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Gary Paulsen
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Hatchet Paperback – December 26, 2006

by Gary Paulsen (Author)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 25,568 ratings
#1 Best Seller in Teen & Young Adult Parents Fiction
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This award-winning contemporary classic is the survival story with which all others are compared—and a page-turning, heart-stopping adventure, recipient of the Newbery Honor. Hatchet has also been nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read.

Thirteen-year-old Brian Robeson, haunted by his secret knowledge of his mother’s infidelity, is traveling by single-engine plane to visit his father for the first time since the divorce. When the plane crashes, killing the pilot, the sole survivor is Brian. He is alone in the Canadian wilderness with nothing but his clothing, a tattered windbreaker, and the hatchet his mother had given him as a present.

At first consumed by despair and self-pity, Brian slowly learns survival skills—how to make a shelter for himself, how to hunt and fish and forage for food, how to make a fire—and even finds the courage to start over from scratch when a tornado ravages his campsite. When Brian is finally rescued after fifty-four days in the wild, he emerges from his ordeal with new patience and maturity, and a greater understanding of himself and his parents.
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  1. Reading age
    9+ years, from customers
  2. Book 1 of 5
    Brian's Saga
  3. Print length
    192 pages
  4. Language
    English
  5. Grade level
    5 - 9
  6. Lexile measure
    1020L
  7. Dimensions
    5.13 x 0.6 x 7.63 inches
  8. Publisher
    Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
  9. Publication date
    December 26, 2006
  10. ISBN-10
    1416936475
  11. ISBN-13
    978-1416936473
  12. See all details
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Get to know this book

Previous page

  1. What's it about?

    A thirteen-year-old boy must learn to survive in the Canadian wilderness after a plane crash leaves him as the sole survivor.

  2. Popular highlight

    My name is Brian Robeson and I am thirteen years old and I am alone in the north woods of Canada.
    3,555 Kindle readers highlighted this

  3. Popular highlight

    Maybe it was always that way, discoveries happened because they needed to happen.
    2,340 Kindle readers highlighted this

  4. Popular highlight

    And the last thought he had that morning as he closed his eyes was: I hope the tornado hit the moose.
    1,990 Kindle readers highlighted this
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From the Publisher

Hatchet

Hatchet

Hatchet

Hatchet

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is a spellbinding account...a winner."
-- Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Riveting."
-- Booklist, starred review

About the Author

Gary Paulsen (1931–2021) was one of the most honored writers of contemporary literature for young readers, author of three Newbery Honor titles, Dogsong, Hatchet, and The Winter Room. He wrote over 100 books for adults and young readers.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers; Reissue edition (December 26, 2006)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 192 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1416936475
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1416936473
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 9+ years, from customers
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 1020L
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 5 - 9
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.13 x 0.6 x 7.63 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 25,568 ratings

About the author

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Gary Paulsen

Gary Paulsen

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Gary Paulsen is one of the most honored writers of contemporary literature for young readers. He has written more than one hundred book for adults and young readers, and is the author of three Newberry Honor titles: Dogsong, Hatchet, and The Winter Room. He divides his time among Alaska, New Mexico, Minnesota, and the Pacific.

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
25,568 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the plot great, intense, and shocking. They also describe the book service as awesome and easy. Readers find the storyline exciting to the end, revealing much about Brian's past, thoughts, and grit. They say the themes are one of survival but also one of growth and deep soul searching. Customers say the book is great for a certain age group and a perfect way to connect on an academic level. They find the writing quality readable, has lots of description, and generates many conversations in their household. Customers also mention the content as nice and teaching survival life skills.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more
ContentStorylineWriting qualityAppropriatenessPlotThemesBook servicePacing
952 customers mention "Content"939 positive13 negative

Customers find the book has a great storyline and teaches perseverance and self-reliance. They also say it's a good what-if survival book.

"...His only tools are his brain and the hatchet. Really good." Read more

"...It was a good book. (Henry) When he saw the dead pilot in the plane after the storm. (Ayana) I like how he pulled the porcupine quills out...." Read more

"...I think the book teaches two main things: Perseverance and Self reliance. The book is written at the Middle Schoolers vocabulary level...." Read more

"...This book is definitely a great read!" Read more

364 customers mention "Storyline"364 positive0 negative

Customers find the storyline exciting, adventurous, and classic. They also say the book is engrossing, fast-moving, and passionate.

