Hatchet

****

Gary Paulsen

Brian is having a hard time. His parents have divorced and his dad has moved to the Canadian wilderness. As he boards the single-passenger plane and heads to his father's house for the summer, he thinks about the recent past. But what he doesn't know is that the future is going to be much, much harder. When the pilot suffers a fatal heart attack, it's all Brian can do to crash the plane into a lake. Though he survives the crash, he is now hundreds of miles from humanity, without any supplies or food and completely unprepared to fend for himself. What's worse, the plane veered so far off course that no one will be able to find him. Will he be able to use his clothing, pocket change and hatchet to keep himself alive? And will he ever be able to see his family again?

This is a great book. Though it's geared toward boys, I enjoyed this book as an adolescent. It has adventure, an easily traceable plot and likeable characters. If you enjoy it, there are plenty of books to follow up with!

If you like this book, look for:
The River
The Cay
Brian's Hunt
Brian's Winter
Brian's Return
Island of the Blue Dolphins
Sign of the Beaver
Lord of the Flies
Touching Spirit Bear
The Island
Winterdance