Paulsen, Gary. (1999). Hatchet. New York: Simon & Schuster. 208 pages.

Grade Level: 6-9

Genre: contemporary fiction

Summary and Critique

This Newbery honor book depicts the excitement and adventure of a thirteen year-old boy (Brian) who has been stranded in the Canadian wilderness. While traveling on a single-engine plane to see his father, the pilot has a heart attack and dies. After a somewhat successful crash landing in the Canadian wilderness, Brian is forced to survive with nothing other than what he carried in his pockets when boarding the plane and the hatchet that remained attached to his belt. After many months in solitude, Brian conquers his fears of the wilderness and alters the paradigm that he has maintained throughout his life. No longer does Brian perceive the wilderness as untamed and wild but rather it is his home. The transformation that Brian undergoes prompts his self-knowledge and self-confidence to blossom, leading him to embrace his isolation.

Hatchet is an enjoyable novel and deeper than it appears, yet the writing is simple. It is an excellent selection for early secondary grades (sixth and seventh), and a wonderful choice for older reluctant readers.

Awards

Newbery Honor Book

American Library Association (ALA) Best Book for Young Adults

American Library Association (ALA) Notable Book

Booklist Editor's Choice

Notable Children's Tradebook in the Field of Social Studies

Winner of 11 State Awards

Themes, Topics, Sub-Genres

Families

Challenges and Triumphs

Nature/Science

Animals

Adventure

Author Information

Gary Paulsen was born in Minnesota in 1939. After traveling throughout the United States and holding an assortment of jobs, Paulsen eventually returned to Minnesota where he rented a lakeside cabin and dedicated himself to writing. Paulsen has since remained a prolific writer, publishing over forty books, as well as countless articles and short stories. A common thread linking Paulsen's works is their incorporation of nature. This thread stems from Paulsen's thirst for adventure. Paulsen has twice competed in the Iditarod, which is a 1200 mile sled-dog race in Alaska.

For more information about Gary Paulsen:

http://www.randomhouse.com/features/garypaulsen/ Gary Paulsen's homepage.

http://www.scils.rutgers.edu/~kvander/paulsen.html The official Gary Paulsen fanpage, feature a bibliography, a biography, a list of awards, and reviews.

Media Connections

Movies

Dances with Wolves (1990) A Civil War lieutenant rejects his society and embraces the Sioux culture.

Dark Days (2000) A documentary capturing the lives and problems of the homeless people living in the tunnels of the New York subway system.

Microcosmos (1996) This is an incredible documentary about insect life. A variety of camera techniques were used to capture insect movements, activities, and survival.

The Mosquito Coast (1986) This film depicts one man's desire to escape civilization. Once removed from civilization, the battle between wilderness and civilization rages.

Online Resource

http://www.trackerschool.com/ This website includes information about tracking and wilderness survival classes taught by Tom Brown, Jr. He has written several books, including The Tracker, which is the story of a boy who learns survival skills from an Apache elder.

http://www.mce.k12tn.net/survival/hatchet/hatchet.htm Teaching ideas for Hatchet

http://survivalcenter.com/ The Survival Center. A Web site for purchasing survival supplies

http://atlas.gc.ca/site/english/index.html Information on Canada, including maps and lesson plans

Related Texts

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. ed. (1987). The Classic Slave Narratives. New York: New American Library. 518pp. Great for drawing parallels between different forms of survival.

Jacobs, Harriet. (2001). Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. Dover. 167pp. Originally published in 1861. Autobiographical account depicting the struggle to survive slavery and the added hindrance of a female slave having to deal with the sexual onslaughts of masters.

Primo Levi. (1986). Survival in Auschwitz. New York: Summit Books. 397pp. An incredible personal account of the devotion it took to survive Auschwitz.

J.D. Salinger. (1951). Catcher in the Rye. London: Hamish. 252pp. Although not specifically about survival, the novel tracks the coming-of-age journey of Holden Caulfield as he stumbles through New York in search of self-awareness. Most students can identify with this; thus it might be a nice addition to the unit. The teacher could read excerpts that highlight Caulfield's isolation.

Jean Craighead George. (1959). My Side of the Mountain. New York: Dutton. 178pp. This is another wilderness-survival tale that is highly acclaimed by both students and educators.

Jean Craighead George. (1995). Acorn Pancakes, Dandelion Salad and other Wild Dishes. New York: Harper Collins. 63pp. This book provides numerous recipes, of which all ingredients can be found in a typical forest. This is a humorous glimpse at what a gourmet meal in the forest might consist of.

Teaching Ideas

(1) Obvious lesson ideas concern survival in the sense of individual vs. nature. Discuss with class what other types of survival exist. When have other people been able to survive against all odds? Weave in the Holocaust and the institution of slavery. Break students into groups and allow them to discuss the similarities in the struggle to survive shared by Brian, Holocaust victims, and slaves. There are numerous excerpts in Primo Levi's Survival at Auschwitz, Frederick Douglass'Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, and Harriet Jacob's Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl that exhibit the desire to persevere and survive.

(2) Have student imagine they are stranded like Brian in Hatchet. The best chance for survival is to attach a letter to a"foolbird" that they have befriended, and it will fly to get help. Ask them what would they write? Remind students to describe their situation and then give details describing how to find them.

(3) Give the students writing time and have them consider: What are some benefits of living in civilization? What are some benefits of living in the wilderness? Brian seemed to have adjusted well to his life in the wilderness. If you were him, would you have gone back with the rescue pilot? If you stayed in the wilderness, what would you want to make it a little easier?

(4) On pg. 169, Brian mentions"how awful it was in South Africa." Although this is not within the general theme of the previous ideas, this is a teachable moment, in which, the teacher can quickly discuss apartheid, since most students will have little knowledge of it. A website dedicated to the African National Congress (www.anc.org.za/ancdocs/history) offers excellent information concerning apartheid and the global outcry of its injustice.

(5) Students could get into small groups and decide what they would need for survival if they were stranded as a group. Students could volunteer skills that they knew (such as how to make a fire), so that combined with their group mates'skills, they could all survive.

(Review written by Blair Parsons and edited by Jennifer E. Moore)