Hatchet (2003)
Hatchet is a 2003 divorce book written by Gary Paulsen.
Brian Robeson is thirteen, sore about his parents' divorce, and flying a small bush plane north to spend the summer with his father. When the pilot collapses, Brian brings the plane down alone into a Canadian lake, and the only tool he carries out of the water is the hatchet clipped to his belt. Gary Paulsen strips the story to essentials: fire, food, shelter, and a boy learning to read weather and water. First of five novels, it moves at the pace of real hunger and real cold, with the wilderness drawn as neither cruel nor kind, only indifferent.
Quick answers
What is Hatchet about?
Brian Robeson is thirteen, sore about his parents' divorce, and flying a small bush plane north to spend the summer with his father. When the pilot collapses, Brian brings the plane down alone into a Canadian lake, and the only tool he carries out of the water is the hatchet clipped to his belt. Gary Paulsen strips the story to essentials: fire, food, shelter, and a boy learning to read weather and water. First of five novels, it moves at the pace of real hunger and real cold, with the wilderness drawn as neither cruel nor kind, only indifferent.
When was Hatchet published?
Hatchet was published on 1 March 2003.
Who made Hatchet?
Hatchet was written by Gary Paulsen.
Similar books
Hatchet in our writing
- Companion guide: Castaway & Shipwreck
- Companion guide: Survival Crafting Games: The Complete Guide to Gathering, Building and Staying Alive
- Companion guide: Wilderness Survival
A few thoughts on Hatchet
If the solo-survival grip lands, the film Cast Away tracks the same arc of a modern person thrown back on first principles with nothing but wreckage and wits. The survival game The Long Dark drops you into a frozen Canadian backcountry where cold and hunger set the clock. The reality series Alone films real people doing exactly what Brian does: build fire, find food, hold on.