#33: Hatchet

Hatchet is a classic children's novel by Gary Paulsen. Since I read this book with my class every year, this was my fourth time through it. I have found that it maintains the interest of the majority of kids pretty well.

In Hatchet, 13-year-old Brian Robeson who lives in New York is going to visit his father in Canada. He boards a small plane with a pilot who is hauling a piece of equipment to his dad. When the pilot has a fatal heart attack, Brian has to make some quick decisions and is able to land the plane in a lake in the Canadian wilderness.

From there, it becomes a story of survival. Brian has little knowledge about how to function in the woods, so he has to combine prior knowledge from books and TV with new things he figures out along the way. He has to deal first with satisfying basic needs such as thirst, hunger and shelter, and later has to figure out how to establish a more fulfilling existence in the woods.

Hatchet provides an identifiable main character for kids. Many have dealt with the effects of divorce, and many also would feel lost if they were stuck in the woods. The novel is divided into manageable chunks in terms of important events, and the pacing keeps the reader interested. It also leads to a lot of discussion about Brian and his decisions. Finally, the book has a good message of the importance of believing in yourself in achieving what you need to do.