Summary-
After a plane crash, thirteen-year-old Brian spends fifty-four days in the wilderness, learning to survive initially with only the aid of a hatchet given him by his mother, and learning also to survive his parents' divorce.
Reviews
Gr 5-8-- This model survival story of a plane crash in a lake strands 15-year-old Brian alone in the Canadian wilderness for 54 days. Emotional wounds are healed as he struggles to overcome hunger, wild animals, and a tornado. Paulsen's visual writing style and attention to detail are drawn from his own experience and affinity for the woods. Audiobook available from Listening Library.
Gr 8-12-- Brian Robeson, 13, is the only passenger on a small plane flying him to visit his father in the Canadian wilderness when the pilot has a heart attack and dies. The plane drifts off course and finally crashes into a small lake. Miraculously Brian is able to swim free of the plane, arriving on a sandy tree-lined shore with only his clothing, a tattered windbreaker, and the hatchet his mother had given him as a present. The novel chronicles in gritty detail Brian's mistakes, setbacks, and small triumphs as, with the help of the hatchet, he manages to survive the 54 days alone in the wilderness. Paulsen effectively shows readers how Brian learns patience - to watch, listen, and think before he acts--as he attempts to build a fire, to fish and hunt, and to make his home under a rock overhang safe and comfortable. An epilogue discussing the lasting effects of Brian's stay in the wilderness and his dim chance of survival had winter come upon him before rescue adds credibility to the story. Paulsen tells a fine adventure story, but the sub-plot concerning Brian's preoccupation with his parents' divorce seems a bit forced and detracts from the book. As he did in Dogsong (Bradbury, 1985), Paulsen emphasizes character growth through a careful balancing of specific details of survival with the protagonist's thoughts and emotions. - Barbara Chatton
And so...
This is a great book to give urban students a look at life in the wilderness. There are some parts that our world savvy students will not just accept as readers did when the book was first published in 1987, but the graphic descriptions of choke berries, fishing spears, and porcupine quills will keep readers enthralled.
Uses for this book
This is a good book to study character development and descriptive narrative. It could be used to meet the TEKS requiring a compare contrast knowledge between the written work and film if you allow students to watch "A Cry in the Wild" and write the comparison. An activity that will help assess comprehension would be to have students write about one tool they would want to have with them if they were lost in the wilderness and why.
References
Paulsen, Gary. Hatchet. New York : Simon Schuster, 1987.
Summary retrieved from Richardson Public Library Online Catalog, July 2, 2011.
Reutter, Vicki. School Library Journal, May2004, Vol. 50 Issue 5, p64-64, 1/9p,
Chatton, Barbara. School Library Journal, Dec87, Vol. 34 Issue 4, p103, 2p
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Middle School - Anything but Typical
Summary-
An acclaimed writer delivers an eye-opening depiction of an autistic boy's daily life and lifelong struggles to exist in a neurotypical world, in a groundbreaking novel told from the boy's perspective. Jason, a twelve-year-old autistic boy who wants to become a writer, relates what his life is like as he tries to make sense of his world.
Reviews
Baskin. (All We Know of Love) steps into the mind of an autistic boy who, while struggling to deal with the "neurotypical" world, finds his voice through his writing ability. Though Jason initially seemed a prodigy, by third grade he had fallen behind academically, and his parents reluctantly had him tested CA year later the only letters anybody cared about were ASD, NVLD, and maybe ADD or ADHD, which I think my mom would have liked better. BLNT. Better luck next time"). Now in sixth grade, Jason still has behavioral difficulties, but is passionate about his writing and actively posts stories in an online forum. There he strikes up a friendship with (and develops a crush on) a fellow writer, though he becomes distraught when he discovers they will both be attending the same writing conference. The first-person narration gives dramatic voice to Jason's inner thoughts about his family and his own insecurities, even as he withholds details (usually about incidents at school) from readers. Jason's powerful and perceptive viewpoint should readily captivate readers and open eyes. Ages 10-14. (Mar.)
Gr 4-7--As if adolescence isn't difficult enough by itself, 12-year-old Jason Blake is not a "neurotypical" (NT), he's autistic and interprets the world differently from other children. As a result, kids at school make fun of him and no one seems to understand him, including his family. Writing stories is one of Jason's few escapes, the one place where he can really be himself. After Jason begins a tentative relationship with Rebecca (PhoenixBird) on Storyboard, an online writing forum, he struggles with the fear of meeting her in person. Simultaneously, he narrates his past, giving listeners a glimpse of what life is like growing up as an autistic child. Tom Parks gives a near perfect performance of this eye-opening novel (S & S, 2009) by Nora Raleigh Baskin told from Jason's viewpoint. Always using just the right tone, he liberates the story's apprehension and wit. Poignant and real, the novel's honesty will bring tears to listeners' eyes. Recommended to fans of the Joey Pigza series.
And so...
This book gives an eye-opening look at the other side of Autism for an adolescent. The language is mostly simple, but periodically a word "pops" into Jason's brain that not only gives insight into the way he deals with his autism, but builds vocabulary for the middle school reader. I could possibly recommend all students with an autistic child in their mist read this to gain understanding of those relationships. It also deals with kids who bully Jason, and the one boy who respects his differences and still remains his friend.
Uses for this book
This book would work wonderfully in small literature circles where differences and similarities between the protagonist and the readers could be compared and build understanding of others and self awareness in adoliscent readers.
References
Baskin, Nora Raliegh. Anything But Typical. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2009.
Summary retrieved from Richardson Public Library Online Catalog, July 2, 2011.
Publishers Weekly, 2/9/2009, Vol. 256 Issue 6, p48-50, 2p
Lawler, Terry Ann. School Library Journal, Sep2009, Vol. 55 Issue 9, p61-61, 1/6p
Photograph retrieved from http://hip.cor.gov/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=C3130164T91X9.83774&profile=rpl&uri=link=3100007~!376900~!3100001~!3100002&aspect=subtab35&menu=search&ri=1&source=~!horizon&term=Anything+but+typical+%2F&index=PALLTI#focus
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