This is a delightful book depicting the sensation & action involved in the bow hunting of turkeys. Geared toward a juvenile audience, this book is well written. If not a hunter already, it will draw you toward the total experience. ( )

As always we begin with the standard disclaimer. I entered the Goodreads drawing for this book but didn't win. However, after a brief and pleasant conversation with the author he was nice enough to send me a copy. It's further worth noting to start that I'm not 100% certain what genre this book belongs to. It strikes me as intended for a young adult audience so I will proceed to review it as if such is absolutely the case.

Pedersen's offering is a solid bit of writing. The author's style is simple yet engaging and communicates the details of his surprisingly complex topic very well. He also strikes a great balance by being explanatory without pandering or becoming tiresome about it.

There's also a wonderful message hiding in Pedersen's work. His young protagonist has a goal and he's not afraid to work tirelessly to achieve it. In today's world of instant gratification and, let's just face it, laziness, I wouldn't mind if all our youth all exhibited a bit more Shawn Buckner.

The only real negative I can see here (aside from exactly two typos) is that in some ways the hero is almost too perfect. Today's adolescent, for better or worse, has become a much more sophisticated creature that may expect a bit more balance. That said it's still a great contribution to the genre. I look forward to the next installment. ( )

On par with Hatchet, Shawn Buckner by Cory Pedersen strikes pretty darn close to the capstone of young adventure reading, and the story of a young boy growing up, in tune with nature. This book has themes of quest, and bravery, and even discuss the true values of hunting. I think it would be a good book for classrooms or libraries. ( )