How Angel Peterson Got His Name

Paulsen, Gary. 2003. How Angel Peterson Got His Name. New York: Yearling.







Summary
This is considered a biography of Gary Paulsen. It is not his whole life story, but a look into his crazy teenage years. He tells about the many wild and crazy adventures he and his friends had while growing up in Minnesota. He goes into quite a bit of detail and his stories are all quite humorous.

Impressions

This book is laugh out loud funny. From the very first page the reader is entertained by these wild stories. He admits throughout the book that the stuff they did was really stupid, and that his escapades should not be repeated by anyone. He is such a gifted writer that he made a biography that was actually fun and entertaining to read. He writes about the crazy adventures in way that makes you "see" what is happening. He gets into the details by writing about what the person was actually thinking about at the time, and then ties everything together and turns it into a funny story. This book can be enjoyed by young adults and older adults! This is a very entertaining book.

Reviews
Publishers Weekly, 11/01/2004
"Paulsen once again reaches back to his northern Minnesota boyhood to recount his and his pals' attempt to pull off stunts that live up to their billing as "outrageous" and "extreme," even by today's standards. According to PW , "This collection will likely hook adults as much as young readers." Ages 10-up. (Sept.) Publishers Weekly, A Reed Business Information Publication

Booklist( December 15, 2002 ; 0-385-90090-2 ) "Gr. 6^-9. Every boy who is 13 or about to be 13 or who remembers being 13 should read this short story collection based on people and events from Paulsen's own life. None of them dies (amazingly), and even if Paulsen exaggerates the teensiest bit, his tales are side-splittingly funny and more than a little frightening."--GraceAnne A. DeCandido