Gary Paulsen's award-winning novel, Hatchet, is the classic survival story for elementary students. It recounts the adventures of Brian, who is on his way to visit his father in a small single-engine airplane when the pilot suddenly has a heart attack and the plane crashes. The fast-paced plot and use of character development make Hatchet an ideal choice for close reading mini lessons where students learn to ask questions while reading as well as cite textual evidence to defend their conclusions.

Title: Hatchet

Author: Gary Paulsen

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Themes: Perseverance, Adventure, Self Awareness, Family, Self Management, Award Winners

ISBN: 9781442403321

Publisher's Summary:

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.

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