Monday, March 2, 2015

Hatchet Review

Tristan Renaud                                                            
Hatchet-Gary Paulsen
Rating:***


     The novel, Hatchet, is a survival themed novel that is a popular piece of literature in middle school. It is an easy book to relate to considering its target audience as it is about a 13 year old city boy who is forced to adapt when forced into a disastrous situation. The writing style and plot was simple to read, and at times, and tad unrealistic.

     The novel is about a 13 year old boy, Brian Robeson, who's single passenger plane crashes into the Canadian woods. One key tool that he is left with is a hatchet. (hence the name of the novel). Having no prior experience to living in the outdoors, Brian must learn how to sustain life until rescue comes. He does this by trial and error, learning from his mistakes, and eventually avoiding those mistakes all together. An example of when Brian learned through constant effort occurred when he could not figure out how to successfully light a lasting fire. by catching sparks from striking his hatchet against a rock. 

   Although this was not one of my favorite reads, it does teach some valuable lessons that can be used in and out of this class. For example, not giving up on an action allowed Brian to become successful in constructing a lasting fire, and ultimately survive. Also, it doesn't hurt to logically think about a decision and its options/ outcomes before acting upon them. Had Brian done this, he would have not suffered an injury in his leg due to a wild porcupine. 


     I have yet to see the movie, but the book can be an amusing read and certainly paints a picture.

Paulsen, Gary. New York:Simon & Schuster, 1987. Print.

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