He shares the beauty of the Arctic as he saw it during his trip down the Firth River on an eleven day rafting trip. Nick’s quick wit and knowledge of survival techniques save them several times but Hobbs also includes enough humor to keep the story from becoming a horror story. Middle grade readers will love the nonstop action. Of course, any savvy reader knows that the loathsome creature is going to turn up again in the story. At the beginning of the book, Nick has an encounter with a grolar, a huge bear that is the result of a mating between a polar bear and a grizzly bear.

Hobbs integrates the story of climate change into the adventure. His grandfather encourages Nick to go, and the trip turns into a survival story when their raft overturns, leaving them with no protection and no food. But his grandfather is dying of cancer, and he isn’t sure he wants to be away for weeks.

When Nick’s half-brother, a photographer for National Geographic, contacts Nick for the first time and invites him to go on a river rafting journey to see the herds of caribou, Nick is excited. In his remote Inuit village, he lives with his mother and his grandfather, Jonah, who has taught him all about the traditional hunting techniques. He’s fifteen years old and an accomplished hunter. In this story, Nick lives in Canada’s Arctic. His adventure books are filled with stories of kids and nature and survival. Visit my wide variety of Novels Lesson Plans on Teachers Pay Teachers, as well as my book, 'Creative Curriculum Extenders: Differentiated Projects for the Language Arts Classroom' published by Prufrock Press Inc.“Never Say Die” is Will Hobbs at his best. Then even went on to study the new species-the Grolar Bear. My students loved this story and didn't want to put it down. It introduces students to climate change and how it affects the animals and humans of the Canadian arctic. This is a suspenseful story about two brothers fighting for survival in the wilderness of the Canadian arctic.

This is a great choice for a thematic unit! It touches on global warming, the Inuit Indians of Canada and the decline of animals in the region. Teacher Tips for a Successful Book Discussion.ĜCSS Reading/Writing/Language Standards.Ě Student’s Packet (essential questions, vocabulary, projects/activities).Ě Teacher’s Guide (objectives, discussion questions, and answer keys).Common Core Standards for reading (literature) and writing are also included. Theme, Conflict, Characterization, Similes, Foreshadowing, etc.). They expose students to many literary terms and devices, used to make a story come to life (i.e. You get everything you need for the price of less than one novel.

Never Say Die by Will Hobbs