Your page · Ages 8 to 12

Hatchet

by Gary Paulsen

One question a night. There are no wrong answers, and you are allowed to change your mind at the end.

1. 1

   Night one, chapters 1 to 3. Brian is carrying a secret about his family when the plane goes down. Why is that harder to carry than the crash?

2. 2

   Night two, chapters 4 to 6. He learns that feeling sorry for himself does not get him food. Is that a fair rule, or a hard one?

3. 3

   Night three, chapters 7 to 9. The porcupine teaches him about pain. What is something you only learned by getting it wrong?

4. 4

   Night four, chapters 10 to 12. He makes fire and calls it his friend. Why does having one thing that works change everything?

5. 5

   Night five, chapters 13 to 15. Brian starts noticing everything in the woods. What do you notice that most people walk right past?

6. 6

   Night six, chapters 16 to 18. The moose and the tornado undo his work in one day. What do you do when you have to start over?

7. 7

   Night seven, chapters 19 to the end. He almost misses the rescue because he has changed. How is the Brian at the end different from the one on the plane?

8. 8

   The hatchet is a gift from his mother, who he is angry at. Can something good come from someone you are upset with?

9. 9

   If you had to pick one tool to have with you in the woods, what would you take, and what would you give up?

The grown-up page for Hatchet

May 2026 pick. Last updated 19 August 2026.