Title: Lost at Windy River
Author: Trina Rathgeber
Major Themes: Canada, Survival, Wilderness, Native Americans
Synopsis: This graphic novel describes the way a young girl survived nine days on her own in a frozen wilderness.
I have not read very many graphic novels. I liked the sound of Lost at Windy River when I saw the description of it, so I requested it—and then I realized what format it was. One evening, I was home alone for a while, so I opened this book, and half an hour later, I finished it. Quite an interesting story!
Publisher’s description:
It takes courage and bravery to survive in the barrens.
In 1944, thirteen-year-old Ilse Schweder got lost in a snowstorm while checking her family’s trapline in northern Canada. This is the harrowing story of how a young Indigenous girl defies the odds and endures nine days alone in the unforgiving barrens. Ilse faces many challenges, including freezing temperatures, wild animals, snow blindness, and frostbite. With no food or supplies, she relies on Traditional Indigenous Knowledge passed down from her family. Ilse uses her connection to the land and animals, wilderness skills, and resilience to find her way home.
This powerful tale of survival is written by Ilse Schweder’s granddaughter.
My thoughts:
Lost at Windy River is a great story of survival in the wilderness. Ilse was not doing anything she shouldn’t have been when she got lost; she was merely trying to reach home, but with young, untrained dogs. She had been doing what she could to help her family earn their living, and, through no fault of her own, got separated from them.
I liked most of this book. There were bits here and there that I didn’t appreciate so much, things that hinted at spiritualism. Though there was a mention of praying for Ilse’s father when he was searching for her, there didn’t seem to be any real concept of the God I know. Instead, several Indigenous beliefs were referenced. Rather than giving God the glory for her survival, Ilse states several times that she survived because of the knowledge she had before this happened. If my children want to read this book, I will let them—but I will make sure they think about that.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley, and these are my honest thoughts about it.
WARNING: Pages 57 and 58 describe a village of people disappearing. See also the last paragraph of the review.
Age levels:
Listening Level—Ages 8 – 12
Reading Independently—Ages 8 – 12, 10 – 12, 12 – 15
Links to buy this book:
Amazon: Paperback
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com
Leave a Reply