Hatchet
About
Brian's on his way to visit his father in Canada when the pilot of the small airplane he's in has a heart attack. Brian spends 54 days out in the Canadian wilderness learning how to survive. His mother gave him a hatchet before he left and with that, he learned how to make a fire, a bow along with arrows and a spear, as he waited to be rescued.
Read one section at a time, then discuss the questions to review understanding. These questions are a starting place for conversation, not a complete test of the chapter.
Chapter 1
Comprehension questions
Where is Brian going?
Page 7 — To visit his dad in Canada
7
Why is Brian not speaking to his mom?
Page 3 — He’s angry at her for causing the divorce/ he knows a secret about her
3
What did Brian’s mom give him on the drive up to the airplane?
Page 8 — A hatchet
8
How did Brian know the pilot was having a heart attack?
Page 11 — He had previously seen an elderly man have a heart attack and he was acting the same
11
Chapter 2
Comprehension questions
What was the response Brian got as he tried to communicate over the radio?
Page 19 — Someone responded, but the transmission was lost and he never got anyone else
19
What were Brian’s two choices as he flew in the plane wondering what to do?
Page 23 — Take the plane down immediately or wait until it ran out of fuel and the plane would go down by force
23
What would you have done if you were in this situation? Where would you have landed?
Page 25 — Listen to your child's answer
25
Chapter 3
Comprehension questions
Where was Brian able to land the plane?
Page 29 — In a lake
29
What did Brian have to do to make it out of the crashed airplane alive?
Page 29 — Tear off his seat belt, swim through the broken windshield, swim to the surface and swim to shore.
29
How would you have felt if you were Brian?
Listen to your child's answer
Chapter 4
Comprehension questions
What was the secret Brian knew about his mom?
Page 32 — He saw her with another man in a station wagon and assumed that was the reason for the divorce
32
What attacked Brian as he watched the sun rise?
Page 36 — Mosquitoes and black flies
36
What made the mosquitoes and black flies disappear and leave Brian alone?
Page 38 — Heat from the sun; the sun rising fully
38
How does the forest compare to the city life Brian was used to?
Page 41 — quiet, different colors, insects humming, birds chirping, splashing from the fish
41
Chapter 5
Comprehension questions
How old is Brian?
Page 46 — 13 years old
46
What advice did Brian’s English teacher give him in school?
Page 49 — be motivated, you’re your best asset, stay positive and on top of things,
49
Why didn't Brian think the searchers would find him very quickly?
Page 53 — The pilot jerked the plane off course when he was having his heart attack
53
Chapter 6
Comprehension questions
What did Brian decide to use as a shelter?
Page 57 — an overhang in the cliff
57
What food did Brian find to eat?
Page 63 — Tart berries on a bush
63
How did Brian make his shelter safer?
Page 65 — Used sticks to make a wall and closed it off
65
Chapter 7
Comprehension questions
When Brian looked in the water at his reflection, how did he feel?
Page 69 — He was frightened
69
Why?
Page 69 — He saw how cut up, bruised, swollen, bleeding he was/ didn’t realize he was in such bad shape
69
Why did Brian call the berries that made him sick gut cherries?
Page 71 — They hurt his stomach
71
What other kind of berries did Brian find?
Page 73 — Raspberries
73
Why did Brian turn back after running away from the bear?
Page 75 — He realized the bear wasn’t there to hurt him, the bear just wanted the raspberries
75
Chapter 8
Comprehension questions
Why had the porcupine attacked Brian during the night in the shelter?
Page 81 — Brian scared it; it was protecting itself
81
What did Brian dream of the night he got hurt by the porcupine?
Page 86 — His father and Terry telling him how to make a fire
86
What was Brian able to use to start a fire?
Page 86 — His hatchet and the hard rock
86
Chapter 9
Comprehension questions
What steps did Brian take to make a fire?
Page 91 — Made sparks from hitting the hatchet against the black rock onto fine kindling, blew gently on it, added small wood pieces and grass, then dried sticks from trees
91
Why do you think Brian felt like the fire was his friend?
Page 92 — It would protect him and help him
92
Chapter 10
Comprehension questions
What did Brian find at the shore buried in the sand?
Page 99 — Eggs
99
Who had laid the eggs?
Page 99 — A turtle
99
How did Brian eat the eggs?
Page 101 — Broke them open with his hatchet and a stick and ate them raw
101
Why did Brian want to continue thinking about the searchers?
Page 102 — he felt if he stopped thinking about them, they would stop thinking about him; he knew he needed to continue hoping
102
Chapter 11
Comprehension questions
How had Brian begun to change physically since the crash?
Page 104 — Thinner, tanned, leathery face
104
Compare Brian’s mind from before the crash to now?
