The River
by Gary Paulsen
★ Top 25 book of 1991 · #16 on Best Books of 1991
After surviving alone in the wild for fifty-four days, fifteen-year-old Brian has been deeply changed by the ordeal. Scientists now ask him to face a similar experience so they can study the psychology of survival.
Best for: Teen readers who like wilderness survival stories and tests of endurance
The River is #16 on BookWard's Best Books of 1991, out of 23 1991 books that cleared our data bar.
What The River is about
Brian Robeson, the boy who survived alone in the Canadian wilderness in Hatchet, is asked to do it again. This time the government hires him to live in the woods so the military can learn his survival methods. A government psychologist, Derek Holtzer, goes with him, and Brian insists they leave behind all supplies except a knife and an emergency radio.
Then lightning strikes the camp. Derek is knocked into a coma and the radio is destroyed, leaving Brian responsible for both of them. His only hope is a raft and a 100-mile trip downriver to Brannock's Trading Post, with rapids, exhaustion and an unfamiliar landscape in his way.
This second book in the Hatchet series is spare and fast-moving, and it will suit young readers who like stories about resourcefulness, self-reliance and staying calm when everything goes wrong.
The River on the Best Books of 1991
The River came out in 1991. Of the 23 books first published in 1991 that met BookWard's data bar, it ranks #16 on our Best Books of 1991 list.
Why it made the list: 183 readers have shelved it on Open Library. The list ranks each year’s books on how many readers have picked them up, how highly readers rate them, and how many are reading them right now.
Nearby on the 1991 list
- The Girlfriend Robert Lawrence Stine, #14
- Women on Top Nancy Friday, #15
- Maus II Art Spiegelman, #17
- The Gift of Loving Patricia Wilson, #18
See all Best Books of 1991 Best books by year
More years: Best Books of 1990 Best Books of 1992.
The numbers behind it
- Readers: 146 want to read it, 11 are reading it now and 26 have read it, according to Open Library.
| Signal | This book (0 to 100) | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Reach | 35 | 55% |
| Reader love | 30 | 25% |
| Being read right now | 52 | 20% |
Questions about The River
When was The River published?
The River by Gary Paulsen was first published in 1991.
Was The River one of the best books of 1991?
The River is #16 on BookWard's Best Books of 1991, out of 23 1991 books that cleared our data bar. 183 readers have shelved it on Open Library.
Why is The River on the Best Books of 1991 list?
183 readers have shelved it on Open Library.
More of the best books of 1991
- Outlander Diana Gabaldon, #1
- Needful Things Stephen King, #2
- American Psycho Bret Easton Ellis, #3
- Shiloh Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, #4
- The Firm John Grisham, #5
- Reaper Man Terry Pratchett, #6
See the full Best Books of 1991, the Top 100, or new books on Rising.
How we know
This page uses public data: Open Library reader counts and ratings, and Wikipedia page views for recent years. The description is paraphrased from real source text. Rankings reflect reading interest, not quality or sales, and can be affected by data gaps. Lists update monthly.
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