Voyage Of The Frog

by Gary Paulsen

Hardcover, 1989

Call number

J FIC PAU

Collection

Children's/YA Fiction

Genres

Children's Books

Publication

Scholastic (1989), 160 pages

Description

When David goes out on his sailboat to scatter his recently deceased uncle's ashes to the wind, he is caught in a fierce storm and must survive many days on his own as he works out his feelings about life and his uncle.

Subjects

Sea stories

Survival Fiction

Uncles Fiction

User reviews

LibraryThing member SadieReads

The Voyage of the Frog is the adventure of David, a fourteen-year-old boy who gets lost at sea when he takes his departed uncle's sailboat, The Frog, out to scatter his remains. Not long after laying his uncle to rest, David finds himself in the middle of a savage storm that knocks him unconscious

and sails the boat hundreds of miles from the Ventura port. While out to sea, David faces becalmed waters, sharks, whales, and the fear of running out of food and drinking water. Things turn around once the wind picks up again and David is able to attempt to sail home. A smaller storm hits again, but David and The Frog fare better, and David realizes that he has sailed all the way to Baja. Finally knowing where he is, David once again sets sail for home. He meets up with a whale research ship that offers to take him home, but David refuses to leave The Frog. As the story ends, we lave David on the ocean, making his final approach home.

Having read Hatchet to my students every year for the past five years, I found many parallels between Hatchet and The Voyage of the Frog. I'm sorry to say, this did not improve my opinion of this story. David could very well have been Hatchet's Brian, only lost at sea rather than lost in the Canadian wilderness. The same themes of damage and assessment, hunger and rationing, nearly found but left stranded, and survival based on luck and one's own determination were prevalent in both stories. The main character in each story also found himself in his particular situation because of an unfortunate event in his life that took place before the story began. Although David faced one danger after another in rather quick succession, I didn't really feel the thrill of adventure from this writing. Perhaps I would have liked the story better if I had not read Hatchet.

This book would appeal mostly to 6th and 7th grade boys. The idea of a middle schooler who has to survive on his own out in the pacific ocean is intriguing. There is also one point in the story in which David reads his uncle's journal which states that one day Uncle Owen "made love" to his girlfriend on the boat.

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LibraryThing member ksr611

this is a great book

LibraryThing member SarahRamon1416

The Voyage Of The Frog is a book telling a story about a boy, David, who took his Uncles boat out to sea. His Uncles dying wish was for David to sail as far out from shore to where he couldn't see anything but water. And to dump his ashes. The very night David's uncle died, David set out. He sailed

for hours waiting for the perfect spot. What David hadn't realized was there might not be a way for him to get back. The wind dyed down and David was stuck out in the middle of nowhere. A terrible storm attacked the boat and almost killed David. Along with a shark attack. David was out at sea for 6 months trying to keep alive. His parents were freaking out worrying about him. Finally a whale tracker boat spotted his and saved David. He climbed aboard and was taken back to his family completely greatful.

Honestly i would not recommend this book to anyone. Its pretty alright but nothing REALLY catches your eye. Sure, his boat is attacked by a giant shark and there was a terrible storm but a lot of ppl have already heard stories about boat attacks and nearly dying. Nothing really stood out in my opinion. Another thing that was aggravating was the author kept talking about things on the boat. Anyone that doesn't have a boat and doesn't know what every little string and screw is called on it would be completely lost. Like me for instance. Many times he just rambled on about a rail and stuff i can't even remember the name for.

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LibraryThing member Jecia.Woodard

The voyage of the frog is about a 14 year-old boy named David who sets out on a journey to dump his uncle's ashes on a boat called the Frog. During this journey, David faces many dangers and difficulties like: sharks, whales and no food. His uncle was the one who taught David about the things on

the Frog.

My opinion about this book is that it is an interesting book and very adventurous but half of the things David was doing or saying I could not understand. Most of the word in the book hand to deal with a boat and I knew nothing about the boat or about anything he was doing.All i knew was that he was trying to fix the boat and get back home.

