Lost in the Forest: Wandering Will's Adventures in South America

Robert Michael BallantyneProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.1

Word count: 147K words
Chapters: 15

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Lost in the Forest: Wandering Will's Adventures in South America by BallantyneAuthor: Ballantyne, R. M. (Robert Michael), 1825-1894,Language: English, Class: PZ: Language and Literatures: Juvenile belles lettres, Release Date: Oct 31, 2007

Editor's review

This is a young-adult adventure novel by R. M. Ballantyne, telling the story of a boy named Will and his adventures in South America, continuing the author's signature themes of wilderness survival and coming of age. The book moves at a brisk pace with tightly woven plotting, blending jungle exploration, coping with unfamiliar environments, and character growth; it is both readable and conveys values of courage, resourcefulness, and teamwork. As a public-domain eBook from Project Gutenberg, the English original is freely available, making it suitable as an advanced English reading material for young readers and as an introduction for readers interested in Victorian adventure literature to the basic contours of the genre. While reading, pay attention to the protagonist's judgments and choices in difficult situations, and to the author's way of depicting the natural environment; because the book was written long ago, some ideas and expressions bear the marks of their era and should be viewed with historical perspective, with young readers guided to examine them critically.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Young readers with basic English who want to try original English texts
Fans of adventure novels featuring wilderness exploration and survival
Readers and teachers studying Victorian young-adult literature
Parents looking for English public-domain books for their children

Not a good fit for

Beginner readers with limited English vocabulary who need a Chinese translation
Readers who prefer modern fast-paced suspense or science fiction
Readers sensitive to the era-specific ideas in early adventure literature

Reading tips

First read chapter summaries to grasp the main storyline, then read closely chapter by chapter, marking new words and place names
Track Will's route on a map while reading to enhance spatial understanding
After finishing, review the key judgments behind each of the protagonist's narrow escapes and make brief notes
Parents or teachers can guide discussion of the era-marked ideas expressed in the book

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

What age of children is this book suitable for?

Judging by the subject matter, it suits young readers from upper elementary to middle school, but they need some English foundation. Younger readers are advised to read with a parent or use a simplified version; the English original is better suited to readers who can already read chapter books independently, and the specific choice should also take the child's actual language level into account.

There is no Chinese translation; can I read it if my English is not good?

The original is a public-domain English book; the language is generally plain, but there are still many descriptive words and period expressions. Readers with a weak English foundation can first use a dictionary or bilingual reading tools, or start with a simplified retelling; if you only want to understand the story, you can also look for other versions and need not insist on reading the original.

Does the book contain outdated ideas?

As a nineteenth-century adventure novel, its depictions of exotic environments and local people may carry the perspectives and prejudices of that era. When reading, it is advisable to maintain a critical awareness and treat it as material for understanding Victorian adventure literature rather than as an objective description of South America.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Robert Michael Ballantyne Author · United Kingdom · 1825–1894

Robert Michael Ballantyne (1825–1894) was a Scottish writer of children's literature, born in Edinburgh. At sixteen he went to Canada and worked for the Hudson's Bay Company for six years, an experience that later supplied material for his adventure stories; after returning to Scotland in 1847 he devoted himself to writing and produced more than a hundred adventure novels, of which ninety-seven are held in this collection. His representative works include The Coral Island, The Dog Crusoe and his Master, Black Ivory, The Lighthouse and Martin Rattler, mostly drawing on seafaring, desert-island and frontier adventure, with tight plots and solid detail that combine instruction with appeal for young readers. He was also skilled in watercolour painting. Public information on his early education and private life is limited.