Summary
Hatchet summary
A coming of age novel revealing the risks thirteen year old Brian encounters when his plane crashes in the Canadian forest. Brian is lost and alone. Brian's hatchet saves his life, but it is the application of his own grit, endurance, and patience that ensures his survival. "Brian Robeson must find a way to survive alone in the woods after his plane crashes, to come to terms with his parents' divorce, and to affirm his manhood." (SparkNotes, 'Key Facts'. Retrieved 9th April 2020 from: https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/hatchet/facts/).
About the author
'Gary Paulsen is the distinguished author of many critically acclaimed books for young people, including three Newbery Honor books: The Winter Room, Hatchet, and Dogsong. He won the Margaret A. Edwards Award given by the American Library Association for his lifetime achievement in young adult literature.' (Retrieved from the Penguin Random house website: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/23384/gary-paulsen Accessed 8th April 2020)
The author
What is a hatchet
Explanation of difference between hatchet and axe
Hatchet:
'A small, short-handled ax having the end of the head opposite the blade in the form of a hammer, made to be used with one hand.' (from https://www.dictionary.com/browse/hatchet accessed 8th April 2020).
Axe:
'An instrument with a bladed head on a handle or helve, used for hewing, cleaving, chopping, etc.' (from https://www.dictionary.com/browse/axe?s=t accessed 8th April 2020).
Book trailer
Video trailer of The Hatchet
Corman, R. (1990). A cry in the wild. Official Trailer. Retrieved 9th April 2020 from
Interview with Gary Paulsen
Interview with Gary Paulsen
https://www.rif.org/literacy-central/material/gary-paulsen-author-interview
Key words
- Ingenuity
- Challenge
- Adventure
- Risk
- Wilderness
- Adolescence
Link to PDF of The Hatchet
Hatchet PDF
https://scotland.k12.mo.us/view/637.pdf
Retrieved on 9th April 2020 from Scotland County R-1 School District: https://scotland.k12.mo.us/
Books
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Hatchet
by
ISBN: 9781416936473Publication Date: 2006-12-26This award-winning contemporary classic is the survival story with which all others are compared--and a page-turning, heart-stopping adventure, recipient of the Newbery Honor. Hatchet has also been nominated as one of America's best-loved novels by PBS's The Great American Read. Thirteen-year-old Brian Robeson, haunted by his secret knowledge of his mother's infidelity, is traveling by single-engine plane to visit his father for the first time since the divorce. When the plane crashes, killing the pilot, the sole survivor is Brian. He is alone in the Canadian wilderness with nothing but his clothing, a tattered windbreaker, and the hatchet his mother had given him as a present. At first consumed by despair and self-pity, Brian slowly learns survival skills--how to make a shelter for himself, how to hunt and fish and forage for food, how to make a fire--and even finds the courage to start over from scratch when a tornado ravages his campsite. When Brian is finally rescued after fifty-four days in the wild, he emerges from his ordeal with new patience and maturity, and a greater understanding of himself and his parents.
