Hatchet, by Gary Paulsen, is a fictional adventure book that takes place in a forest in Canada. The illustrated 20th anniversary edition is 188 pages. Hatchet is about a boy named Brian Robeson going to Canada to see his dad. His mom gives him a hatchet because it might help him where his dad works. During his flight, the pilot gets a heart attack and dies. Brian is now by himself, because it is a two-seater plane. He crashes in a lake. He needs to find food, help, and make a fire. While he makes shelter and finds berries, he encounters many different animals. One animal scares him. He throws his hatchet and it makes a spark on his cave wall, which gives him the idea of how to make a fire.
Later, he figures out how to catch fish with a spear, which he made with his hatchet. While Brian is looking for good wood for a bow, he hears a motor. He runs back and takes some of his fire and puts it on his bonfire; but, he is too late and the plane leaves. Brian makes a bow using his shoelace as the string. Now that he has a bow, he hunts for meat. He finds small birds, but he cannot see them until they fly off. They have great camouflage, so by the time he attacks, the bird is gone. Brian figures out a way to see the bird and attack it before it flies off. After he finds food, shelter, and fire, a big tornado hits the forest. Everything is destroyed. Now, it is two months since the plane crash.
This book got me thinking about if I am in the wild, will there be mosquitoes and food out there. I like the way he rethinks every single thing that he does wrong and then he has to redo it with a different approach. I liked the idea of how he was a city boy and still survived for two months in the forest alone with his hatchet.
My favorite quote from the book is:
“My name is Brian Robeson,” he said. Then he saw that his stew was done, the peach whip almost done, and he waved to it with his hand. “Would you like something to eat?”
The person who told me about this book liked it very much, so I gave it a shot. I recommend this book if you like a little action and fiction. If you can get Hatchet please give it a try. I think the reading level for this book is around fourth grade to seventh grade.
