22 replies
1d15h
In grade school I read a book called ‘The Hatchet’. It was a story about a man who survived a plane crash near the arctic circle and had survived many days on his own with not much more than a hatchet. He experienced these sounds after a number days in the harsh wilderness and thought it was gun shots and that he was going to be saved. The book then went on to explain that it was the trees cracking from the extreme cold. I was mesmerized by this as a kid. Knowing now the true origin of the ‘frost crack’, I’m twice as captivated.
That’s the alternate story line as told in Brian’s Winter. He did not ordeal the winter in The Hatchet.
One of my favorite books as a kid, just recently read Hatchet to my boy
I just read the synopsis, I’m curious what age your son is or how old you were when you read it? I’m not sure my son is old enough for it.
Not OP but Hatchet was an assigned book when I was in 5th grade (American Midwest school), it’s pretty common for early school age kids to read. It’s got some slightly intense scenes in it, but nothing that 5th grade me was too scarred by (the scene where he has to go into the lake to get something from the plane and sees the corpse of the dead pilot was pretty scary to 10-year-old me but that’s about as bad as it got.)
Yeah I think it was 6th grade for me, which I think is about right.
I think it's appropriate for as soon as your son would like to read it. I read it in third grade, even though it was introduced in fifth.
Speaking from memory, I really appreciated being able to read books with relatively "mature" topics like that (isolation, survival, etc.)
I found Hatchet when I was in grade 4, and damn near read it straight from the library checkout counter until I was done a few hours past midnight. I'm pretty sure that my parents made me take a break for dinner.
If he can read chapter books at all, he's probably old enough.
Hatchet was one of my favorite books growing up. I believe the first time I read it I was in 4th grade if that helps you gage (it was pretty common in 4th and 5th grades if I recall correctly). That said, my mother was a librarian and didn't care what I read as long as I was reading (including Faulkner and East of Eden when I was in 6th grade which was way too mature for that age :-)) so depending on your son maturity your milage may vary. That said, Hatchet is a great a book and I give it some credit to my life long love of the outdoors and adventure.
That reminds me, there’s a really great survival game called The Long Dark in which you survive a plane crash in something like the arctic circle and must survive. If anyone is into survival games, definitely check this one out!
It's an extremely captivating game with an unparalleled atmosphere.
Before I started playing the game, I saw in passing an in-game video of a well-stocked gas station. Lights were lit and shelves were stocked. It was made like an in-game advertisement of some sort.
Later, when I started to play the game, I recalled the video, and decided to reach the gas station and set up my base there. Imagine the food! The warm indoor temperatures! Brand new clothes!
After a perilous journey I reached the gas station. For some reason I was expecting the lights to be on and warmth, but of course I was greeted by a half-broken gas station, no lights of course, shelves were almost empty and cold indoors.
But it was a good base, lots of loot.
Was that the Quonset hut surrounded by wolves? I think on the broken highway map?
Yes, Quonset Garage on the Coastal Highway.
It was maybe this video, or a clip of it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gs2IYnNBVhQ
There was another novel along the same lines I remembering liking as a kid called “my side of the mountain”
A story about a kid basically muddling through living ‘off-grid” before it was cool.
I blame my side of the mountain for me, sitting right now, in Breckenridge about to head out into the woods for the day.
Absolutely captivating book to read as a kid.
My Side of the Mountain, The Hatchet, and Peak were like the trilogy of adventure books for our cohort I think.
"Hatchet" by Gary Paulsen
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatchet_(novel)
I got to meet Gary Paulsen at a conference once. He's a legit mountain man, and one of the absolute nicest people on the face of the earth. He stayed at a book signing for like 6 hours after to talk to fans. Super cool guy.
A small nitpick, the main character is only 13 years old. Great book!
If he read it at the same age range I did, then a 13 year old certainly seemed like a man by comparison.
A good book, I also read it as a child.
Think I used Hatchet for a book report every year from like 3rd to 7th grade.
Hatchet is part of a series. They’re all pretty good.
The one thing I remember is how he found a rifle and ammo but eventually went back to the bow because it’s quieter and ammo is reusable. What a gamer.