Hatchet

Author: Gary Paulsen

Main Character: Brian Robeson

Brian is thirteen. Along with all the other angst of being a teen, he has to deal with the fact that he saw his mom cheating on his dad. They are in the middle of a divorce and he is angry that he has this secret. He struggles with wanting to tell his dad and not wanting to tell him the terrible secret. The story opens with Brian in a plane on his way to visit his dad from New York to the Canadian Wilderness. While en route, the pilot has a heart attack and dies leaving alone and frightened. Brian panics and decides to fly the plane until it runs out of fuel. He has no idea of where he is heading, or if he is on the right original path. He ends up crashing mercifully through some trees and into a lake. He survives the crash with injuries and brings himself up on the beach. Once he comes to, he begins his fight for survival. Through the experiences he has along the lake, he grows from an insecure boy to self-sufficient man...in only two months. This is a riveting story that I could not stop reading. I really enjoyed the story line, but I most enjoyed getting to know Brian on the inside. This book was one on the Science book list. My students will really enjoy the book. I definitely recommend the book for middle school kids to read.