Brian's Winter (Hatchet Adventures #3)

by Gary Paulsen (Author)

Brian's Winter (Hatchet Adventures #3)
Reading Level: 6th − 7th Grade

He would have to find some way to protect himself, some weapon. The fire worked well when it was burning, but it had burned down. His hatchet and knife would have done nothing more than make the bear really angry -- something he did not like to think about -- and his bow was good only for smaller game. He had nver tried to shoot anything bigger than a foolbird or rabbit with it and doubted that the bow wouuld push the arrow deep enough to do anything but -- again -- make the bear really made.

He bundled in his bag that night, the end of the two weeks of warm weather. He kept putting wood on the fire, half afraid the bear would come back. All the while he tried to think of a solution.

But in reality, the bear was not his primary adversary. Nor was the wolf, nor any animal. Brian had become his own worst enemy because in all the business of hunting, fishing and surviving he had forgotten the primary rule: Always, "always" pay attention to what was happening. Everything in nature means something and he had missed the warnings that summer was ending, had in many ways already ended, and what was coming would be the most dangerous thing he had faced since the plane crashed.

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Publishers Weekly

First there was Hatchet, Paulsen's classic tale of a boy's survival in the north woods after a plane crash. Then came a sequel, The River, and, last year, Father Water, Mother Woods, a collection of autobiographical essays introduced as the nonfiction counterpart to Hatchet. Now Paulsen backs up and asks readers to imagine that Brian, the hero, hadn't been rescued after all. His many fans will be only too glad to comply, revisiting Brian at the onset of a punishing Canadian winter. The pace never relents-the story begins, as it were, in the middle, with Brian already toughened up and his reflexes primed for crisis. Paulsen serves up one cliffhanger after another (a marauding bear, a charging elk), and always there are the supreme challenges of obtaining food and protection against the cold. Authoritative narration makes it easy for readers to join Brian vicariously as he wields his hatchet to whittle arrows and arrowheads and a lance, hunts game, and devises clothes out of animal skins; while teasers at the ends of chapters keep the tension high ("He would hunt big tomorrow, he thought.... But as it happened he very nearly never hunted again"). The moral of the story: it pays to write your favorite author and ask for another helping. Ages 12-up. (Feb.)

School Library Journal

Gr 5-9-At the conclusion of Hatchet (Macmillan, 1987), Brian Robeson is rescued after surviving a plane crash and summer alone in the north Canadian woods. Now, in this second sequel, Paulsen shows what would have happened if the 13-year-old boy had been forced to endure the harsh winter. For a brief time, Brian lives in relative luxury, living off the contents of the recently recovered survival pack, which included a gun for hunting. Then, his freeze-dried food runs out and his rifle fails, and he realizes how careless and complacent he has become. Suddenly aware of the changing seasons, he works frantically to winterize his shelter, fashion warmer clothes from animal skins, and construct a more powerful bow and arrow. About the time he has mastered winter survival, he discovers a dog-sled trail that leads him to a trapper and final rescue. The same formula that worked before is successful here: the driving pace of the narration, the breathtaking descriptions of nature, and the boy who triumphs on the merits of efficient problem solving. The author's ability to cast a spell, mesmerize his audience, and provide a clinic in winter survival is reason enough to buy this novel. Although the plot is both familiar and predictable, Paulsen fans will not be disappointed. Tim Rausch, Crescent View Middle School, Sandy, UT

Review quotes

"Paulsen crafts a companion/sequel to Hatchet containing many of its same pleasures...Read together, the two books make his finest tale of survival yet."
—Kirkus Review, Pointer

"Paulsen at his best."
—Booklist

"Breathtaking...mesmerizing."
—School Library Journal
Gary Paulsen
Gary Paulsen (1931-2021) was one of the most honored writers of contemporary literature for young readers, author of three Newbery Honor titles, Dogsong, Hatchet, and The Winter Room. He wrote over 100 books for adults and young readers.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780307929587
Lexile Measure
1140
Guided Reading Level
R
Publisher
Delacorte Press
Publication date
March 13, 2012
Series
Hatchet Adventures
BISAC categories
YAF001020 - Young Adult Fiction | Action & Adventure | Survival Stories
YAF058220 - Young Adult Fiction | Social Themes | Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance
YAF043000 - Young Adult Fiction | Nature & the Natural World | General (see also headings unde
Library of Congress categories
Survival
Winter
Wilderness survival
Iowa Teen Award
Winner 1998 - 1998
Volunteer State Book Awards
Winner 1999 - 2000
Sasquatch Award
Nominee 1999 - 1999

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