# The River

**Author:** Gary Paulsen
**Grade range:** Grades 5–8
**Age range:** 10–13
**First published:** 1991
**Page count:** 132
**Genre:** Adventure
**ISBN-13:** `9780385902212`
**ISBN-10:** `0385303882`
**Canonical URL:** https://readinglist.school/book/the-river
**License:** [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) — please credit ReadingList.school when citing.

## Themes

- survival
- nature
- courage
- adventure

## Where this book is recommended

### North Dakota Flicker Tale Children's Book Award

- **recommended** · 5th grade · North Dakota — [source: North Dakota Library Association — Flicker Tale Children's Book Award (student-choice; annual since 1978; Juvenile/Chapter + Intermediate + Older-Reader divisions); winner roll 1978-2025](https://ndla.info/Flicker-Tale-Past-Winners)
- **recommended** · 6th grade · North Dakota — [source: North Dakota Library Association — Flicker Tale Children's Book Award (student-choice; annual since 1978; Juvenile/Chapter + Intermediate + Older-Reader divisions); winner roll 1978-2025](https://ndla.info/Flicker-Tale-Past-Winners)
- **recommended** · 7th grade · North Dakota — [source: North Dakota Library Association — Flicker Tale Children's Book Award (student-choice; annual since 1978; Juvenile/Chapter + Intermediate + Older-Reader divisions); winner roll 1978-2025](https://ndla.info/Flicker-Tale-Past-Winners)
- **recommended** · 8th grade · North Dakota — [source: North Dakota Library Association — Flicker Tale Children's Book Award (student-choice; annual since 1978; Juvenile/Chapter + Intermediate + Older-Reader divisions); winner roll 1978-2025](https://ndla.info/Flicker-Tale-Past-Winners)

## Banned / challenged record

Documented removals or formal challenges in at least one school district in 1 state: TX. Source: [PEN America's Index of School Book Bans](https://pen.org/banned-book-list/) 2022-2024.

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_Generated from primary-source citations indexed on ReadingList.school. For the full HTML view with reading-list cross-references, see https://readinglist.school/book/the-river._