Book 22 Hatchet

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen fulfills the category “Book Set in a Country that Begins with the Letter C” for the PopSugar 2020 Reading Challenge. The story takes place in the wilds of northern Canada.

This novel was my second choice for the category. I’ve had Hatchet in my To-Be-Read pile for eons. My kids read it for school, and I didn’t co-read. (Bad Mom!) But it fit the prompt and the atmosphere of 2020 nicely.

I will note the book I originally chose for the category was Fatal Grace by Louise Penny. I got through perhaps the first disc of the audiobook before I shut it down. The purpose of my blog is not to shame or rip apart any other author, or their books. That being said, I could not in good conscious finish her novel and do not plan to read any other of her titles.

On to Hatchet.

The story involved a young man whose plane crashes in northern Canada after the pilot dies from a heart attack. The boy is alone in the middle of the wilderness with little food, no shelter, and no hope of being rescued. It reminded me of My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George, but Sam Gribley chose to live in the wilderness. Brian Robeson did not.

I enjoyed the story for a middle-grade read and wondered what lessons I would use if I taught this book. (Former teacher here btw) Would today’s children relate to the trials and puzzles the boy had to solve just to survive the bugs or making a fire or…? I’m not saying kids today are incapable of surviving in the wilderness, but there’s a trend in our society away from nature and how to live in it. You should see mine when I take away the wi-fi.

I also enjoyed Brian’s growth throughout the book. He took time to pout and cry, but only a little. He understood he was the key to his survival and stood up for himself. Luck was on his side, but his survival really depended on smart thinking, open-mindedness, and care.

One thing that struck home for me was feeling “A Mother’s Fear.” I try so hard not to be a helicopter mom or a snowplow, but I can’t imagine putting either of my girls on a plane to northern Canada. Ever. I’m terrified to send them alone to Tennessee to visit their grandfather, much less in a tiny plane over uninhabited forest. I’d like to read a story from Brian’s mother’s perspective of dealing with the tragedy of her son’s crash, thinking he was gone, and overcoming the heartbreak.

In the end, it was an enjoyable novel for the kiddos.

      I give Hatchet by Gary Paulsen Five little Axes.