Hatchet

Use these links to supplement and complement students’ reading of the work and to increase their overall enjoyment of literature. Challenge them to discern parallel themes, engage through visual and aural stimuli, and delve deeper into the thematic possibilities presented by the title.

Recommended Texts for Pairing

A Hatchet Adventure Series

• additional novels about Brian as he returns to the Canadian woods
• Titles include The River, Brian’s Winter, Brian’s Return, and Brian’s Hunt.

Gone to the Woods by Gary Paulsen

• Gary Paulsen’s latest book; a memoir about his difficult childhood and the life events that led to the writing of Hatchet
• Consider choosing an excerpt to read with students; discuss how events from Paulsen’s life may have influenced his depiction of Brian and the challenges Brian faces.

“Calm Is All Nature as a Resting Wheel” by William Wordsworth

• a poem in which the poet observes nature and reflects on the restfulness that time in nature provides
• Compare and contrast with Brian’s view of nature in Hatchet.
• Focus on similarities such as both Brian’s and the poet’s ability to slow down and appreciate nature; then discuss differences between the poet’s view of nature as restful and Brian’s experience of nature as a powerful force.