Author: Gary Paulsen
Title: Hatchet
Genre: Fiction
Paulsen, Gary. Hatchet. Simon & Schuster, 2009.
Grade
Level: 7th grade
Pages: 186 pages
Hatchet is a fiction novel about thirteen-year-old Brian Robeson who survives a plane crash into the Canadian wilderness on his way to visit his father. The story follow Brian as he attempts to survive in the wilderness alone with only a hatchet until help arrives.
Possible Teaching Concerns:
There is elements of suicide in this novel that could be triggering to some readers. After Brian fails to wave down an airplane, he attempts to kill himself with his hatchet. Again, this is just a concern that teachers should be aware of when teaching this book. Brian also encounters a lot of trauma during while trying to survive in the wilderness alone. Otherwise, this is a pretty clean book and a fun read for junior high or early high school.
Personal Reactions:
I read this book in 5th grade and absolutely loved it. My teacher used literature circles where we got to pick specific books we wanted to read and then were put into group accordingly. I think I would do the same with this novel. I think it is a very interesting read for young readers, especially young men who like to read about survive or enjoy survival video games such as mine craft. I think Brian also has many home issues that he deals with (such as having divorced parents) that many students can relate to.
Canonical Work:
Lord of the Flies is a dystopian novel written by Lois Lowry about a group of boys who are stranded on an island and forced to figure out how to govern themselves. This goes horrible wrong and end violently for the boys, as the revert to violent and feral animals themselves. Although Hatchet and Lord of the Flies have different plots, both books center around the theme of survival. These themes are looked at very differently in both novels making an interesting pair to put into conversation with one another.
A Cry in the Wild Trailer (Hatchet Adaptation 1990)
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