Winter Danger

Title: Winter Danger
Author: William O. Steele
Major Themes: Hunting, Pioneers
Synopsis: Caje Amis has been raised to live in the woods as a hunter, but when a hard winter sets in, his father leaves him to live in a tiny cabin with his uncle’s family.

I’ve read one or two William O. Steele books over the years, but I can’t say that I remember any of them particularly well. I picked Winter Danger up, thinking it would appeal to my brothers, and sure enough—it did! I can’t say as it appealed to me as much, but I’m also not the back-woodsy type my brothers are, and I’m not all that excited about the thought of hunting animals (or being hunted by other people). I will say that this book was full of adventure—something that I enjoy reading about, but not experiencing myself. So if you have children in your life who like adventure, this might be a story worth considering.

Caje Amis has hardly known anything other than tramping through the woods with his father, living off the land, and sleeping in whatever hollow tree or cave they’re able to find to make their home for the night. He has fond memories of his mother, and staying in a cabin with her, and if he had his choice, they’d still be there. But his mother is dead, and his reality—day in and day out—is often being cold and wet, going without food or on skimpy rations for many meals, and trying to find enough to survive from one day to the next. He dreams of one day owning his own snug cabin and farming a small plot of land, but that dream seems almost useless—pointless. All he’s likely to ever know is the life his father is teaching him to live…until one fall when cold weather arrives much earlier than normal. What will Caje’s father do with signs of a hard winter appearing around them? And with Indians on their trail, is there even the possibility of getting to safety before cold weather really sets in?

Of all the pieces that make up Winter Danger, I think the winter was my favorite part (even though I’m not sure that should have been my favorite). I can’t imagine cold such as is described in these pages—and trying to live with that many people in one little drafty cabin for months on end? That would be tough! What captured my attention about that winter was that it was somewhat reminiscent of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s The Long Winter…except the one described in this book was abnormally cold, not abnormally snowy. Caje and his father saw a horde of squirrels heading south, to escape the cold; later, as the winter dragged on, they came across animals that froze in their sleep, and later still, game hunting became difficult because so many animals had died from either the cold or starvation or both. I’ve never heard of a winter as cold as this one, but I feel sorry for anyone who could potentially have to live through such adverse weather conditions!

My brothers loved the adventure in this book—Caje and his father not only live off whatever game they can find, but early in the story, they have an encounter with Indians and barely escape being scalped. Then the long, hard winter follows, and poor Caje rarely gets a break. If you have children in your life who like a good, fairly realistic story, this could be a great choice for them. I’m glad I read it, although it isn’t the type of book I like to read frequently—I guess I’m not an adventurous type. Our family enjoyed it as a read-aloud, though, so perhaps yours will, too.

WARNING: Dang or danged is used in ch. 4 (twice), 5 (twice), 8, and 12; swore is used in ch. 4, 5, and 9; “great day in the morning” is used in ch. 5 and 7; “my soul!” is used in ch. 6; dern is used in ch. 6; “so tarnal hard” and “what in the nation” is used in ch. 7; “so almighty hasty” is used in ch. 8; and “by thunder” is used in ch. 10. There is a mention of Indians taking scalps in ch. 2. Someone is killed (graphically) in ch. 3, and someone else is shot (this chapter also includes people trying to run away from people chasing them). People are shot at in ch. 4, and several people die. A mountain lion almost attacks someone in ch. 9. Someone has a broken bone in ch. 10, and someone kills a wolf in ch. 12.

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