New York Times Best Children's Books of the Year Wall Street Journal Best Children's Books of the Year Amazon's Best Children's Books of the Year So Far Kirkus Reviews Best Middle Grade Books of the Year Publishers Weekly Best Middle Grade Books of the Year "Paulsen . was not only a master storyteller, but also a master world-builder . Wondrous . A grand and worthy journey." --Neal Shusterman, The New York Times Book Review "A voyage both singular and universal, marked by sharply felt risks and rewards and deep waters beneath." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review "Spare, survival-oriented prose keeps the reader immersed in scenes difficult and wondrous, offering a glimpse of the sheer awesomeness of nature, showcasing the beauty of the sea and its inhabitants, and regaling readers with a timeless and irresistible adventure that has resilience at its heart." -- Publishers Weekly, starred review "Call this posthumously published novel The Young Man and the Sea . [A] splendid story .

Beautifully written, it's classic Paulsen at his best." -- Booklist , starred review "[A] mesmerizing modern-day epic . The tale of man versus nature is as old as time, but Paulsen, who died in 2021, goes beyond the genre by exploring the complex perspectives of animals . Narrative devices like kennings and repetitious phrasing hark back to epic sagas such as Beowulf and the Poetic Eddas: tides become moon-currents, silence becomes non-sound and memories become thought-pictures. But possibly the most compelling aspect of the work is the lesson Leif learns along his journey: 'Don't go to a place. Go to be. Just to be.'" -- Shelf Awareness , starred review "What a gem .

This accessible, captivating adventure story is destined to become another Paulsen classic . An essential purchase for libraries serving middle grade and YA readers." -- School Library Journal , starred review.