Hatchet (1987)

Belongs to Series

Brian's Saga (1)

Is contained in

The Island / The River / Hatchet / Curse of the Ruins / Dunc's Halloween by Gary Paulsen

Hatchet / The River / Brian's Hunt / Dogsong by Gary Paulsen

Tracker / Dogsong / Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

Hatchet / The Winter Room / Brian's Winter by Gary Paulsen

Hatchet / The River by Gary Paulsen

Overleven in de wildernis omnibus by Gary Paulsen

Has as a teacher's guide

Hatchet: Teacher Guide : Grades 7-8 (Literary Unit) by Gary Paulsen

▾Awards and Honors

Awards

Bluestem Award (Nominee – 2016)

Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award (Winner – Grades 6-8 – 1991)

California Young Reader Medal (Nominee – Middle School/Junior High, Grades 6-8 – 1990)

Flicker Tale Award (Winner – 1990)

Georgia Children's Book Award (Winner – Grades 4-8 – 1991)

Golden Archer Award (Winner – Original Golden Archer Award – 1989)

Idaho Battle of the Books (Elementary – 2022)

Iowa Teen Award (Winner – 1990)

Margaret A. Edwards Award (1997)

Massachusetts Children's Book Award (Winner – 1995)

Maud Hart Lovelace Award (Winner – 1991)

Minnesota Book Awards (Winner – 1988)

NCSLMA Battle of the Books (Elementary – 2018)

Nebraska Golden Sower Award (Honor – Honeybee (Chapter Book) – 1991)

Newbery Medal (Honor Book – 1988)

Notable Lists

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▾Common Knowledge

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Canonical title

Original title

Alternative titles

Original publication date

1987

People/Characters

Brian Robeson

Important places

New York, New York, USA

Canada

Important events

Related movies

A Cry in the Wild (1990 | IMDb)

Epigraph

secret, secret, oh the secret.

Dedication

To the students of the Hershey Middle School

First words

Brian Robeson stared out the window of the small plane at the endless green northern wilderness below.

Quotations

He could not play the game without hope; could not play the game without a dream. They had taken it all away from him now, they had turned away from him and there was nothing for him now. The plane gone, his family gone, all of it gone. They would not come. He was alone and there was nothing for him.

In measured time, forty-seven days had passed since the crash. Forty-two days, he thought, since he had died and had been born as the new Brian.

Many times he thought he would not make it.

Last words

(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)

Disambiguation notice

This LT work distinguishes Gary Paulsen's original 1988 novel, Hatchet, from later editions that include related readings. Thank you.

Publisher's editors

Blurbers

Original language

English

Canonical DDC/MDS

Canonical LCC

▾References

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English

None

▾Book descriptions

After a plane crash, thirteen-year-old Brian spends fifty-four days in the Canadian wilderness, learning to survive with only the aid of a hatchet given him by his mother, and learning also to survive his parents' divorce.

▾Library descriptions

No library descriptions found.

▾LibraryThing members' description

Book description

After his plane crashes on the way to visit his father in the Canadian oil fields, thirteen-year-old Brian spends fifty-four days in the wilderness, learning to survive with only the aid of a hatchet given to him by his mother. Will Brain ever be able to find his way back home?

Haiku summary