Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

 

This is a great book. I read it in four hours. In my defense, I had to make dinner while reading the last half.

~ Whilst going to visit his father in the Canadian North for the summer, the small bush plane Brian Robeson is flying on crashes into a lake after the pilot dies of a heart attack. A born and bred city kid, all Brian has to help him survive in the Canadian wilderness are his wits and a hatchet looped to his belt, given to him by his mother as a present right before he left New York. Despite being thirteen and completely alone, as well as bearing a terrible secret of his parents' divorce on his mind, Brian will have to overcome fear and self-pity if he is to survive ~ 

If you're not a nature/wilderness fan, I know what you're saying. 'Great, a survival book. Enjoy it if you like, but definitely not my cup of tea.' And it may be that you won't enjoy Hatchet (there's no accounting for taste, they say), but I rather think you will. It's the most engrossing wilderness survival novel I've ever read, and I've read a few. For some reason Gary Paulsen makes it that every time Brian, the main character, completes one task in the effort to stay alive, we just can't wait to see what happens next. The excitement never wanes as Brian becomes more resourceful and hardens both physically and mentally. At thirteen years old, he's just imaginative enough to stay alive and cope with the shock of being left alone in the middle of nowhere, but not so brilliant at survival skills as to be unbelievable. He is from the city, after all. Even though most of the book takes place in the woods, a second theme of Brian's home life and divorced parents weaves its way though the story, very seamlessly. I don't know how Paulsen manages to make talking about a kids divorced parents not out of place while he's trying to survive in the wilderness, but he does, and he does it with what I imagine is a great deal of understanding, even though I have never been put in that situation. 

Since Brian doesn't know much about the woods, anybody reading this who is not familiar with nature and survival will not be confused or baffled by Brian's terming of plants and animals, while nature lovers will smile at the made-up names. My favorite was 'Foolbird', which I was correct in assuming was a grouse. 

I'm telling you, this book may not sound interesting to you, but you'll eat it right up! I couldn't help thinking of how I would survive if suddenly the house blew away while I was heating up dinner. It filled my thoughts all day and I think people of all ages will enjoy it. It earned the Newberry Honor Award in 1986 and I am seeing here on the internet that it has a bunch of sequels, so I think I have some ordering of books to do. Until next time, have a good day and always carry a box of matches, just in case.

~ Irene