Paulsen, Gary and Jim. Road Trip. New York: Wendy Lamb Books, 2013.

So…I swore that I would never read a Gary Paulsen book. In front of students, I made that pledge. The promise was made not because I have any reason not to like a Paulsen book. How could I know? Our kids, boys especially, LOVE his work. So much so that they only ever want to read his books. Ever, in 7th grade, 8th grade, 9th grade, 10th grade, 11th grade…I don’t ever have to sell him as an author. Instead, I read all kinds of adventure, outdoor, survival books in an effort to stretch them beyond Paulsen.

Imagine my surprise, as I prepared my annual PA Readers’ Choice Awards book talk for grade 7 when there he was right on that list- Gary Paulsen’s Road Trip. I had to read it. Indeed, I had to confess reading to some of those older boys. They caught me. And I had to admit, I loved it! They took it pretty easy on me, only instructing me what Gary Paulsen to read next.

On a classic road trip to rescue a dog, Ben and his dad don’t start out having a very good time. First of all, Ben doesn’t relish being pulled out of bed at the crack of dawn on summer break with no warning. Further, he doesn’t quite trust his father’s ability to plan a good trip. As they get rolling his dad tells him that he has quit his job in order to flip houses. Oh, and by the way, they probably don’t have the money to send him to hockey camp. All this information before his dad’s truck even breaks down. I told the kids today that they end up on a bus; they gather an interesting cast of characters; and…a race might happen between a bus and a police cruiser. Like them, you’ll have to read the book to find out what happens. You should definitely read some Gary Paulsen.