Gary Paulsen's Hatchet: Survival Fiction at its Best

Paulsen, Gary. Hatchet. Simon & Schuster, 2006 (c 1987). Paperback $6.99, ISBN-13 978-1416936473

 

I confess, Hatchet has been on my to-read list for years. I never read it as a child, and recently picked it up at the library I work at because I’ve heard unmitigated praise from patrons, particularly from middle-school aged boys. I took it with me the other day while prospecting for gold in the San Gabriel mountains—a perfect (or very scary?) choice of reading while out in the wilderness! I was blown away by the power of this book, and I wish I’d read it as a child.

What’s it about?

Thirteen year old Brain Robeson’s plane has crashed in the Canadian wilderness. All Brian has with him is his clothing, a hatchet, and his wits and determination. Will this be enough for him to survive?  

Find out more:

Thirteen-year-old Brian Robeson is on a single-engine plane to a remote area in Canada to visit his father when the pilot succumbs to a massive heart attack.  Despite his terror, Brian is able to (roughly) land the plane in a lake with just minor injuries.  There is no time to recover from his shock and wounds, however, because of his urgent need for water, food and shelter to hide from the vicious swarm of insects that feast upon him at night.  He takes inventory of what he has that will help him survive: some tattered clothing, a broken digital watch, some money, a hatchet, and himself—an intelligent, courageous boy. For nearly two months, Brian teaches himself the basics of survival. He learns to crafts his own weapons, to make fire, to feed himself not just foraged berries, but fish and meat, to make a safe shelter and survive disasters such as a near-fatal attack by a charging moose and a destructive tornado, after which the tail of the plane is revealed. The plane’s re-emergence stirs a memory of a survival pack that may help him rebuild his ruined shelter and survive the approaching winter.  When Brian succeeds at extricating the pack (and nearly loses his precious hatchet in the process), he discovers matches, a gun, a knife, a compass, an abundance of food--and emergency transmitter. Brian thinks that transmitter is broken, but it isn’t, and Brian is finally rescued.

This is an astonishing book, an undisputed classic. Nearly 25 years after its publication, this Newbery Honor book is on hundreds of recommended reading lists, is assigned in schools, and continues to be devoured by elementary and middle school students. It’s gripping, compelling and timeless.  Brian is the type of character is it easy to empathize with, and Paulsen paints his struggles with candor but no cloy.  Brian himself recognizes that a tendency to self-pity may prove fatal, so he focuses on the task at hand: surviving by mastering one essential skill at a time. He makes mistakes, of course, but his wits and determination keep him alive. There is precious little levity in this book, but glimpses of a wry Brian creep through at times—when the tornado rips through his settlement, he thinks, “I hope the tornado hit the moose.”

Genre: Adventure, Survival Fiction

Reading level: 6^th grade

Interest level: Grades 5 & up

Subjects: Survival, Person vs. Nature, Wilderness, Plane crashes, isolation

Awards:

Newbery Honor (1988)

“Brian’s Saga” Series information:

The River (1993)

Brian’s Winter (1995)

Brian’s Return (1999)

Brian’s Hunt (2003)

Read-alikes:

Hobbs’ Far North

George’s Julie of the Wolves
O’Dell’s Island of the Blue Dolphins


View my book trailer here