Hatchet

Gary Paulsen

Aug 2009 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

Celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of the Newbery Honor–winning survival novel Hatchet with a pocket-sized edition perfect for travelers to take along on their own adventures. This special anniversary edition includes a new introduction and commentary by author Gary Paulsen, pen-and-ink illustrations by Drew Willis, and a water resistant cover. 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.

Ratings and reviews

I read this book in elementary school, and it was a good read...but definitely pushes over and over again that he's a kid, ALL ALONE (literally this is mentioned a lot) in a tough spot a lot of times, and he basically only has this hatchet that his "garden tool" mom gave him, before she was like "GO BE WITH YOUR DAD AND HIS REBOUND IN ALASKA OR WHEREVER" and it's just, a lot of smart advice I guess, but then drama scenarios in the wilderness, plus divorce.

The whole parent thing was not needed. He couldn't have survived with things he saw on t.v. and anything he needed to know he convinenantly saw someone or something one time and he instantly knew how to do it. The book is just unbelievable and now we see Brian's winter is just another impossible story. This boy would have been dead and never survived.

I remember reading this book in middle school, and it was so repetitive and boring. I know the kid is alone; you don't have to say it 10 times a page.

About the author

Gary Paulsen (1931–2021) was one of the most honored writers of contemporary literature for young readers, author of three Newbery Honor titles, Dogsong, Hatchet, and The Winter Room. He wrote over 100 books for adults and young readers.