Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. Brian’s experiences are not ones that most people will ever have. Even so, did you find the book relatable? How might his experiences apply to more ordinary events in the average person’s life?

2. Have you read or watched other wilderness survival stories, either fictional or nonfictional? How would you compare these to Hatchet?

3. Gary Paulson has written a memoir called Guts: The True Stories Behind Hatchet and the Brian Books. How do the stories in this collection relate to Brian’s story in Hatchet?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. When Brian first gets the hatchet from his mother, he finds it embarrassing, but later, it proves to be very valuable. Has an older person ever given you something that seemed strange or useless at first, but later became important to you? How did your understanding of this item change over time, and why?

2. Do you think there are times when young people should keep secrets, like the one Brian keeps about his mother’s affair? What are some arguments for and against keeping secrets?