"...To sum it up Brian was a great, passionate, lanky, young, depressed 12-year-old boy stranded in the Canadian wilderness after him and his pilot..." Read more

"Classic story, good read. I read as adult although target for >age 12...." Read more

"...Hatchet has adventure and suspense – you will always want to know what is going to happen next!..." Read more

"...A lot of trial and error. But as the story progresses, it starts to get very interesting...." Read more

301 customers mention "Writing quality"272 positive29 negative

Customers find the book readable, simple to understand, and excellent for middle schoolers. They also appreciate the detailed description and say it generates discussion in English. Customers also say the book is not long and exciting.

"Loved the detailed description of Brian's gut cherry experience. (Max) It was funny when he got jumped by the moose...." Read more

"Classic story, good read. I read as adult although target for >age 12...." Read more

"...I know that "Hatchet" is a great recommended read for reluctant readers for whatever reasons...." Read more

"...Not long. 189 pages. You can read it in a day or so. It just did not hook me. Which is sad because my nephews love this book...." Read more

300 customers mention "Appropriateness"283 positive17 negative

Customers find the book appropriate for a certain age group, providing important insight for children who may have problems. They also say it's an excellent teaching book without being preachy, a perfect way to connect on an academic level, and a great unit study for educating homeschoolers.

"...They also unanimously suggest that 6-7th graders are the perfect age for enjoying the book." Read more

"An excellent book for Middle School kids, especially Boys. I think the book teaches two main things: Perseverance and Self reliance...." Read more

"...He loves the outdoors. This story is still a great read for kids today." Read more

"This is a great book for kids in the middle school range. A classic tale of survival in the Alaskan wilderness." Read more

131 customers mention "Plot"93 positive38 negative

Customers find the plot of the book great, intense, and shocking. They also say the book is an excellent intro that explains some details and explains what might have happened. Readers also mention that the ending is perfect, and the book has a gripping beginning.

"Hatchet is a novel that will appeal to many people who love adventure, action, and crazy scenarios...." Read more

"...The epilog was a nice follow up. It explains some details and explains what might have happened." Read more

"...As other reviewers have alluded to, at points the story is told in a rather simplistic way and has a very distracting and rather odd repetitive..." Read more

"my friend and myself bought these books and they are truly great storyline." Read more

90 customers mention "Themes"90 positive0 negative

Customers find the themes in the book good, inspiring, and captivate adults and children alike. They say the book has a great message about how to handle tough situations. Readers also say it helps them bond through reading and achieves it without pompous moralizing.

"...The book also has very many lessons that need to be learned in life." Read more

"...It is a quick read and you can learn some things about survival skills. I passed it on to another grandchild. Worth the read." Read more

"...problems of the parents and the attempted suicide in a very positive and understanding way and is definitely not a negative, but rather an important..." Read more

"I am so impressed with Gary Paulsen's books! They somehow captivate adults and children alike...." Read more

64 customers mention "Book service"64 positive0 negative

Customers are satisfied with the book service. They mention that it came quickly and as described, and was packaged good.

"Product was packaged good. Exactly as I expected" Read more

"Fast safe delivery" Read more

"My son has been wanting this book! Good price, shipped quickly!" Read more

"Excellent services and faster delivery. Five stars" Read more

61 customers mention "Pacing"24 positive37 negative

Customers are mixed about the pacing. Some find the book captivating, fast-moving, and engrossing, while others say it's repetitive, boring, and slow at the beginning. They also say the sentences go on and on. Overall, some customers feel the book is unrealistic, simple, and graceless.

"...On the other hand sometimes it seems a tad unrealistic. His luck swings back and forth from good to bad and back again...." Read more

"...I was completely captivated all the way through, learning life lessons—willpower, patience, courage, and trust—right along with the main character,..." Read more

"...at points the story is told in a rather simplistic way and has a very distracting and rather odd repetitive style of narration...." Read more

"...and after 54 days alone in the wilderness -- completely unrealistic in its depiction -- he still never learns the most important lesson any person,..." Read more

