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Newbury Award-winner Gary Paulsen brings his best known book to
audio, a breathless, heart-gripping drama of a boy pitted against the wilderness - with
only a hatchet and a will to live.
On his way to visit his recently divorced father in the Canadian
mountains, thirteen-year-old Brian Robeson is the only survivor when the single-engine
plane crashes. His body battered, his clothes in shreds, Brian must now stay alive in the
boundless Canadian wilderness.
More than a survival story, Hatchet is a tale of
tough decisions. When all is stripped down to the barest essentials, Brian discovers some
stark and simple truths: Self-pity doesn't work. Despair doesn't work. And if Brian is to
survive physically as well as mentally, he must discover courage.
Some of Hatchet's awards:
Newberry Honor Book - 1988
ALA Notable Book - 1987
Booklist Editor's Choice Citation - 1988
Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award - 1989
Georgia Children's Book Awards - 1991
Young Hoosier Book Awards - 1991
Reviews
"The story is intoned by Peter Coyote in his distinctive
lonely, manly voice. There is plenty of action, danger, true grit and self-scrutiny."
... Forbes Review on Tapes
"A heart-stopping story...something beyond adventure, a book
that plunges readers into the cleft of the protagonist's experience." ... Publishers Weekly
"Plausible, taut, this survival story is a spellbinding
account ." ... Kirkus Review
"In a straightforward but
compelling narration, Coyote captures Brian's terror, anguish and
exultation as he learns to survive alone in the wilderness."
...Audiofile
About Gary Paulsen:
Using his varied life experiences, but especially those of an outdoorsman - a hunter,
trapper and two-time competitor in the Intarod, a 1200-mile Alaskan dogsled race, Paulsen
writes about what he knows best. This knowledge comes through clearly in the descriptive
details he uses, making the reader feel part of the narrative. He effectively demonstrates
how Brian must learn patience - to watch, listen, and think before he acts. Paulsen's
knowledge of our natural wilderness is obvious and beautifully shared.
Original 1992 release:
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