Hatchet

By Gary Paulsen

Book Overview

This award-winning contemporary classic is the survival story with which all others are compared--and a page-turning, heart-stopping adventure, recipient of the Newbery Honor. Hatchet has also been nominated as one of America's best-loved novels by PBS's The Great American Read. Thirteen-year-old Brian Robeson, haunted by his secret knowledge of his mother's infidelity, is traveling by single-engine plane to visit his father for the first time since the divorce. When the plane crashes, killing the pilot, the sole survivor is Brian. He is alone in the Canadian wilderness with nothing but his clothing, a tattered windbreaker, and the hatchet his mother had given him as a present. At first consumed by despair and self-pity, Brian slowly learns survival skills--how to make a shelter for himself, how to hunt and fish and forage for food, how to make a fire--and even finds the courage to start over from scratch when a tornado ravages his campsite. When Brian is finally rescued after fifty-four days in the wild, he emerges from his ordeal with new patience and maturity, and a greater understanding of himself and his parents.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1416936475
• ISBN13: 9781416936473
• Release Date: December 2006
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.33 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.0" x 7.6"
• Age Range: 10 to 14 years
• Grade Range: Grades 5 to 9

Customer Reviews

Good Survival Starter Book

This was a great "kids" survival book. Nothing too gruesome happened to Brian, but he did struggle. Poor thing. I sympathized with him. The ending was good. I liked it enough to buy the next one.

No redeeming value

The only reason I give it one star is because 0 isn't an option. Please STOP making our kids read this. Poorly written. Boring. AND The theme of the story is "No matter how hard you try, Life sucks"

Snore

I like to read the books my kids are assigned in elementary school and see what’s what. This one was a real snoozer. Sorry! I’d recommend Tuck Everlasting or Island of the Blue Dolphins instead.

Not just for kids

This book got me hooked on this series. I am in my 40's and found it very easy to read, doable in 1 day but very entertaining especially for me that really enjoys nature.

Good easy read - great for youth!

This easy to read story captures the imagination from the view of a teen boy of the wide, unfamiliar world - I recommend the entire Hatchet series. A student was telling me about the book and told me it was a must read, even as an adult I enjoyed.

Must read

Such a good book!

Excellent!

Though I read this book quite a while ago, I still remember how interesting and riviting it was. The story is intense, and draws the reader into the thoughts and emotions of Brian- the main (and practically ONLY) character that is shown. Definately a must-have!

Hatchet

Brian Robeson is thirteen and is on a survival mission in the Canadian wilderness. His plane crashed because his pilot had a heart attack and died. Brian then then found himself having to fly the plane all by himself. Brian decides to land in a near by lake. When Brian survives the crash he finds himself with only a twenty-dollar bill,a windbreaker, and his new hatchet his mother had given him. The lake in which he crashed in provided him drinking water, a bath tub and food. Brian learns to scavenge for berries and catch fish. He made a spear out of a long narrow stick. He speared fish, rabbits and foolbirds. Brian was not successful at this in the beginning. Brian learns to survive in the willderness with little or nothing at all. I reccommend this book to anyone who likes the outdoors or wo li kes a great adventure. This is a great book for anyone who wants to read and have fun. You do not only read the book but you learn in the process as well. You learn how to survive in the wilderness with limited supplies.

An amazing story of the epic battle, man versus nature.

Imagine being stranded in the wilderness alone and learning to survive. We all think about it at least once in our life, learning to hunt, getting shelter, and staying sane. In the book, Hatchet, Brian Robeson, age thirteen, is stranded in the Canadian wilderness, after his plane crashes, with only a hatchet and the clothes on his back. Brian was on that plane to his dad's house because of the Secret... This survival-fiction book tells how Brian undergoes a complete character change. When he first arrives he is relatively weak, but eventually Brian has keen, alert, senses, and he is a stronger person. In the book, Brian must deal with insane moose, and making a new friend; fire. Hunting and food gathering is a major part of the book, which makes it seem very realistic, but will Brian ever make it home alive? This book is a Newbery honor book and I believe it is very deserving of that prestigous award. Gary Paulsen's portrayal of someone in that predicament is very accurate. He puts you right in the action and in the struggle. I recommend this book to people of all different ages and backgrounds. You will feel every moment of hope and rejection in this amazing Paulsen novel.

Hatchet - A Cry in the Wild

Hatchet - an realistic survival story that is eminently well written. Gary Paulsen has comboned his own knowledge of survival and woodcraft with the easily beliavable character of Brian Robeson; the result is an award-winning novel that will not be put down until it is finished.