Dec
12
Written by:
Kathleen Klocko
12/12/2011 9:52 AM
Another Hot Read from the 2011-12 Elementary Reading Olympic list
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
What if you were the one and only passenger in a small airplane flying above the northern Canadian wilderness with the pilot the only other person aboard? That might be a pretty exciting adventure, right? But what if, suddenly, a fun adventure turns into a harrowing, white-knuckle solo flight, and you have to take over as the pilot in order to land the plane?! This is exactly what happens to 13-year old Brian after the pilot suffers a heart attack. Although scared out of his mind, Brian gamely tries to land the plane. Not surprisingly, the plane crash lands. It could be worse, though, because the plane lands in a lake, not hard ground. Uninjured, Brian manages to escape the plane just before it starts to sink. He manages to grab just one thing from the plane before it goes under – the hatchet his mother had given him as a gift. Had he had the time to make a careful decision about what one item he would want to take from the plane for just such an emergency, he probably could not have made a better choice. The title of the book alone, Hatchet, suggests just how important this tool will become.
Now imagine yourself alone in a vast wilderness completely cut off from any other humans – just you and your hatchet – until somehow you might be rescued. Could you survive? What would be your priorities? What’s the first thing you would do? The second? The third and so on? These are decisions that Brian must make. His very survival depends on his courage and his wits.
Would such an experience change you? Does Brian change? How long is he stranded? Does rescue ever come? The questions about Brian will be answered if you read this award-winning book. (It was named a Newbery Honor Book in 1987). You may be able to answer the question about yourself if you try to put yourself in Brian’s shoes as you read the book. If you like adventure stories, especially a gripping story with a man vs. nature conflict, you’ll love reading Hatchet.
--Jack