The KFGO Book Club is here to make some recommendations for the avid or casual reader. Titles include current best sellers to local hidden gems, brand new books to classics found in almost every home, and easy ways to find these recommendations in print, digital or audiobook form.
Episode 1: HATCHET by Gary Paulsen (published by MacMillan Publishers, 1986)
PLOT:
“Newbery Award-winner Gary Paulsen’s best-known book comes to audio in this breathless, heart-gripping drama about 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.”
-From the Publisher
WRITING STYLE:
“Hatchet” is intended for younger audiences – but there is a lot of great content for adults. In a time when so many people are feeling isolated as they quarantine inside their homes, you can certainly identify with Brian as he struggles to figure out how to survive, how to eat, how to count the days.
You could easily read through this entire book in a weekend.
WHERE TO FIND:
Your local library will certainly have a copy – but you can also get a very ow cost used copy on Amazon.com. I have also listened to the audiobook through Audible and Peter Coyote’s reading is out of this world. Nook and Kindle readers can easily find this in the online stores as well.
ADDITIONAL INFO:
This book has a series of sequels that are incredibly interesting. The two direct sequels are interesting – one plot follows the original ending to the first book, “Hatchet,” and the other gives an alternate ending to the first book. Either way, you have several other novels ready to continue reading about Brian’s epic adventure. There was also a movie made, though finding the whole movie is quite difficult. Currently, no streaming or purchase options.
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