# Hatchet

**Author:** Gary Paulsen
**Lexile:** 1020L
**Grade range:** Grades 5–8
**Age range:** 10–14
**First published:** 1987
**Page count:** 192
**Genre:** Adventure
**ISBN-13:** `9781416936473`
**ISBN-10:** `1416936475`
**Canonical URL:** https://readinglist.school/book/hatchet
**License:** [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) — please credit ReadingList.school when citing.

## About this book

Thirteen-year-old Brian Robeson is the sole survivor of a small plane crash in the Canadian wilderness. Armed only with a hatchet his mother gave him as a parting gift, he must learn to find food, build shelter, and survive. A Newbery Honor book and a fixture of 6th-8th grade pacing guides in over 30 states, including Common Core Appendix B exemplars.

## Themes

- survival
- resilience
- self-reliance
- nature
- growing up

## Content notes

- mild violence
- parental divorce

Common Sense Media age recommendation: 11+

## Where this book is assigned

### Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award

- **recommended** · 6th grade · Ohio — [source: Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award — official winners list (Ohio, K-12 grade bands, voted biennially/annually since 1982)](https://bcbookaward.info/childrens-previous-nominees/)
- **recommended** · 7th grade · Ohio — [source: Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award — official winners list (Ohio, K-12 grade bands, voted biennially/annually since 1982)](https://bcbookaward.info/childrens-previous-nominees/)
- **recommended** · 8th grade · Ohio — [source: Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award — official winners list (Ohio, K-12 grade bands, voted biennially/annually since 1982)](https://bcbookaward.info/childrens-previous-nominees/)

### Common Core State Standards (ELA)

- **recommended** · 5th grade — [source: WeAreTeachers 2025 Summer Reading List — Middle Grades](https://www.weareteachers.com/summer-reading-list-for-kids/)
- **recommended** · 5th grade · New York — [source: NYC DOE grade 5 ELA commonly taught text](https://www.schools.nyc.gov/learning/subjects/english-language-arts)
- **recommended** · 5th grade · Texas — [source: TEKS grade 5 frequently taught text](https://tea.texas.gov/)
- **recommended** · 6th grade — [source: WeAreTeachers 2025 Summer Reading List — Middle Grades](https://www.weareteachers.com/summer-reading-list-for-kids/)
- **recommended** · 6th grade — [source: CCSS ELA Appendix B, grades 6-8 exemplar](https://achievethecore.org/page/2699)
- **recommended** · 6th grade · California — [source: CA common summer-reading list — rising 6th grade](https://www.cde.ca.gov/)
- **recommended** · 6th grade · Ohio — [source: Ohio Learning Standards grade 6 aligned text](https://education.ohio.gov/)
- **recommended** · 7th grade — [source: WeAreTeachers 2025 Summer Reading List — Middle Grades](https://www.weareteachers.com/summer-reading-list-for-kids/)
- **recommended** · 8th grade — [source: WeAreTeachers 2025 Summer Reading List — Middle Grades](https://www.weareteachers.com/summer-reading-list-for-kids/)

### Dorothy Canfield Fisher / Vermont Golden Dome Book Award

- **recommended** · 5th grade · Vermont — [source: Dorothy Canfield Fisher / Vermont Golden Dome Children's Book Award — official winners list (Vermont grades 4-8, annual since 1957)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vermont_Golden_Dome_Book_Award)
- **recommended** · 6th grade · Vermont — [source: Dorothy Canfield Fisher / Vermont Golden Dome Children's Book Award — official winners list (Vermont grades 4-8, annual since 1957)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vermont_Golden_Dome_Book_Award)
- **recommended** · 7th grade · Vermont — [source: Dorothy Canfield Fisher / Vermont Golden Dome Children's Book Award — official winners list (Vermont grades 4-8, annual since 1957)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vermont_Golden_Dome_Book_Award)
- **recommended** · 8th grade · Vermont — [source: Dorothy Canfield Fisher / Vermont Golden Dome Children's Book Award — official winners list (Vermont grades 4-8, annual since 1957)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vermont_Golden_Dome_Book_Award)

### Massachusetts Children's Book Award

- **recommended** · 4th grade · Massachusetts — [source: Massachusetts Children's Book Award winners (Salem State University), via Goodreads award record — 1995](https://www.goodreads.com/award/show/4054-massachusetts-children-s-book-award)
- **recommended** · 5th grade · Massachusetts — [source: Massachusetts Children's Book Award winners (Salem State University), via Goodreads award record — 1995](https://www.goodreads.com/award/show/4054-massachusetts-children-s-book-award)
- **recommended** · 6th grade · Massachusetts — [source: Massachusetts Children's Book Award winners (Salem State University), via Goodreads award record — 1995](https://www.goodreads.com/award/show/4054-massachusetts-children-s-book-award)

