This story is about a boy named Brian whose parents recently divorced. Brian decides to visit his father who is working in Canada. While flying in a private plane, the pilot has a heart attack and dies. Brian finds himself left alone trying to survive in the wilderness. Students may show interest in the themes of this book: survival, fear, nature, isolation, and divorce.

I enjoyed the book. Particularly, the teenage hero coming to terms with the natural world and his own mortality. I was inspired by Brian's determination and ingenuity as he improvised with resources to manage the crisis. It's an excellent selection for promoting self-confidence in middle school readers. ( )

Hatchet, by Gary Paulsen, was a 1988 Newbery Honor Book and after reading the book, I agree that it should have been selected for this honor. Reading the book reminded me of Jean Craighead George’s works which are also wonderful. Hatchet is a book about ingenuity and survival.

Thirteen year old Brian Robeson knew the secret of why his parents were getting a divorce. While he was not happy about the secret or the divorce, he was going to spend some time with his father in Canada. Unfortunately, the small place crashes and Brian must learn to survive alone in the wilderness. He has only one tool – a hatchet his mother gave him before his flight. The remainder of the story is filled with natural beauty and observations by a young man who learns to live with nature to save his own life.

This book was very interesting and would be of interest to young boys who might not enjoy reading – this has a bit of adventure. ( )

In my mind this was an ...OK book. It lacked a real story line though. It is about Brian Robeson who stranded and alone in the Canadian wilderness after the pilot of the small plane in which he is traveling suffers a fatal heart attack. Brian is forced to try to land the plane, but ends up crash-landing the plane into the trees and sliding down into the water. He just manages to escape as the plane sinks in a remote lake. If you like a book with diary entrys and stuck in the wilderness then this is the book for you...not for me! ( )

A survival story, set in the northern wilderness. After his parents' divorce, thirteen-year-old Brian survives a plane crash on a remote lake while on the way to visit his father in Canada. He finds himself all alone, miles off course (which makes search and rescue success unlikely) with nothing but a hatchet in his belt. Brian must learn quickly how to make a fire, build a shelter, find food, etc. At the same time he struggles internally with the anger he feels at his parents. There are several things I really liked about this story. First, it doesn't shy away from the gritty details. Right after the landing Brian is in shock, it's freezing cold, he almost gets eaten alive by mosquitoes, he gets sick all over the place, etc. Even after he gets the hang of things, there's still lots of unpleasantness- rain and mud, porcupines and skunks, fish slime and bird guts. You get the picture. Very realistic. Secondly, the story is just as much about how Brian changes because of his ordeal, as it is about what he does to survive. He comes to appreciate the beauty of the wilderness. He learns patience and problem-solving skills. He matures a lot emotionally, and comes out of the experience a very different person. Great book.

from the DogEar Diary ( )