Paulson, Gary. Hatchet. New York, NY: Simon Pulse Paperbacks, 1987.
HATCHET BOOK REVIEW
by Corey Hendrickson
When thirteen year old Brian Robeson sets off to visit his father for the summer, he could never have imagined what would happen to him next. After a brief flying lesson, the pilot suffers a major heart attack and Brian is left alone to fly the plane. Troubled by his mother’s dark secret and now the inexperienced pilot of the Cessna, Brian must decide what steps he will take to first, land the plane and second, survive alone, in the Canadian wilderness. With only the clothes on his back, a windbreaker and a hatchet, follow Brian as he begins the adventure of his life. Will this young boy survive his ordeal? Will he find peace from the “secret” that troubles him? Follow this young man as he survives a crash landing, lives through a tornado, gets quilled by a porcupine, sprayed by a skunk and faces bears and moose in the wild. Will he overcome the burden he carries knowing his mother’s dark secret? Will you tame the Canadian wilderness before it takes him? Follow Brian on this adventure of self-discovery and perseverance.
Richard Lorber
EDRL 407
Literature Response Project
10-23-11 Uses in the Classroom
The selection, The Hatchet, will be used with the strategy, visualization and other imagery during and after reading. We will be involved in images from student schema along with words of the text. A good spot for using our imagination is just after his self-pity party as he realizes his hunger pangs have increased. All of the students have either enjoyed or seen cherries. The author paints a picture for our mind of the shelter with the pile of cherries “red ones, but the berries that were dark, maroon to black swollen in ripeness.” Using the visualization strategy along with the text that has no pictures will help students with comprehension. While reading this passage students will close their eyes and visualize the scene. The author makes good use of concepts of size, weight, and distance to explain information. Students will be asked what makes the scene come alive for them and we will place comments on chart paper.
Personal Response: by Meghan McQuain
Hatchet is a well written, exciting and adventurous story that will keep the reader turning the pages throughout the entire book. Gary Paulsen did a great job of painting a picture with his words to give readers a vivid image of what Brian goes through, both emotionally and physically throughout the story. The other thing I like about this book is that it brings up issues that many children today can relate to, and has a great message; no matter how bad things get, you can survive it. I really enjoyed the story and was captivated from the very first paragraph. I was a little surprised when I read about the ‘secret’ that Brian kept, but unfortunately it happens in real life and it was interesting to read how Brian dealt with it. Because of his situation, both before and after the crash we watch Brian transform from a young man to a man. If I were teaching a first grade class, I don’t think they would quite grasp the ideas in this book; however I think it would be a great book to introduce to third and fourth grade students. They’re at the age where they can understand the concepts in the story, and they will really be pulled in by the extreme detail and exciting storyline.
Paulson, Gary. Hatchet. New York, NY: Simon Pulse Paperbacks, 1987.
HATCHET BOOK REVIEW
by Corey Hendrickson
When thirteen year old Brian Robeson sets off to visit his father for the summer, he could never have imagined what would happen to him next. After a brief flying lesson, the pilot suffers a major heart attack and Brian is left alone to fly the plane. Troubled by his mother’s dark secret and now the inexperienced pilot of the Cessna, Brian must decide what steps he will take to first, land the plane and second, survive alone, in the Canadian wilderness. With only the clothes on his back, a windbreaker and a hatchet, follow Brian as he begins the adventure of his life. Will this young boy survive his ordeal? Will he find peace from the “secret” that troubles him? Follow this young man as he survives a crash landing, lives through a tornado, gets quilled by a porcupine, sprayed by a skunk and faces bears and moose in the wild. Will he overcome the burden he carries knowing his mother’s dark secret? Will you tame the Canadian wilderness before it takes him? Follow Brian on this adventure of self-discovery and perseverance.
Richard Lorber
EDRL 407
Literature Response Project
10-23-11
Uses in the Classroom
The selection, The Hatchet, will be used with the strategy, visualization and other imagery during and after reading. We will be involved in images from student schema along with words of the text. A good spot for using our imagination is just after his self-pity party as he realizes his hunger pangs have increased. All of the students have either enjoyed or seen cherries. The author paints a picture for our mind of the shelter with the pile of cherries “red ones, but the berries that were dark, maroon to black swollen in ripeness.” Using the visualization strategy along with the text that has no pictures will help students with comprehension. While reading this passage students will close their eyes and visualize the scene. The author makes good use of concepts of size, weight, and distance to explain information. Students will be asked what makes the scene come alive for them and we will place comments on chart paper.
Personal Response: by Meghan McQuain
Hatchet is a well written, exciting and adventurous story that will keep the reader turning the pages throughout the entire book. Gary Paulsen did a great job of painting a picture with his words to give readers a vivid image of what Brian goes through, both emotionally and physically throughout the story. The other thing I like about this book is that it brings up issues that many children today can relate to, and has a great message; no matter how bad things get, you can survive it. I really enjoyed the story and was captivated from the very first paragraph. I was a little surprised when I read about the ‘secret’ that Brian kept, but unfortunately it happens in real life and it was interesting to read how Brian dealt with it. Because of his situation, both before and after the crash we watch Brian transform from a young man to a man. If I were teaching a first grade class, I don’t think they would quite grasp the ideas in this book; however I think it would be a great book to introduce to third and fourth grade students. They’re at the age where they can understand the concepts in the story, and they will really be pulled in by the extreme detail and exciting storyline.