About This Book
Gary Paulsen's Newbery Honor-winning novel, Hatchet, plunges 13-year-old Brian Robeson into the unforgiving Canadian wilderness after a plane crash. With only a hatchet, he must learn to find food, build shelter, and make fire, facing down bears, moose, and a tornado. Beyond the physical struggle, Brian grapples with the emotional fallout of his parents' recent divorce, a secret he carries with him. This powerful story of survival and self-discovery is a classic for middle-grade readers, exploring themes of resilience, independence, and the profound impact of nature.
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.
Concepts
Resilience & PerseveranceFear & BraverySelf-Confidence & IdentityLoneliness & BelongingLove & FamilySadness & GriefCuriosity & WonderHonesty & IntegrityAnger & FrustrationFreedom & IndependenceParents DivorcingGrowing UpBeing DifferentSurvival & WildernessFamily & SiblingsAnimalsNature & OutdoorsVehicles & Machines
peril_danger
separation_from_parent
Scary Scenes
Character Death
Discussion Prompts
1
What were the most important survival skills Brian learned in the wilderness?
2
How did Brian's feelings about his parents' divorce change while he was alone?
3
What role did the hatchet play, both practically and symbolically, in Brian's survival?
4
How did Brian change as a person from the beginning to the end of the book?
5
If you were in Brian's situation, what would be the first thing you would try to do to survive?
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