Hatchet+by+Gary+Paulsen

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

Summary: Thoughts of his parent's divorce fill Brian Robeson's head as he flies in a single engine plane to visit his father in the Canadian wilderness. When the pilot suffers a massive heart attack and dies, Brian must somehow land the plane by himself. Then left with only the clothes he is wearing and a hatchet he received from his mother as a parting gift, Brian puts the thoughts of his past behind him and has to figure out how to stay alive.

Background Information:



Most of Hatchet takes place somewhere in the forests of Ontario or Quebec, in a region called the Canadian Shield. Carved out by glaciers long ago, the region is made up of ancient granite rock. It extends, in a horseshoe shape. The climate in the northern part of the Canadian Shield is extremely cold, with average temperatures in July ranging from forty to fifty degrees. Currently, it is approximately 62 degrees in January, one of the coldest months for Fullerton. More than one hundred inches of snow fall in Ontario and Quebec every winter.

Cessna is a major manufacturer of single-engine airplanes in the United States. the Cessna Sky Hawk is a small plane about twenty-seven feet long, with a wingspan of a little over thirty-six feet. The height of the plane is just under nine feet. (Mrs. Given is five feet and seven inches.) The plane has only two seats - for the pilot and the copilot. The rest of the plane's interior is designed for holding cargo.



A heart attack is often caused by a coronary thrombosis. The word coronary means "of or relating to the heart." The word thrombosis means "the formation of a blood clot in the heart or blood vessel." A heart attack occurs when a blood clot blocks one of the arteries that bring blood to the heart. Without a constant blood supply, heart muscle can be damaged. In a minor heart attack, the victim may experience only chest pain. In a very severe heart attack, the heart muscle stops working altogether.

The black bear is the most common bear in North America. They can grow up to five feet tall (Mrs. Given is 7 inches taller!), and usually weigh between 135 - 350 pounds! Most adult bears have a smooth, short-haired black coat, although some may have a chocolate brown or silver gray coat. They are excellent tree climbers and can run very fast. A black bear's sense of smell is it's best sense. They will eat almost anything including meat, grass, berries, mushrooms, and acorns. Garbage dumps and camping coolers are a special treat for the black bear!

Did you know there are two main ways to produce fire - by friction and by percussion. The friction method involves creating enough heat from friction to ignite, or light the surrounding burnable material, or kindling. One common method of starting a fire with friction is called the fire-drill method. The fire builder creates a small pit or groove in a large stick or log, which is laid on the ground. Kindling is placed right around the pit. Then the fire builder places the tip of a smaller stick on the pit and rotates the stick rapidly by rolling it between his or her palms. the percussion method involves striking two objects together to create a spark. Striking flint against flint or steel against flint can create sparks to light kindling.

Brian makes a great discovery while he is trying to catch fish one day -- light refraction. Here is how it works. A substance that allows light to shine through it is called transparent. Air and water are both transparent substances. When light passes through one transparent substance to another, it is refracted, or bent. That is, the ray of light actually changes direction. For a simple demonstration, fill a clear glass half full of water. Place the handle of a spoon or a fork in the glass. View the glass from the side, and see how the handle appears to bend at the point at which it enters the water. Refraction occurs because light travels at different speeds in air and in water. In air, light travels at about 186,000 miles per second. In water, light travels at about 139,000 miles per second. When light rays slow down, objects appear to bend.