Book Summary:
Brian Robeson is a young boy who travels by plane to see his father in the Canadian outback. During the flight the pilot suffers a heart attack and leaves Brian alone to fly the plane. Brian then attempts to land the plane in the forest and ends up crashing in the lake. He makes it to shore with only a hatchet that his mother had given him before leaving on the trip. He then has to survive against the elements and animals of the wilderness with his hatchet as his only tool. He learns slowly about survival by trial and error and eventually becomes skilled in the art of survival. During his time alone he has time to contemplate about his parents divorce. He can't erase his memory of his mother seeing another man other than her father. In the end he perseveres and is eventually rescued when he activates the plane's transmitter. He decides it's better not to tell his father about his mother's affair.
APA Reference of Book:
Paulsen, G. (1987). Hatchet. New York, NY: Atheneum Books.
Impressions:
I thought the book started off a little slow in the beginning. There was a little to much description with Brian talking to himself. Once he settled down the story started to grow. It seems to take a realistic experience of survival and it is a believable story. Many of the things that Brian does to survive lets the reader know that he is struggling to survive, but learning from his mistakes. Many of Brian's experiences are written so descriptively that I as a reader could almost feel his pain, such as his experience with the swarm of mosquitos and their endless stinging
Professional Review:
Gr 8-12--Brian Robeson, 13, is the only passenger on a small plane flying him to visit his father in the Canadian wilderness when the pilot has a heart attack and dies. The plane drifts off course and finally crashes into a small lake. Miraculously Brian is able to swim free of the plane, arriving on a sandy tree-lined shore with only his clothing, a tattered windbreaker, and the hatchet his mother had given him as a present. The novel chronicles in gritty detail Brian's mistakes, setbacks, and small triumphs as, with the help of the hatchet, he manages to survive the 54 days alone in the wilderness. Paulsen effectively shows readers how Brian learns patience-to watch, listen, and think before he acts-as he attempts t build a fire, to fish and hunt, and to make his home under a rock overhand safe and comfortable. An epilogue discussing the lasting effects of Brian's stay in the wilderness and his dim chance of survival had winter come upon him before rescue adds credibility to the story. Paulsen tells a fine adventure story, but the sub-plot concerning Brian's preoccupation with his parents' divorce seems a bit forced and detracts from the book. As he did in Dogsong (Bradbury, 1985), Paulsen emphasizes character growth through a careful balancing of specific details of survival with the protagonist's thoughts and emotions.--Barbara Chatton, College of Education, University of Wyoming, Laramie
Chatton, B. (1987, December 1). [Review of the book Hatchet, by Gary Paulson]. School Library Journal, 34(4), 103. Retrieved from www.slj.com
Library Use:
I can see this book being used in a school that has an ROTC program. The entire book or excerpts of it can be read and studied to motivate cadets in the skill of survival and not to give up.
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