Hatchet
Brian Robison, a teenage boy struggling through his parents divorce, is flying up north to stay with his dad for the summer. However, his plane crashes and he is forced to survive the Canadian wilderness. Now living in a world completely opposite of his own, he is now able to discover himself in this forsaken and misunderstood beautiful world. The story is continued in "The River" "Brian's Winter" "Brian's Return" and "The Hunt"
Themes & atmosphere
Also by Gary Paulsen
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What you might want to know about Hatchet
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
Brian Robeson is the only passenger on a small plane to visit his father when the pilot has a heart attack. Brian crash-lands the plane in a lake and has to live on his own in the Canadian wilderness.
Hatchet was a Newbery Honor book in 1988 (the runner-up category), not the Newbery Medal winner. It is one of the most-taught middle-grade survival novels in American schools.
Gary Paulsen wrote five books in the Brian Saga: Hatchet, The River, Brian's Winter, Brian's Return, and Brian's Hunt. Each follows the same protagonist after the events of Hatchet, exploring different what-if scenarios.
Hatchet was written by Gary Paulsen, published in 1986 by Puffin.
Hatchet is 192 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, Hatchet takes most readers 3 to 4 hours to finish.
Hatchet is a standalone novel by Gary Paulsen, not part of a series.
Hatchet is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.