Mixed feelings...spoilers
3 Stars
Mixed feelings...spoilers
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen is, in some way, very realistic. The main character, Brian Robeson is not doing well. His parents are divorced and he is weighed down by a secret. And as he is being sent to visit his Father in Canada his plane goes down. As it does in most survival games…er..books. To be fair this was first published in 1987 so most games likely steal from it.So now, on top of everything else he is trapped in the wilderness with nothing but a hatchet his Mom gave him. And he knowledge about survival comes from movies and TV. Yet he survives. Even after, sometimes, dong the wrong thing first.I have to warn you though, as I said, it is somewhat realistic. Maybe too realistic. Parents may wish to read the book before giving it to their kids. I would suggest this book for older teens and young adults. As at one point Brian tries to kill himself.On the other hand sometimes it seems a tad unrealistic. His luck swings back and forth from good to bad and back again. He encounters animals that should have killed him and, somehow, survives. The very fact he survived a plane crash is, in itself, amazing. Yes, people have survived such things in real life. But poor Brian has everything happen to him.I will point out that Gary Paulsen spent a lot of his time in the woods. In fact, while in the Army, he had to make two emergency landings. Which means he would have been given some training on survival. Duh. And, from what I understand, not a happy childhood. So, to be honest, he had a lot of experiences to help him write the book.Not long. 189 pages. You can read it in a day or so. It just did not hook me. Which is sad because my nephews love this book. I assume they love all five books in the series. But for me…three out of five. I found it kind of depressing because of how realistic it was and yet, like I said, sometimes a tad too unrealistic.
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Top reviews from the United States

Rhoda
5.0 out of 5 stars Great story for anyone 12+
Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2024
Verified Purchase
Most of the story is focused on a 13yo boy who is the line survivor of a plane crash. He has to figure out how to survive in the wilderness. His only tools are his brain and the hatchet. Really good.
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Melanie Hartshorn
5.0 out of 5 stars Reviewed by the 67th graders at Olelo Christian Academy in Lihue, Hawaii (SPOILERS AHEAD)
Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2024
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Loved the detailed description of Brian's gut cherry experience. (Max) It was funny when he got jumped by the moose. (Makena) A good book about survival. (Mary) One of the best books I've ever read. (Rylee) I loved how he was tossed around by the tornado. (Violet) I liked the detailed description of the pilot's passing. (Ryker) It was a good book. (Henry) When he saw the dead pilot in the plane after the storm. (Ayana) I like how he pulled the porcupine quills out. (Jenavi) I liked how it described The Secret. (Evelyn)

My students really enjoyed the book. We watched the movie that was based on the book (A Cry In the Wild) as a culminating activity. The students unanimously preferred the book. They also unanimously suggest that 6-7th graders are the perfect age for enjoying the book.
5 people found this helpful
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Bill Nellen
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Best Books I've Ever Read (by Leo Z. 11 Years Old)
Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2024
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Hatchet is a novel that will appeal to many people who love adventure, action, and crazy scenarios. Hatchet can really be a game changer if you're not quite into books. For example, I am a 11 year old boy who didn’t like to read, but after Hatchet I think I might just read a lot more from now on. This novel is about a 12 year old lanky and skinny kid stuck in the Canadian wilderness for a fight against himself and the grassy wilderness ahead of him. To sum it up Brian was a great, passionate, lanky, young, depressed 12-year-old boy stranded in the Canadian wilderness after him and his pilot crashed in a lake.
5 people found this helpful
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Deannana Johncox
4.0 out of 5 stars It's a good book.
Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2024
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I got this for my grandson to read, he's 10 years old. We read at night before he goes to sleep. I found parts of the story he was quite bored but other parts he was very interested. I do think it's a little to old for a 10 year old. There was cursing in it and death as well as a little advanced storyline like the child's mother having an affair with another man etc.. So I'd recommend this book for an older child. Not for 12 and under.
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Peter Poulson
5.0 out of 5 stars A Fantastic Book for Middle School Kids
Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2024
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An excellent book for Middle School kids, especially Boys. I think the book teaches two main things: Perseverance and Self reliance. The book is written at the Middle Schoolers vocabulary level. Besides the action of the only character the author gives the reader the thoughts of the character so the reader gets the "Why" of the action. I'd say the book is character building.
One person found this helpful
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Greta
5.0 out of 5 stars Good read
Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2024
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Classic story, good read. I read as adult although target for >age 12. Talks about reliance, divorce, depending on what you can do and should take responsibility for
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Judy K. Polhemus
5.0 out of 5 stars A taut survival tale!
Reviewed in the United States on September 2, 2010
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Review # 1239 with 1238 posted 15 days ago about "Hatchet," a book written 20 years ago by Gary Paulsen--

The point is: What new thing can I say about such a book? The answer is probably nothing with the point being that Amazon allows each of its customers an individual voice, despite how many there might be.

