Hatchet

Hatchet is a 1987 young adult survival novel by American author Gary Paulsen.

Hatchet is a 1987 young adult survival novel by American author Gary Paulsen. It follows thirteen-year-old Brian Robeson, who survives alone in the Canadian wilderness after a plane crash. The novel is set in the Canadian wilderness and involves a flight to the Canadian oilfields, making it especially familiar to Canadian readers and classrooms.

Plot

The story follows Brian Robeson after a plane carrying him to the Canadian oilfields crashes, leaving him stranded in the wilderness. He learns to find food, make fire, and survive until rescue.

Publication and series

Hatchet was first published in 1987 by Bradbury Press and is the first novel in a five-book series known as Brian’s Saga. Later books include The River, Brian’s Winter, Brian’s Return, and Brian’s Hunt.

Themes

The novel is commonly associated with survival, resilience, maturation, and the relationship between humans and nature. It is also often discussed as a coming-of-age story.

Reception

Hatchet was well received and earned a Newbery Honor in 1988. It remains one of Gary Paulsen’s best-known works and a common classroom text.