User:Jgatens/sandbox

Plot
Canyons is a coming of age novel about two young boys. The two boys Coyote Runs, and Brennan Cole are separated by two hundred years. Brennan Cole is a fifteen year old boy from el Paso, Texas who has to spend his free time working in order to help his mom pay rent and buy basic necessities. Coyote Runs is a fourteen year old Native American boy living in modern day Texas. He wants to show the older men in his tribe that he is no longer a child but a mature man who can help himself by participating in the raid. Brennan and Coyote are brought together when Brennan finds a skull in a canyon while he is camping with his mom and her boyfriend. When Brennan finds the skull he takes it to his trusted science teacher, to help him find out who it belongs to. His teacher, Mr. Homsley does moot know how to identify the skull so he send Brennan to his friend Mr. Tibbets while Brennan is talking to Mr. Homelsy and Mr. Tibbets about the skull he hears these reoccurring voices in his head but he does not know whose voice it is or what they are talking about. Mr.. Tibbets eventually decides finds that the skull belonged to a young Native American boy who was shot in the head execution style by ranchers. When Brennan finds whose skull he has and what he is trying to say he comes home to find that his mother has called the police, because she found the skull in his closet. Brennan immediately packs a bag a heads to the canyon to put the skull back in Coyote's medicine place which is next to where he found it. Brennan spends two full days running from the so called rescuers. After Brennan puts the skull back in the medicine place he is taken back to his house and the voice in his head stops immediately and everything goes back to the way it was before he found the skull.

Reception
In 1991 Publishers weekly wrote that "Paulsen's coming of age story is remarkable for it's simple, restrained text." Review and React.com said, "This book shows the adventurous mind of the author Gary Paulsen." Kirkus Review noted that "The author uses poetic and semantic resonance...that dims the tale.

Adaptations
After reviewing the audio book of Canyons Peter Coyote.com said that the abridgement of canyons "does justice to the original story," and it "does not overload the listener." Publishers weekly wrote that the abridgment of Canyons "heightens the dramatic effect of the tale."

Style
Gary Paulsen received mostly positive reviews for his original writing style used in Canyons. Publishers Weekly wrote that "Readers with an appetite for Paulsen's blend of nature and mysticism will overlook Canyon's plot and find savor in it's spirit." SPPS HOME said "Paulsen's use of alternating chapters gets the reader to become more interested or involved in the book."

Major Themes
Canyons main or major themes have also recived positive reviews Random House wrote that "Two boys, seperated by the canyons of time and two vastly different cultures, face the challenges by which they will become men." .Groveland parks aslo mentioned another main theme in its review saying that "The bond between the two boys a century apart in time...grows as Brennan now searches for the final answer." .Powell's books wrote That during "a Grueling journey through the canyon to return the skull Brennan Confronts the challenges of his life." .ABE Books wrote that "Brennan know that neither of the two will find peace until the skull is returned."