Module 7: Hatchet

Book Summary: It’s a book about one boy’s survival after his plane crashes and the pilot dies.  He spends months on his own, surviving on berries and using the only thing he has – a hatchet, to survive.

APA Reference of Book: Paulsen, G. (1987). Hatchet. New York, NY: Bradbury Press.

Impressions: I thought this book was engaging and interesting.  This is something that I think 5^th graders and up would enjoy reading.  The book is easy to read, uses simple words and is easy to understand for the young readers.  I think this is a great book for kids to get into chapter books.  The chapters leave you wanting more and not wanting to take a break from the reading.

Professional Review: Gr 8-12 Brian Robeson, 13, is the only passenger on a small plane flying him to visit his father in the Canadian wilderness when the pilot has a heart attack and dies. The plane drifts off course and finally crashes into a small lake. Miraculously Brian is able to swim free of the plane, arriving on a sandy tree-lined shore with only his clothing, a tattered windbreaker, and the hatchet his mother had given him as a present. The novel chronicles in gritty detail Brian's mistakes, setbacks, and small triumphs as, with the help of the hatchet, he manages to survive the 54 days alone in the wilderness. Paulsen effectively shows readers how Brian learns patience to watch, listen, and think before he acts as he attempts to build a fire, to fish and hunt, and to make his home under a rock overhang safe and comfortable. An epilogue discussing the lasting effects of Brian's stay in the wilderness and his dim chance of survival had winter come upon him before rescue adds credibility to the story. Paulsen tells a fine adventure story, but the sub-plot concerning Brian's preoccupation with his parents' divorce seems a bit forced and detracts from the book. As he did in Dog song (Bradbury, 1985), Paulsen emphasizes character growth through a careful balancing of specific details of survival with the protagonist's thoughts and emotions.

Chatton, B. (1987). Hatchet (Book Review). School Library Journal, (34), 103.

Library Uses: I would use this book as a discussion for the students.  I would ask them if they think that they could have survived if they were in Brian's place.  Why or why not?  What would they have done differently if they had been in his place?   So they know any survival skills?  Is it important for them to know some survival skills and where can they find materials to learn more about this?  I would help them find books in the library that relate to survival.