Without being sentimental in the least, The Winter Room communicates the richness, the beauty, and the poignancy of rural life in an earlier, simpler time. It presents many positive values: it urges how family life and hard work can be satisfying; it appreciates the role of the older generation in educating the younger generation; it lauds human life attuned to the patterns and rhythms of nature.

Unlike many young adult books that stress conflict between generations, The Winter Room accentuates harmony. The adult world is not a world of privilege and autonomy but of responsibility and community. Paulsen's view is not simplistic or idealistic. The adult world has its pains; growing up is not without loss (as the story of Alida shows) nor without its poignancy (as the Woodcutter's tale illustrates). It has its sacrifices too: compared to Eldon and Wayne's pranks and play, adult recreation...