I liked it; it was good
This is also a book kids typically read in middle school, but I was never in that group, so I never got the chance to read it, despite hearing good things.
Read: Sept 5 – Sept 7, 2024
Genre: Contemporary Classic
Audience: Middle-grade
Book contains: heart attack, plane crash, wild animals, moose attack, survival
Purchase a copy from Amazon.ca
Thirteen-year-old Brian Robeson is on his way to his father’s home after a divorce when the pilot of the small plane has a heart attack and he’s subsequently stranded in the Canadian wilderness. In the following days, as he awaits rescue, he must learn to survive, and he only has one tool: a hatchet gifted to him by his mother.
I never read this book in middle school like some other kids in my classes, but I knew I had to give it a try, considering the good things I’ve heard about it. I actually found myself enjoying it more than I expected.
This tale is written in limited omniscient third person perspective, as told by Brian, a thirteen-year-old boy. The events take place mostly in chronological order, but there is some jumping around here and there as he sinks deeper into a survivalist mindset.
I bought my copy while attending the Rotary Book Sale in 2023, along with quite a few other classic books. It’s a fairly easy read, but I still wanted to listen along (my preferred method of reading) so I found an excellent reading on Spotify, done by Mrs. Kuiper’s Read Alouds. As it turns out, she’s done a bunch of different books. She was a great reader, despite some grating background noise at times.
Brian is one of the few characters we meet—aside from the pilot at the beginning and the rescuer at the end—so he is the only person we really get to know. He is your typical thirteen-year-old boy, panicked and scared when he first lands, but he is also resourceful and clever. He uses what he knows and he evolves as the story progresses.
Of the few relationships we know about Brian, we find out that his relationship with his mother is complicated, and it all has to do with The Secret that led to the divorce. He is constantly thinking back to The Secret and how it affects him, his father, and his own life. That said, there isn’t much about Brian’s father that we know, other than the fact that he now lives in Canada, that Brian was on his way to meet him, and that he doesn’t know about The Secret. The only other character we know of in relation to Brian is his friend Terry (and an old teacher whom Brian thinks of as motivation). We never meet Terry directly, but he is a big part of Brian’s thoughts as he learns to survive in the wilderness.
The writing style is perfect for middle-grade readers. Being in the mind of a thirteen-year-old, the narrative often repeats things in a mantra-like fashion to emphasize importance. It tells this tale in a way that makes it easy to comprehend and picture, while also giving it the intensity and action that catches and holds a young reader’s attention.
It’s also a fast-paced read. The intro escorts the reader along with a mystery and gives some proper exposition, but very soon the action begins—and it doesn’t end any time soon. There are even moments of real panic that Brian experiences, which brings the reader in close to his perspective.
I highly recommend this book! It provides excellent lessons about hope, perseverance, and resourcefulness, packaged in a thrilling adventure.
Brian’s Saga Book 1: Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
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Daughter of the Deep by Rick Riordan
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