### North Dakota Flicker Tale Children's Book Award

- **recommended** · 5th grade · North Dakota — [source: North Dakota Library Association — Flicker Tale Children's Book Award (student-choice; annual since 1978; Juvenile/Chapter + Intermediate + Older-Reader divisions); winner roll 1978-2025](https://ndla.info/Flicker-Tale-Past-Winners)
- **recommended** · 6th grade · North Dakota — [source: North Dakota Library Association — Flicker Tale Children's Book Award (student-choice; annual since 1978; Juvenile/Chapter + Intermediate + Older-Reader divisions); winner roll 1978-2025](https://ndla.info/Flicker-Tale-Past-Winners)
- **recommended** · 7th grade · North Dakota — [source: North Dakota Library Association — Flicker Tale Children's Book Award (student-choice; annual since 1978; Juvenile/Chapter + Intermediate + Older-Reader divisions); winner roll 1978-2025](https://ndla.info/Flicker-Tale-Past-Winners)
- **recommended** · 8th grade · North Dakota — [source: North Dakota Library Association — Flicker Tale Children's Book Award (student-choice; annual since 1978; Juvenile/Chapter + Intermediate + Older-Reader divisions); winner roll 1978-2025](https://ndla.info/Flicker-Tale-Past-Winners)

### Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award

- **recommended** · 5th grade · Oklahoma — [source: Oklahoma Library Association — Sequoyah Book Award, Children's (gr 3-5) + Intermediate (gr 6-8) divisions (student-choice; since 1959); winner roll 1959-2025](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequoyah_Book_Award)
- **recommended** · 6th grade · Oklahoma — [source: Oklahoma Library Association — Sequoyah Book Award, Children's (gr 3-5) + Intermediate (gr 6-8) divisions (student-choice; since 1959); winner roll 1959-2025](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequoyah_Book_Award)
- **recommended** · 7th grade · Oklahoma — [source: Oklahoma Library Association — Sequoyah Book Award, Children's (gr 3-5) + Intermediate (gr 6-8) divisions (student-choice; since 1959); winner roll 1959-2025](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequoyah_Book_Award)
- **recommended** · 8th grade · Oklahoma — [source: Oklahoma Library Association — Sequoyah Book Award, Children's (gr 3-5) + Intermediate (gr 6-8) divisions (student-choice; since 1959); winner roll 1959-2025](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequoyah_Book_Award)

### Vermont Golden Dome Book Award

- **recommended** · 5th grade · Vermont — [source: Vermont Golden Dome Book Award (formerly Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award) — winner list 1957-2020 via Wikipedia — 1989 winner](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy_Canfield_Fisher_Children%27s_Book_Award)
- **recommended** · 6th grade · Vermont — [source: Vermont Golden Dome Book Award (formerly Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award) — winner list 1957-2020 via Wikipedia — 1989 winner](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy_Canfield_Fisher_Children%27s_Book_Award)
- **recommended** · 7th grade · Vermont — [source: Vermont Golden Dome Book Award (formerly Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award) — winner list 1957-2020 via Wikipedia — 1989 winner](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy_Canfield_Fisher_Children%27s_Book_Award)
- **recommended** · 8th grade · Vermont — [source: Vermont Golden Dome Book Award (formerly Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award) — winner list 1957-2020 via Wikipedia — 1989 winner](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy_Canfield_Fisher_Children%27s_Book_Award)

### Wisconsin Golden Archer Award

- **recommended** · 5th grade · Wisconsin — [source: Wisconsin Educational Media and Technology Association — Golden Archer Award (student-choice; Intermediate + Middle/Junior High; annual since 1974)](https://www.wemta.org/golden-archer-award.html)
- **recommended** · 6th grade · Wisconsin — [source: Wisconsin Educational Media and Technology Association — Golden Archer Award (student-choice; Intermediate + Middle/Junior High; annual since 1974)](https://www.wemta.org/golden-archer-award.html)
- **recommended** · 7th grade · Wisconsin — [source: Wisconsin Educational Media and Technology Association — Golden Archer Award (student-choice; Intermediate + Middle/Junior High; annual since 1974)](https://www.wemta.org/golden-archer-award.html)
- **recommended** · 8th grade · Wisconsin — [source: Wisconsin Educational Media and Technology Association — Golden Archer Award (student-choice; Intermediate + Middle/Junior High; annual since 1974)](https://www.wemta.org/golden-archer-award.html)

### Young Hoosier Book Award

- **recommended** · 5th grade · Indiana — [source: Indiana Library Federation — Young Hoosier Book Award Past Winners (Intermediate grades 4-6 + Middle Grade grades 6-8; annual since 1975)](https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.ilfonline.org/resource/resmgr/yhba/yhba_pastwinners.pdf)
- **recommended** · 6th grade · Indiana — [source: Indiana Library Federation — Young Hoosier Book Award Past Winners (Intermediate grades 4-6 + Middle Grade grades 6-8; annual since 1975)](https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.ilfonline.org/resource/resmgr/yhba/yhba_pastwinners.pdf)
- **recommended** · 7th grade · Indiana — [source: Indiana Library Federation — Young Hoosier Book Award Past Winners (Intermediate grades 4-6 + Middle Grade grades 6-8; annual since 1975)](https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.ilfonline.org/resource/resmgr/yhba/yhba_pastwinners.pdf)
- **recommended** · 8th grade · Indiana — [source: Indiana Library Federation — Young Hoosier Book Award Past Winners (Intermediate grades 4-6 + Middle Grade grades 6-8; annual since 1975)](https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.ilfonline.org/resource/resmgr/yhba/yhba_pastwinners.pdf)

---

_Generated from primary-source citations indexed on ReadingList.school. For the full HTML view with reading-list cross-references, see https://readinglist.school/book/hatchet._