 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Hatchet
- By Gary Paulsen
- Genre: Adventure
Common Sense Media says
Hold on tight for an intense tale of survival.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this is an intense, fast, exciting read. The main character is a 13-year-old boy whose parents are divorced. He survives a plane crash in the Canadian wilderness en route to visit his father and must use the hatchet his mother once gave him to stay alive. Many kids report that this is the first school-assigned book they fell in love with.
What's the story?
A city boy is stranded in the Canadian wilderness, equipped with nothing but a hatchet and the clothes on his back. Readers get a riveting view of Brian's struggle to survive for the next two months, forever changing his attitude toward the twentieth-century civilization to which he is eventually returned.
Is it any good?
Muscular prose, plus an accurate depiction of the necessities of survival from an author who has lived the details, makes this a riveting, intelligent read. HATCHET has won dozens of awards and appears on many summer-reading lists -- and for good reason. In the end, the book is a fascinating thrill that will keep readers mesmerized to the last page.
Gary Paulsen does not romanticize the difficulties Brian faces. Readers witness his gut-wrenching sickness from eating too many berries and his shock when he realizes he has never before heard total silence. His failures and triumphs are also presented as equal parts of one life-altering experience. In the two months he spends in the wild, Brian undergoes countless emotional and physical changes. But Paulsen keeps the reader at Brian's side as he discovers how strong he has always been.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about Brian's failures and triumphs and how they change his attitude and viewpoint.
Do you think you could survive if you were in the same situation?
Is
there anything Brian did that you might have done differently?What was the most terrifying part of his experience, in your opinion?
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AGE
I didn't like it but you might! :)
I thought that Hatchet was an okay book. The story line was somewhat boring in places and didn’t have any strong characters. Yes, Brian was there and you got to know him somewhat, but there was no other character interaction. I’m not saying it has to be another person that magically appears in the middle of the wilderness but it would be nice if Brian had a companion of some sort. Also, Hatchet seemed to be written very poorly. Almost every sentence was repeated many times and it annoyed me very much!
But I have to say, I did like the fact that I felt like I learned something in the end! If I were stranded in the wilderness I might be able to make it a few days longer with the help of Hatchet! :)
To me, the book had no "Inappropriate" things whatsoever. Yeah, he did kill some animals but don't we all eat meat?
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AGE
im a good book but not for little kids
well it was the best at pages 1-32 the middle kinda tells how he survives but the end was good,now i think well im 10 and some of the words i couldn't read and it said a couple of bad words so i'd say ages 10-29 anyway it was good and if you read you will enjoy it but once you start you just can't stop (literally) love ya'll bye ps. don't let kids under the age of 10 read it Thank you
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AGE
Great book, quick read and enjoyable for even middle aged readers.
Great book. Gave it to my students and they didn't want to put it down. My only negative comment would be I had a parent complain about the mention of the main character's mother having an affair with another man. Other than that this is a great book to get students to read.
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AGE
Adult issues involved
To be honest, I am disappointed that this book is regarded so highly. Although it is well-written and I am sure that my almost-10-year-old will love the adventure story when his 4th grade class reads it this year, I do not believe that it is appropriate for him to be reading about the character's "secret" - the fact that he knows about his mother's marital infidelity that led to his parents' divorce. This is adult content, not suitable for children of this age. Also, the graphic detail at the beginning of the book (describing how the main character gets stranded) is scary...
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Kid, 12 years old
April 26, 2011
AGE
Really good book!
We read this for school at our Surviour Book club and I thought it wouldn't be the most exciting book. The first few chapters were sort of just intruducing how the book starts.. which is where he's in the plane and I didn't really want to keep reading but I did, and it got REALLY, really good!
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AGE
A repetitive and gross book
This book was intesting at the beggining and the very end, but during the middle it kind of slowed down and got boring, and repetitive. some good words to describe it are eposodic(if that was spelled correctly), repetitive, and repulsive.
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AGE
I loved this book, and it's very educational! I read this in 4th grade and our whole class loved it!!!!
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Kid, 12 years old
May 14, 2011
AGE
good book
good book read it for school my fav part is the tornado
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AGE
Fast-paced!
I absoulutely LOVE this book, but one of the big issues is the Brian's mother cheated on his father. Brian must kill many things to survive in the wild, there are also a few iffy words used. Brian often thinks of McDonald's, but he is a great role-model! This is a great book for any one ages 9+!
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AGE
Hatchet
Brian is a 13-year-old boy whose parents are divorced. He survives a plane crash in the Canadian wilderness en route to visit his father and must use the hatchet his mother once gave him to stay alive.
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| Author: | Gary Paulsen |
| Book type: | Fiction |
| Genre: | Adventure |
| Publisher: | Simon & Schuster |
| Publication date: | January 1, 1987 |
| Number of pages: | 195 |
| Paperback price: | $5.99 |
| Publisher's recommended age(s): | 9 - 12 |
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