Books like The Car by Gary Paulsen
Neglected by his parents, fourteen‑year‑old Terry Anders takes responsibility for himself and successfully assembles a car kit. From Cleveland he drives to Portland, hoping to find an uncle he hardly remembers. Along the road a wise Vietnam veteran joins him, turning their cross‑country trek into an unexpected adventure of growth and discovery.
First publish date: 1994
Genre: Children's Fiction/Children's Adventure
Authors: Gary Paulsen
★
★
★
★
★
2.5 (2 community ratings)
How are these books recommended?
The books recommended for The Car by Gary Paulsen are shaped by reader interaction. Votes on how closely books relate, user ratings, and community comments all help refine these recommendations and highlight books readers genuinely find similar in theme, ideas, and overall reading experience.
Have you read any of these books?
Your votes, ratings, and comments help improve recommendations and make it easier
for other readers to discover books they’ll enjoy.
Books similar to The Car (19 similar books)
After a Cessna crash leaves teenage Brian Robinson alone in the Canadian wilderness, he must learn to survive, uncovering self-reliance and resilience amid a harsh, beautiful landscape.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
A solitary Chumash girl is left on San Nicolas Island and must learn to survive alone, mastering skills traditionally reserved for men while facing danger, hunger and loneliness.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
A young boy spends a year alone in the Catskill Mountains, learning wilderness survival, relying on nature and animal friends, and ultimately discovering that he cannot thrive without human companionship.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Brian Robeson faces an unforgiving winter after being stranded in the Canadian wilderness, testing his survival skills in a gripping, self-reliant adventure.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
A 15‑year‑old boy, transformed by a 54‑day solo wilderness survival, volunteers for another solo trek to help scientists study the psychology of endurance and self‑reliance.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
During the eighteenth century in Maine, a young boy is left alone to guard his family's wilderness home and must learn survival skills from local Indians before anyone else arrives.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Fourteen‑year‑old Kelly befriends Mr. Weems, a troubled, homeless Vietnam veteran who lives in her suburban library.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
When his village modernizes, 12‑year‑old Russell Susskit struggles to find his place. Guided by the shaman Oogruk and a dream of his ancestor, he takes a pack of sled dogs on a perilous journey of self‑discovery across Arctic tundra.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Lightning McQueen, a famous race car, discovers the importance of friendship in the quirky town of Radiator Springs.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Gary Paulsen shares his rugged early life in northern Minnesota, where wolves, deer, and sled dogs shaped his family’s survival—culminating in his first run across Alaska in the Iditarod sled dog race.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Paco Sullivan survives a devastating Viet Cong attack on Fire Base Harriette, only to return home broken—physically and mentally. Struggling with trauma, he seeks a job and peace in Boone, Texas, while haunted by war’s ghosts.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Eighth‑grader Antsy of Brooklyn discovers the invisible Schwa, a boy tired of blending in, and they form an unlikely friendship that challenges how they see themselves and others.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
In April 1969, fourteen‑year‑old Yolanda Sahagun eagerly awaits her brother Chuy’s return from Vietnam, only to find the war has changed him—and the family’s sense of identity and belonging.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Rebecca, a nurse in Vietnam, struggles to cope with her traumatic wartime experiences upon returning to the United States.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
After the Vietnam War, David Larson abandons home and travels west to Wyoming, where he becomes entwined in the lives of a one‑legged widow, her mentally challenged son, and a Vietnamese girl, confronting themes of family, duty, and the meaning of home.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Some Other Similar Books
Hatchet's Shadow by John CaseyHave a similar book in mind? Let others know!
Please login to submit books!