As a children's librarian (including those middle school children), I know that "Hatchet" is a great recommended read for reluctant readers for whatever reasons. Why haven't I read this book, I continued to ask myself. So--this summer I asked my great-niece and -nephew, 12 and 10, if we could all read and discuss this book? All agreed, no one finished. Here's how the first couple of chapters go: Brian, aged 13, is flying to a remote area in Northern Canada to stay with his dad. Because the area is so remote, a private plane must be hired. That means one pilot, one passenger in a tiny two-seater. Then, as it so happens from time to time in the real world--out of nowhere, the pilot has a heart attack and dies. In a rush of panic, Brian takes over and flies the plane until fuel runs out. Then he must land. Therein lies the difficulty. With so many lakes and rivers in the Canadian wilderness, where he is, at that point and moment in space and time, reveals an unsatisfactory water bed, but he must land anyway. Water is like concrete to a flying object on impact. Brian hits his head and wrenches his whole body in the crash, but he makes it out and swims to shore in icy water.

Now that's an exciting beginning. Who wouldn't want to read further, but I didn't. Finally, when I discovered that none of us had finished the book, I picked it up again and continued reading. At exactly that point begins one incredible episode after the other in Brian's personal and up close experience with a life threatening adventure. A city boy, Brian knows nothing about survival skills or even simple camping. What resources he calls on are two: television programs and a teacher's mantra that each of us is the person to most rely on.

As an aside, Paulsen spent a few nights camping in his backyard, using stones and sticks to start a fire. Finally, his wife asked what in the world was he doing? (I think this is just a neat story to relate about the background for his book and not really true.) He replied, "Trying to start a fire." "Well, why don't you just use matches?" she asked. "I don't have any," he responded.

And neither did Brian, so the description of his efforts to start a fire ring true--because they are. In his two month sojourn (not intentional, mind you), Brian meets a bear, fool birds, chokeberries, a crazed elk, rabbits, a tornado, and a continuing incredible (but believable) array of obstacles and milestones and little victories.

Brian fully expected to be rescued within 24 hours until he remembered how off-course he probably flew the plane himself. Hours turned into days, days into weeks, and .... I wish I could comment on the ending because I have some things to say, but in whatever subtle way I said it, I would reveal spoilers. Allow me this: I had been right there with Brian the whole way. The ending stunned me. I mean it--I was stunned!

Because of the ending I began researching what else Paulsen had written, and discovered more Brian books. I cannot say anything about them either, but I've ordered them for my school library.

Now I know why I can recommend this book to reluctant readers--and of course, anyone who loves a good story!! Hatchet? Didn't I mention it? It's really not the hatchet that saves Brian for so long--it is Brian himself wielding the hatchet. This book is definitely a great read!
10 people found this helpful
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Daisiaemae
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read
Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2024
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This was on my son's school reading list and we both enjoyed this book.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Gilberto Aguilar
5.0 out of 5 stars Very good book
Reviewed in Mexico on May 15, 2023
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I loved It
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EmmieBlu
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing story
Reviewed in Canada on May 7, 2024
Verified Purchase
I read this in grade 8 and fell in love with the story. I wanted to reread it so I got it. I love Brian’s journey and hardships, the story is filled with knowledge and is a great story to give to teens if they want to read a new book that isn’t really long.
One person found this helpful
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Sabine Horn
5.0 out of 5 stars Schnörkellos
Reviewed in Germany on July 10, 2024
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Tolles Buch, das ich auf Empfehlung meines amerikanischen Freundes gelesen habe. Ich werde es mit meiner 9. Klasse in Englisch nächstes Schuljahr lesen. Es enthält am Ende noch study questions, die ich sehr brauchbar finde.
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M K.
5.0 out of 5 stars Een leuk boek, leest makkelijk. Zeker een aanrader!
Reviewed in the Netherlands on March 6, 2021
Verified Purchase
Super snelle levering, de tweede dag al ontvangen.
Het verhaal van het boek is leuk en leerzaam, ondanks dat er weinig dialogen in zitten. Heel soms valt de schrijver in herhaling van bepaalde zinsdelen maar om Engels te leren vond ik het niet storend.
Zeker aan te bevelen voor kinderen vanaf 10/11 jaar. Maar ook voor volwassenen ...
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Anny campos de paula
5.0 out of 5 stars Suspense
Reviewed in Brazil on March 28, 2019
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Otimo livro
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