Sam Gribley
Sam is the protagonist of the book, an independent boy who runs away from his crowded apartment home in New York City to live in the Catskill Mountains on his great-grandfather's old farming land. The reader is never given an exact age for Sam, but since the New York papers reporting on the mysterious boy living in the Catskill woods identify him as being sixteen or seventeen, the reader can assume he is a young tween or teen.
Sam is smart and resourceful, doing a significant amount of research at the library on survival skills before embarking on his adventure in order to ensure its success. He is capable and able to create a life for himself without man-made comforts. He is also a very reflective person who realizes at the end of the novel that is he somewhat lonely and that while life with society can be hard, it is also necessary. With the arrival of his family at the end of the novel, who are intent on living with Sam in the wilderness, Sam is able to balance his need for human companionship with his true love for living self-sufficently in nature.
Dad
Dad is Sam's father who has his own history with and love for nature. Dad had been a sailor before he had children, and also is clearly uncomfortable with the domestication of city living. Though he initially does not believe that his son will actually run away, let alone stay gone for so many months, he wholeheartedly supports Sam's decision and has great respect for his ability to survive, and even thrive, in the wild. Dad visits Sam's camp mid-way through the novel and repeatedly tells his son how impressed he is with how well he has done for himself; he does not try to cajole or convince Sam to return home. By the end of the book, Dad has returned with Sam's entire family to make a home alongside Sam in the wilderness.
Miss Turner
Miss Turner is a librarian in the town that borders the Catskill woods (Delhi, New York). Sam first meets Miss Turner when he is in search of a map that will lead him to his great-grandfather's old plot of land, where he plans to make his camp. She is soft-spoken and kind, and a person who demonstrates genuine concern over Sam's well-being. She helps Sam learn the skills he needs to survive in the wilderness: like when he returns to the library for information on falcons upon deciding that he will catch and raise one for himself. She even gives Sam a haircut with the library's scissors when she notices how long his hair has gotten while living outdoors.
Bill
Bill is a man who lives in a cabin on the outskirts of the Catskill forest. After a truly disastrous first night in the wilderness, Sam spots Bill's cabin and stays with Bill for one night, cooking trout he has caught in the stream and getting some much-needed rest. Before Sam leaves, Bill teaches him the essential skill of fire building. Bill invites Sam to return anytime to the cabin if he cannot survive by himself in the wilderness, but with his newfound skill in fire building, Sam thrives outdoors and begins making his way deeper into the lands surrounding the Catskill Mountains.
Frightful
Frightful is Sam's pet falcon. He stole her from a peregrine falcon eyre as a baby and raised and trained her himself. He is incredibly close to her and Frightful is trained to respond to Sam's whistle and to provide for him by catching food such as frogs, mice and other small animals.
Baron Weasel
Baron Weasel is a weasel that Sam befriends after accidentally trapping him. He is a bit rambunctious and is always around to make life interesting for Sam. Baron Weasel is one of three primary animal companions of Sam's: including the falcon Frightful and the raccoon Jessie Coon James.
Bando
Bando is a man Sam meets in the woods. Because he hears police car sirens around the same time that he meets Bando, Sam thinks that he is an outlaw (hence the name he gives him -- "Bando" being a nod to "bandit"). Soon, however, Sam learns that Bando is an English teacher who has become lost in the woods. They become fast friends and Bando is one of the few people that Sam trusts enough to bring home to his campsite in a carved out Hemlock tree. Bando stays with Sam for several days initially, but returns home to civilization by the time school is due to begin again in the Fall. Bando returns a few more times throughout the following year, however, and even gets to meet Sam's father during a visit over Christmas break.
Jessie Coon James
Jessie is a raccoon that is always causing trouble for Sam. Originally Sam thinks that Jessie is a boy but after giving birth to a small litter, Jessie is revealed to be a girl. When Sam first meets Jessie, her fur is patchy and she is emaciated, so Sam takes pity on her and invites her to become part of his group of animal companions. In return, Jessie's skills with catching mussels in the streams help Sam access a new source of delicious food.
Mrs. Thomas Fielder
Mrs. Fielder is a 97-year-old lady, living in the nearby Delhi, New York, who forces Sam to help her pick strawberries upon meeting him in the woods. Later, when news about a boy living in the Catskill woods begins to spread, Mrs. Fielder is interviewed about this encounter with the "wild boy." At the time of their meeting, Mrs. Fielder makes the assumption that Sam is simply playing in the woods, and lives in Delhi. Because he does not wish to attract attention, Sam allows her to continue to think this, and even walks with her all the way back to town to lead her to believe he is returning home. Later in the novel, Mrs. Fielder helps Dad find Sam's camp by giving him an approximate location.
Matt Spell
An teenager, Matt is an aspiring news reporter who finds Sam in the woods. Matt works afterschool for a local paper and has been following coverage in the New York newspapers on the "wild boy" of the Catskill woods. Thinking that an exclusive interview might help him make a name for himself, Matt begins investigating in the woods until he runs into Sam. Sam is so lonely that he agrees to allow Matt to shadow him for several days: on the condition that Matt not include any information about Sam's location in the story that he writes. Matt agrees, but soon after breaks this promise, betraying Sam and their newfound friendship.
Aaron
Aaron is a man whom Sam encounters briefly when Aaron is visiting the wilderness where Sam lives to get ideas for songs. He tells Sam he is Jewish and is in the area for Passover celebrations. Aaron and Sam hum bits of music to one another and Sam teaches Aaron his "cold water song," which he invented during his baths in the ice water of the spring. Sam also mimics for Aaron the natural songs of many of the local animals, including the wood thrush and the great horned owl, to give him further inspiration for his song writing.
