Twelve-year-old city kid Brian Robeson is flying to visit his father for the summer after his parents' divorce. During the flight, the pilot has a heart attack, and Brian lands the plane, but has no idea where he is. He escapes the wreck and makes a shelter near a lake, and must figure out how to get food and start a fire with nothing but his hatchet as he hopes for rescue.

This was the book that the Homeschool Book Group chose from the book tasting, so I'm re-reading it for the first time since grade school. The premise is as gripping as I remember - a great hook for book-talking - but the sentences are short, declarative, and repetitive, very "Hemingway for Kids." Still, it's a classic for a reason, and retains its appeal with that speculative, what-if-it-were-me aspect.

Questions for book group:
--What do you think of the narrative style (close third person; short, declarative sentences)? How does it help create the atmosphere/mood of the story?
--If you could choose 3-5 items to have with you in a survival scenario like Brian's, what do you think would be most important?
--What does Brian think is "the most important rule of survival"? Do you agree? What does he learn to prioritize?
--Brian relies on information he's learned from watching nature shows on TV. What knowledge do you have that would help you in a survival scenario, and where did you learn it?
--Brian muses about good luck and bad luck. Can you think of something that happened in the story that seemed like bad luck at first, but had a good result (or vice versa)? [e.g. when the tornado comes through, it ruins Brian's shelter but reveals the Cessna]
--The story ends somewhat abruptly, soon after Brian gets the survival pack out of the downed plane and turns on the transmitter. What did you think of the ending? Were you surprised that the pilot who rescues Brian said they had given up the search a month or two ago?
--For much of the story, Brian's thoughts are primarily focused on survival, with thoughts of his parents fading into the background. What do you think about "the Secret" that causes Brian to be so angry at his mother? Do you think Brian's father knows?

Quotes

If you keep walking back from good luck, he thought, you'll come to back luck. (40)

Here, at first, it was silent, or he thought it was silent, but when he started to listen, really listen, he heard thousands of things. (41)

And he was, at that moment, almost overcome with self-pity. He was dirty and starving and bitten and hurt and lonely and ugly and afraid and so completely miserable that it was like being in a pit, a dark, deep pit with no way out. (70)

...he learned the most important rule of survival, which was that feeling sorry for yourself didn't work. (82)

He had gotten depressed thinking about how they hadn't found him yet, and when he was busy and had something to do the depression seemed to leave. (104)

He was not the same. The plane passing changed him, the disappointment cut him down and made him new. He was not the same and would never be again like he had been. (123)

Patience, he thought. So much of this was patience - waiting and thinking and doing things right. So much of all this, so much of all living was patience and thinking. (145)

The rifle changed him, the minute he picked it up, and he wasn't sure that he liked the change very much. (186)

Up and down, he thought. The pack was wonderful but it gave him and up and down feelings. (187)

He had not moved. It had all happened so fast that he hadn't moved. He sat...staring at the plane, not quite understanding it yet; not quite knowing yet that it was over. (190) ( )

independent reading level: grade 4-12
awards:
John Newberry Award,
Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award

I’ve lost track of how many times I have read this book over the past 11 years. I’d recommend that everyone read this book at least once in their life.

4.5 Stars ( )

Independent Reading Level: Ages 12+
Awards: Nebraska Golden Sower Award (Nominee — 1991)
Texas Bluebonnet Award (Nominee — 1991)
Wyoming Indian Paintbrush Award (Nominee — 1990)
Soaring Eagle Book Award (First runner-up — 1992)
Soaring Eagle Book Award (Nominee — 1997)
Young Hoosier Book Award (Winner — Middle Grade — 1991)
Massachusetts Children's Book Award (Winner — 1995)
Sequoyah Book Award (Winner — Young Adult — 1990)
Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award (Nominee — 1990)
Georgia Children's Book Award (Winner — Grades 4-8 — 1991)
Utah Beehive Book Award (Nominee — Young Adult — 1991)
Kentucky Bluegrass Award (Nominee — Grades 4-8 — 1989)
Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award (Nominee — Grades 6-8 — 1992)
Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award (Winner — Grades 6-8 — 1991)
William Allen White Children's Book Award (Winner — 1990)
Newbery Medal (Honor Book — 1988)
Vermont Golden Dome Book Award (Winner — 1989)
Iowa Teen Award (Winner — 1990)
Bluestem Award (Nominee — 2016)
Mark Twain Readers Award (Nominee)
Sunshine State Young Reader's Award (Nominee — 1991)
Nēnē Award (Nominee — 1993)
South Dakota Teen Choice Book Awards (Nominee — 1989)
Grand Canyon Reader Award (Nominee — 1991)
California Young Reader Medal (Nominee — 1990)
Margaret A. Edwards Award (1997)
NCSLMA Battle of the Books (Elementary — 2018)
Virginia Readers' Choice (Winner — Middle School — 1990)
Golden Archer Award (Winner — 1989)
Flicker Tale Award (Nominee — Juvenile Books — 1990)
Flicker Tale Award (Nominee — Juvenile Books — 1989)
Colorado Children's Book Award (Nominee — 1990)
Maud Hart Lovelace Award (Nominee — 1991)
Surrey Schools’ Book of the Year (Winner — 1990)
Minnesota Book Awards (Winner — 1988)

Gary Paulsen is a superb writer for middle-grade; all three of my boys and I truly enjoyed him when they were growing up. ( )