The story Dogsong by Gary Paulson is about a boy who goes on a difficult journey, across the arctic. He feels that the newer technologies and techniques brought to his village are ones that are not needed. When a friend tells him to go find his ‘song’ he leaves for the wilderness. He has only his dogs to rely on, and magical dreams tie his life and his thoughts together. The boy must learn to take care of his sled dog team, to stay alive.
The author did a good job ordering the events. Every idea led to the next, leading to an unpredictable ending. Every chapter was fluencial, and not out of order. This helped because every thought was clearer and wasn’t all crazy or confusing.
Gary Paulson should have taken out certain chapters. Some were boring and not needed. They just set for an exhausting story. Many areas of the book did not show an in depth idea.
The word choice was somewhat uninteresting for a seventh grader, but would be perfect for a fifth grade student. Many of the sentences started, using a subject-verb pattern.
This is a perfect book, for people who enjoy action-adventure stories. When factoring in the word choice, it is around an intermediate school level.