burned into his memory, which is exactly why Dead Eyes threw him off the train to die. Saved from his imminent death by his backpack, Nick was momentarily relived. This faded fast when he saw Dead Eyes watching him and knew he would be hunted down until he was found. Nick will need to use all of his Abenaki survival skills and training in the fight of his life where he is suddenly the prey.

Fans of Gary Paulsens’ “Hatchet” will enjoy similar elements in this face paced, adrenaline packed and insightful novel.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

FOUND

A strong and likable main character, gripping adventure, and valuable life lessons combine in a well-written YA book quite suitable for all ages. I picked it up as light reading after something intense, but this little book deceives; it is rich in wisdom and story. Stay calm and think through problems, build shelter, find water, food, and allies (one very unexpected, but no, I won’t spoil it). Do the unexpected, give thanks for the gifts from nature, and you, too, may be not lost, but FOUND.

[Tala · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a GREAT quick, clean read for youth! Nick finds himself unexpectedly in the middle of the Canadian wilderness after getting pushed off a train on his way to summer camp. He has to remember all the teachings of his Abenaki grandfather in order to survive and escape the bad guys who are chasing him because he witnessed a crime on the train. Nick describes all the ways to survive in the wilderness and travel without leaving a trail. Very interesting and engaging thriller! A+++ 10+ on age and only 100 pages so not too daunting!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent hi-lo adventure tale perfect for readers in rural areas. Lots of info about hunting, tracking, and outdoor survival intermingled with #ownvoices information that might be new to readers about different First Nation groups in Canada. Love that the book is 104 pages (meets the 100 page deadline that some teachers have), the ATV on the cover, and that the chapters are short.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. It is less of a survival thriller than I had expected and more of an escape story. The mc draws on Native American tradition and connections with nature to easily move through the forest. The danger instead comes from humans who are pursuing him. Nature in this way becomes a refuge and aide. I really liked the story.

[JL Salty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super fast little read, adventurous, wilderness skills combined with parkour knowledge, tactical planning, Native wisdom. No profanity, very little dialogue; no sex.
Rating: pg for danger, adventure
Recommend: outdoor adventure readers. Short, small book: 104 pages, attractive to reluctant readers 12 and up.

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 stars

The perfect book for reluctant readers. Great for fans of Brian Paulsons Hatchet. Actually, if you take Hatchet & Alex Rider, this could've been the offspring.

I gave 3.75 stars because of the ending. The book just stopped. So much was left open. This has the possibility to be a fantastic read if it was just a little longer.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Survival story, quick read!

[Syntha Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick read, for fans of Hatchet

[Mrs P · Rating 4 out of 5]

On his way to teach at Camp Seven Generations, a Native outdoor school, Nick witnesses a murder and then is thrown off a train. All of his survival skills are put to the test.

[Erik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent example of a YA adventure short story.

[Janice Chapman Murray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice easy book for teens with a great nature survival story we all could learn from.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have several 8th graders who will LOVE this book. Can’t wait to recommend it to them!

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nick is thrown from a train after witnessing a murder. Can he survive in the wilderness? Will the pursuers catch him?

[Laura Steinert · Rating 2 out of 5]

Young YA level story. No chapter over 5 pages, 18 chapters. Interesting, but more appropriate for a Cub Scout approaching Boy Scout.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book for young readers who like adventure, hunting, or nature. I learned a lot about how to survive in the forest.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book for older kids and teens. It tells how to survive, when hunted by people in the woods. It was all pretty good except the climax of the story, which was very unrealistic!