Williwaw!

By: Tom Bodett

Narrated by: Tom Bodett

From humorist, storyteller, author, and the voice of Motel 6 commercials, here is an exciting middle-grade adventure novel set in rural Alaska. Ivan and September Crane, ages 12 and 13, are left alone for a couple of weeks while their fisherman Dad is away at sea. In typical adolescent fashion, they quickly proceed to ignore his only two instructions–don't run down the batteries on the portable short-wave radio, their only means of communication, and don't cross the bay to town. Through a series of bad decisions they find themselves crossing Bag Bay in their skiff when they are suddenly overtaken by a sudden and fierce autumn storm known as a williwaw. Ivan and September must use every ounce of strength, courage, and ingenuity they posses to keep themselves afloat until help comes. Williwaw contains rich descriptions of Alaskan geography and wildlife. Its likable characters and taut suspense will keep readers riveted until the last page.©1999 Tom Bodett; (P)2000 Random House, Inc.; Music: Shella's Pictures performed and written by Will Ackerman; A Child's Song performed by Will Ackerman and written by Will Ackerman and Samite Mulondo, (P)1998 Windham Hill Records; Cover Illustration ©1999 Wayne McLoughlin

Critic reviews

"This gutsy, believable tale will have readers on the edge of their seats."--Dallas Morning News

Extremely enjoyable book

This is one of the most enjoyable stories I've come across on Audible. Trying to soak up some books related to Alaska before a trip planned for summer 2013, and this ended up first on the list. Audio quality seemed a little less than on most other audiobooks I've listened to on Audible. This was more than made up for with Tom Bodett's delivery, and his engaging and accessible story. A great storyteller and I'll be checking out other works by Mr. Bodett in the future. A very familiar voice in the narration as well - if you've heard the Motel 6 commercials, you've bumped into Mr. Bodett. This is one of those books I couldn't wait to resume each time I got back to my mp3 player.

Starts out slow but, wow what a climax!

I absolutely adore Tom Bodett: his voice, his writing, his humor, & his storytelling.

I was very impressed with this long story about September & Ivan. Even though it started out quite slow & possibly even boring... Which I'm sure the author was going for - the day to day tedium of Alaska homestead life.

The climax brought tears to my eyes. Wonderful tale!

The audio recording isn't as sharp & clear as some of his other works but, it was well worth it.

Good listen for kids on a car trip

We all enjoyed this title on our last car trip. The main characters are children (12 yrs. and 8 yrs., if I recall) and the premise is suitable for all ages. If you're riding with kids, you might also take a look at Hoot, by Carl Hiassen. We enjoyed Hoot slightly better than Williwaw.

Poor production quality - good, not great story

This is not a series of stories like other Bodett listens I've found. It is a short novel that follows a couple of young kids who live in the wilderness of Alaska, and have to fend for themselves while their dad is away.

This was very captivating and charming, once you get passed the crapping recording quality.

My only real gripe with the novel is that the ending was a bit of a let down. It is a bit too predictable, and the kids act in ways that are out of character.

Still worth the listen, though. The ending wasn't horrible, it just wasn't great.

Suitable adventure for tweens!

Read and listened to this book a decade ago with my children and still enjoyable for kids today. Most recently I used this book in a 5th grade classroom where I was working s long-term substitute job. It was the perfect way to get them settled after lunch and recess. They were quiet because they WANTED to hear the story and always asked if we could listen to it "for just a few more minutes, please."