Brian’s Winter

• Genre: Fiction; middle-grade realistic
• Originally Published: 1996
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 1140L; grades 6-10
• Structure/Length: 16 chapters; approx. 176 pages; approx. 3 hours, 11 minutes on audio
• Protagonist and Central Conflict: Brian, a 13-year-old stranded in the woods by a plane crash, works to survive the winter cold, dangerous animals, and loneliness in his makeshift shelter until he finally finds clues that lead to a cabin and rescue.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Danger, fear, death of animals

Gary Paulsen, Author

• Bio: 1939-2021; born in Minnesota; as a child, struggled in school but grew to love reading; on the path to become a successful writer, worked in hunting and trapping and took up dogsled racing; after serving in the US Army, became a corporate aerospace field engineer; became a writer of adult fiction, nonfiction, and plays, but most well-known for his young adult stories of survival, nature, and coming of age; awarded Newbery Medal Honor citations for Dogsong (1985), Hatchet (1986), and The Winter Room (1989)
• Other Works: The River (1991); Winterdance (1994); The Transall Saga (1998); Woods Runner (2010)
• Awards: ALA Quick Pick for Young Adult Reluctant Readers (1997); Arkansas Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award (1998); Iowa Teen Book Award (1998); Massachusetts Children's Book Award Finalist (1998); New Jersey Garden State Teen Book Award (1999); Tennessee Volunteer State Award (1999); Wisconsin Golden Archer Award (1999); Parenting Magazine Best Book of the Year (2000)