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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 h
by Willingham 2y ago
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.
- j_bum 2y agoA small nitpick, the main character is only 13 years old. Great book!
- teruakohatu 2y agoA good book, I also read it as a child.
- ARob109 2y agoThat’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
- move-on-by 2y agoI 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.
- ninkendo 2y agoNot 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.)
- wombat-man 2y agoYeah I think it was 6th grade for me, which I think is about right.
- Slump 2y agoHatchet 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.
- lynndotpy 2y agoI 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.)
- klyrs 2y agoI 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.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- m8s 2y agoThat 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!
- jnurmine 2y agoIt'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.
- theoreticalmal 2y agoWas that the Quonset hut surrounded by wolves? I think on the broken highway map?
- jnurmine 2y agoYes, Quonset Garage on the Coastal Highway. It was maybe this video, or a clip of it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gs2IYnNBVhQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gs2IYnNBVhQ
- mock-possum 2y agoThere 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.
- DiggyJohnson 2y agoMy Side of the Mountain, The Hatchet, and Peak were like the trilogy of adventure books for our cohort I think.
- exabrial 2y agoI 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.
- msla 2y ago"Hatchet" by Gary Paulsen https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatchet_(novel) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatchet_(novel)
- Loughla 2y agoI 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.
- Waterluvian 2y agoHatchet 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.
- dieselgate 2y agoThink I used Hatchet for a book report every year from like 3rd to 7th grade.