Hatchet

Main Character: Brian

Setting: A lake in the Canadian wilderness

Summary: Brian was on a flight in a small plane to see his father in Canada when suddenly the pilot has a heart attack.  Brian has to figure out how to land the plane and after flying around for awhile, decides to crash into a lake.  Brian survives the crash and quickly realizes he has to do everything he can to survive.  He tackles many obstacles including finding food, facing a bear, facing wolves, getting sprayed by a skunk, and getting wacked by a porcupine.  Brian realizes that a hatchet his mother gave him before his trip is the answer to all of his problems.  He uses it to build a fire to keep him warm and uses his instincts to stay alive in the wilderness for fifty-four long days.

I would use this book in the classroom by having students use their journals.  I would read a few paragraphs and have students write a paragraph or two in their journals about a predicted summary of what's going to happen in the book.  After reading the book, I would have them write a page on how they think they would've reacted if they were in Brian's shoes.  After that, I would have them get into small groups and look back at their first predictions and discuss how it compares to what they know to be true now.


Questions to consider:

• When, if ever, is an adventure book too "real life" for your students? How will you determine the appropriateness for your students?
• What other adventure books have you read? What about true adventure stories?

Reference:

Paulsen, Gary. Hatchet: 20th Anniversary Edition. Simon & Schuster. New York. 2007. Print.