Hatchet by Gary Paulsen (Book Summary and Review) - Minute Book Report

This is a story about a boy named Brian who
is flying from New York to Canada to spend time with his father. However, during the
flight, the pilot of the small aircraft dies of a heart attack and Brian is forced to land
the plane. Fortunately, Brian survives the plane crash,
but suffers several injuries. He builds a shelter and gathers supplies, but really doesn't
know what he is doing.

After his wounds heal, Brian begins to learn
and adapt to his new environment. He starts to recognize what's edible and even starts
a fire. Just when things begin to look good for Brian,
bad luck strikes and he is attacked by a moose and a tornado wipes out his camp. In the aftermath of the tornado, however,
the tail of his plane surfaces in the nearby lake.

He swims to the plane and retrieves
a survival pack. Among the supplies is an emergency transmitter. In the end, Brian is rescued and discovers
a newfound respect for nature. Readers understand early on that Brian is
very vulnerable in the wild.

He is consistently slowed by his injuries and inability to do
much for himself. A lot of what he thinks he knows about survival often comes from popular
culture, like TV shows and movies. However, Brian begins to learn about his environment
and matures his survival instinct. He first recognizes his disadvantage in nature when
he begins collecting food and wood.

He understands that he must gather enough food and wood not
just for the present, but also for the future in case he ever were to get hurt or injured.
And it's from this foresight and progressive thinking that Brian demonstrates his understanding
of survival. One of the great realizations that Brian has
in the wild is that everything in nature is constantly trying to eat. This realization
pushes Brian to create innovative solutions to gather food, whether it be weapons for
hunting or a fish farm. And as Brian begins to reinvent technology
to harvest food around him, readers also recognize that his tastes change.

At first, Brian is
content with eating berries. Later, however, he craves fish, bird, and bigger game. The conclusion of the story includes two rescues
for Brian. The first is his physical rescue from the wilderness, but the second rescue
is from the bitterness and disdain towards his mother.

After Brian discovers that his
mother's affair led to his parents' divorce, he strongly holds it against her. However,
through surviving life-threatening situations, Brian puts his family drama in perspective.
He never forgets his mother's actions, but at least he can let go..