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LibraryThing member Andre.cbec6671

This book is about a boy who has an uncle that died. He told hom to to have him cremated and have his ashes thrown into the sea. So far out that you can't see land anywhere. He wants his nephew to do it, but he's only fourteen. His uncle tells him thats how old he was when he first got on a boat.

He's had that boat a long time, and he called it "The Frog." His nephew agrees to do it, unaware of the risks that await him.

I thought this story was cool, because one part might be calm, and the next one might be filled with peril. I don't I could've put up with the struggles that the boy faced. The boy dumps the ashes without too much trouble, but on his way back he hits a storm and gets lost. Things on the boat were damaged, and he lost some food and water as well. He tries to presevre it as much as he can, trying to stay alive. Eventually he ends up in Southern California, hundreds of miles from where he started. He reaches land by a whale-watching science research station, and they offer to take the boy back home. He refuses, asking only for something to navigate home. He makes it home safely on The Frog and gets to see his parents again.

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LibraryThing member SharonWillett

Fourteen-year-old David Alspeth inherits a twenty-two foot sailboat named Frog from his Uncle Owen. His uncle teaches him to sail and instills in him a love for the ocean. Before Owen dies of a brain tumor he asks David to go alone out to sea to distribute his ashes.

Less than a week later David

prepares to do his uncle's bidding but doesn't adhere to the rules of caution he's been taught. He leaves on a whim in the late afternoon without checking the weather forecast. A storm, shark, whales, and lack of food all contribute in making the burial a life changing event.

This book is an enjoyable and quick read from the time tested author, Gary Paulsen, who's been writing for young people since 1959. His award winning books hold the reader's interest with action, adventure, and an innate sense of knowing what will move us.

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LibraryThing member JohnS.B4

A fourteen year old boy named David, has just inherited Frog, a small sailboat, from his favorite uncle Owen, dead of a rare cancer. Owens’s last wish is for David is that he scatter his ashes in the ocean using the Frog and alone and out of sight of the southern California coast. During

David’s trip he is caught by a sudden storm and knocked out by the boom. After a series of events and near-death experiences David confident with the frog and begins to almost feel one with the Frog. Surviving many extraordinary experiences some of which came very close to death. Anywhere from Killer whales to a near collision with a massive oil tanker. As the flame of David’s hope began to dwindle, he encounters a research ship and learns he has been assumed dead after a long intense search for him he asks for supplies but when faced with the ride home but which would result in having to leave the Frog at sea, but decides to make his way home alone with the Frog and him as one . Though David encounters plenty of life-threatening situations, there's never real doubt that he will survive. The astonishing as well as inspiring part of this story is how he is able to cope with the depression of mourning for his Uncle Owen as well as coping with all of the physical challenges that continue to build barriers that he is able to knock down. As he acquires Owens’s love for the Frog and the vast ocean. David also begins to assumes some of Owens’s interest he would have never thought about for example, his thirst for knowledge, and his respect for the natural world.
I would highly recommend this inspiring journey to anyone who enjoys a beautiful story of survival . I gave this book five stars for many reasons. This book features ornate descriptions of how the Frog was sailed. Throughout the adventurous vivid description and the realistic emotion blend perfectly to create one of my favorite stories I have ever read. The book The voyage of the frog is worth no less than five stars.

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LibraryThing member jjmcgaffey

Interesting story - a very realistic depiction of being lost at sea. David isn't really a sailor - he's been out a few times, helping his uncle - when the voyage starts; he knows, more or less, what needs doing but it's not part of him. By the end, it is - he's a real sailor. He's extremely lucky

several times, but it doesn't feel like author fiat, just the way things can happen. Some of the descriptions are amazing - a couple sunsets, in particular. Lovely story.

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LibraryThing member fuzzi

A riveting tale of a young man who takes his deceased uncle's sailing boat out beyond sight of the land, in order to fulfill a promise, and meets more than he ever imagined.

I'm tempted to give this one four stars.

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