Brian's Winter (Hatchet Adventure)

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I read "Brian's Winter" by Gary Paulsen, I thought the book was good in some ways. It started out in the early stages of fall and worked its way into the winter including all the changes that had to be made just to survive. He had to kill more for food and clothing. Brian spends a great majority of his time in his shelter to stay warm and not freeze to death in the harsh winter. Making Choices — In The River, one of the most difficult decisions that Brian must make is what to do with Derek after the accident. Should he leave him there and go for help? Should he put him on a raft and take him downriver? Social Studies — Brian hunts with tools similar to those used by early hunters. How does Brian know which tools to use in specific hunting situations? Ask students to use the library to research ancient hunting methods. Have them construct a pictorial time line that traces the development of various hunting tools.

Ask students to compare and contrast the skills Brian used to survive the summer months in Hatchet with those he uses to survive in Brian’s Winter. How does his knowledge of summer survival contribute to his ability to make it through the brutal winter? We hope you find this guide useful in introducing your class to Gary Paulsen’s award-winning adventure tales.Brian’s Return, the final companion novel to the Newbery Honor-winning Hatchet, takes young readers on another exciting adventure to the north woods with Brian Robeson. As in Hatchet, The River, and Brian’s Winter, Paulsen creates in Brian’s Return a story that is ideal for integrating into the curriculum as well as for classroom read-aloud. He had come to rely on his senses and he knew something had changed to snap him awake that way and he lay with his eyes wide in the dark, listening, smelling, trying to see. How does Brian’s understanding and appreciation of nature contribute to his need to leave home and return to the wilderness in Brian’s Return? Self-Discovery — After Brian’s 54 days in the wilderness in Hatchet, his parents insist that he see a counselor. The counselor thinks that Brian is "mentally injured." Brian, however, feels that his time in the woods changed him in a more positive way. Ask students to discuss what Brian discovers about himself.

Survival — In The River, when lightning strikes Derek, Brian must find a way to get out of the woods and find medical help for the unconscious man. Ask students to discuss the difficult task of dealing with Derek after the accident. How does the accident further challenge Brian’s survival skills?I was thinking to myself that something was missing from this years reading. And when, last night, I was literally freezing in bed, K thought of this book and how I wanted to reread it for a while now.