What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that this is an intense, fast, exciting
read. Many kids report that this is the first school-assigned
book they fell in love with.
Families can talk about Brian's failures and triumphs and how they change his attitude and viewpoint.
Common Sense Media Review
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.
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: "The noise of his voice had startled everything and it was quiet ... it lasted only a few seconds, but it was so intense that it seemed to become part of him." Brian's failures and triumphs are 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. Paulsen keeps the reader at Brian's side as he discovers how strong he has always been.
Hatchet is a fascinating thrill of a book that will keep readers mesmerized to the last page.
Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information to help parents make media and entertainment choices for their families.