Page 105 — He now knew what the noises were around him, when he saw something, he really saw it, not just noticed it
105
What was Brian’s plan if he ever heard a plane engine roar overhead?
Page 106 — Run up with a burning limb and light the signal fire
106
Have you ever had an experience that was difficult? In which ways did you change?
Listen to your child's answer
Chapter 12
Comprehension questions
What was Brian working on when he heard the whine of the plane engine?
Page 116 — Bow
116
Tell me three words that would describe how Brian felt when the plane turned and went away?
Page 118 — Despair, disappointment, hopeless, sad, alone
118
Chapter 13
Comprehension questions
What did Brian use for a string on his bow?
Page 124 — His shoelace
124
Why wasn’t Brian able to catch any fish when he first made his bow and arrow?
Page 125 — He was aiming to high/ the water would make the fish appear closer than they were
125
What kind of hope did Brian find building in him?
Page 127 — tough hope/ hope that he could survive and take care of himself
127
Chapter 14
Comprehension questions
What were the effects Brian had after he was sprayed with the skunk?
Page 131 — Blind for two full hours, eyes hurt for weeks, smell lingered at least a month and a half later
131
How did Brian make a ladder to get to his food shelf?
Page 133 — Found a pine, chopped off branches so the remaining branches were 4-5 apart, chopped the log so it’s only ten feet long
133
What did Brian do to store the fish so they wouldn’t go bad?
Page 136 — He made a pond to keep them close and fresh so he could catch them when he needed them
136
Chapter 15
Comprehension questions
Tell me about the event, First Meat?
Page 142 — That was the first time Brian killed a bird for food
142
Why was it so difficult for Brian to catch a foolbird?
Page 139 — They blended in with the environment, silent, stood perfectly still, couldn’t see them until after they flew
139
What trick did Brian learn that keep the mosquitoes and flies off his food and out of his shelter?
Page 144 — they didn’t like the smoke
144
When Brian was cleaning the bird to eat it, what did he do with the insides of the bird?
Page 144 — Wash it off into the pond
144
Chapter 16
Comprehension questions
Tell me two of the “First Days” Brian remembered?
Page 147 — First Arrow Day, First Rabbit Day, First Meat Day
147
Why are the "First Days" important to Brian?
He learned to overcome challenges and accomplished his goals
What did Brian have to do to get away from the moose?
Page 151 — When the moose was eating he had to crawl away slowly from her, stopping and waiting when the hair on her back raised up
151
Why did Brian feel like he was back to “square one” after the tornado?
Page 157 — He was injured, had no fire, no food, and his weapons and shelter were gone
157
After the tornado, what unnatural object was sticking out of the water?
Page 159 — The tail of the airplane
159
Chapter 17
Comprehension questions
Why was Brian anxious to get the survival pack from the back of the plane?
Page 163 — It would have things to make his surviving much easier
163
Describe a fish board.
Page 165 — A flattened board Brian used to lay his fish on and lean to the fire to cook them
165
Why was building a raft difficult for Brian?
Page 166 — He didn’t have anything to hold the logs together
166
How did he solve his problem?
Page 167 — Used logs with branches and wove them together
167
When Brian finally made it to the plane, what was his predicament?
Page 172 — Couldn’t get inside of it
172
Chapter 18
Comprehension questions
How was Brian able to get into the plane?
Page 174 — Cut through the aluminum with his hatchet
174
What did Brian have to dive into the water for?
Page 175 — His hatchet
175
Why did Brian get sick when he saw the skull of the dead pilot?
Page 180 — It is traumatic to see a decaying dead person
180
How long did it take Brian to go to the plane, get the survival bag and get back to his camp?
Page 183 — From morning until into the dark of night
183
Chapter 19
Comprehension questions
How did the items in the survival bag change Brian?
Page 187 — made him more removed from the world around him
187
When Brian went through the dehydrated food packages, why do you think he decided to feast now and be careful with the food later?
Page 189 — He was so hungry; he knew how to get his own food, so he wanted to enjoy what was there that night; he wanted to celebrate for finding the survival bag
189
When Brian was preparing his feast and drinking his orange drink, what appeared out of the sky?
Page 190 — An airplane
190
Why did the author name this book, "Hatchet"?
This is a coming of age story about Brian. The hatchet symbolizes survival, self-reliance and resourcefulness. As a gift from his mom, Brian was able to grow and develop from being a pampered boy to a resilient, self-reliant young man
What did you like about this story?
Listen to your child's answer
Downloads
All the book’s resources, or just the ones you need, ready to read or print.
Worksheets
Practice sheets with space to write your answers.
Download one reading section
A small printout with all the resources for the selected section.
love it
you dont give me the questions i really need