Hi there! Raffy P., age 14, has read a classic, heart-wrenching novel he’d like to share with you. I’ve read it too, and his review is wonderfully spot-on!

Hatchet is a 1987 Newbery Honor-winning young-adult wilderness survival novel written by Gary Paulsen.  This story is about a young teen that is 13-years-old with divorced parents, named Brian. During the summer, he was going to visit his father in the oil fields in northern Canada. On the way to visit his father, the pilot suffered a heart attack, and died with just Brian in the plane. Brian attempted to land the plane by himself, but ended up crashing the plane onto a lake in the forest. He must try and survive on his own, with nothing but a hatchet that his mother gave him before he went to visit his father. The question is, will he make it? I would recommend this book for ages 12-15.