Hatchet By Gary Paulsen

Dear Gary Paulsen:

The first time I read Hatchet was when I was in the fourth grade. I have always liked survival stories and Hatchet made me really about how fast our world can be turned upside down. I really appreciate the section when Brian tells how his teacher, Perpich, told him to "stay positive and stay on top of things" and "You are your most valuable asset. Don't forget that. You are the best thing you have." Just these few words helped me realize that I make myself who I am. Not what I wear, what my grades are, or who I hang out with. I am who I am. Nobody can take that away, and no matter how bad things get, I am still me. Besides teaching me about myself, Hatchet taught me about nature, and how to look at it. When I was little
Now I almost study the bird, or the plant. Hatchet gave me a certain respect for nature that I didn't have before. I realized how unpredictable nature is. I have always had the same intrigue that all young children have in animals but I feel that Hatchet has further developed my interest, and have led me to read and do research involving animals. Sometimes when I was little I would pretend that I was stranded in the woods like Brian and Terry did. Unlike Brian though I wasn’t starving, in pain, and I could go back inside my house when I wanted. I was fascinated by people who would live in the woods without electricity, running water and other modern conveniences. Now I think it's amazing how some people can survive in the wild with just themselves. It would take an extremely skilled and talented person to do this. I was greatly impacted by the scene painted in my head by the section in chapter four where the fish started jumping all over the lake and how beautiful it was, and when Brian tried spear fishing for the first time he learned that the reflection of the fish made them look like they were higher than they actually were. Whenever I go out bow fishing I use this technique and aim a bit lower. When Brian built his