Hatchet

4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars | 27,283 ratings

Price: 11.8

Last update: 12-10-2025


Top reviews from the United States

  • Great book to entice male nonreaders into reading
    Excellent book for teens to retirees who love the outdoors! It is the first book in a series of books that are clean and exciting. Read the whole series. Possibly more appropriate for men and boys, but my wife also thoroughly enjoyed them all.
  • Very good writing and interesting story.
    My two granddaughters, my daughter and myself read this book and loved it! I ordered the other books in the series for us all. Keep writing Gary Paulson you are great for young and old readers
  • Teacher recommended
    Perfect for the age group. This was recommended to me by a 5th grade teacher.
  • Good story, but why divorce and infidelity?
    A good story of a kid's survival skills. The "back story" is that the kid is burdened with a big "Secret"--that he saw his mother with another man, his parents are getting divorced, and he's flying off to spend the summer with his Dad in the remote north of Canada. I think bringing infidelity and divorce into the story is unnecessary and detracts from an otherwise uplifting tale.
  • A taut survival tale!
    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!
  • Great storytelling
    Good
  • Really great fiction!
    It’s an inspiring book that makes me want to live as passionately as Brian. Easy vocabulary, good story, happy ending!
  • Classic story
    Reading this as an adult was full of nostalgia and love for reading. One of the first books I vividly remember reading.

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