Sentries

Experimental YA literature was a hit-or-miss proposition for Gary Paulsen. A number of his works fit the category—Tracker, for one, as well as Canyons and The Rifle—but if any Paulsen novel should be called experimental it is Sentries, a highly stylized offering that attempts to be an atom bomb of a......more

Imagine being a teenager and feeling that your entire life as you know it is on the line. This is exactly how four teenagers from four different parts of the country all felt at the same time. Sue, a Native American, is living her life unlike her ancestors. Her dilemma is that her elder grandfather......more

3.5 stars really; surprisingly, David’s character was really well done, as was Laura’s. The war vignettes were surprisingly brutal, and I was a little surprised to see how deeply brutal Paulson was willing to go (although I guess I shouldn’t be based on what I remember from Dogsong). Sue’s chapters......more