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Hatchet

20th Anniversary Edition

Illustrated by Drew Willis
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About The Book

This award-winning contemporary classic is the survival story with which all others are compared—and a page-turning, heart-stopping adventure, recipient of the Newbery Honor. Hatchet has also been nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read.

Since it was first published in 1987, the story of thirteen-year-old Brian Robeson's survival following a plane crash has become a modern classic. Stranded in the desolate wilderness, Brian uses his instincts and his hatchet to stay alive for fifty-four harrowing days.

This twentieth-anniversary edition of Hatchet contains a new introduction and sidebar commentary by Gary Paulsen, written especially for this volume. Drew Willis's detailed pen-and-ink illustrations complement the descriptions in the text and add a new dimension to the book. This handsome edition of the Newbery Honor book will be treasured by Hatchet fans as well as by readers encountering Brian's unforgettable story for the first time.

About The Author

Photo by Ruth Wright Paulsen

Gary Paulsen (1931–2021) was one of the most honored writers of contemporary literature for young readers, author of three Newbery Honor titles, Dogsong, Hatchet, and The Winter Room. He wrote over 100 books for adults and young readers. 

About The Illustrator

Drew Willis is an art director and illustrator working in New York City. Visit him at DrewWillis.com.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (September 25, 2007)
  • Length: 192 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781416925088
  • Ages: 10 - 14

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Awards and Honors

  • ALA Newbery Honor Book
  • ALA Notable Children's Books
  • Booklist Editors' Choice
  • Flicker Tale Award (ND)
  • William Allen White Children's Book Award (KS)
  • CBC/NCSS Notable Children's Book in Social Studies
  • Georgia Children's Book Award
  • Young Hoosier Book Award (IN)
  • ALA Best of the Best Books for Young Adults
  • Booklist Best Of 80's
  • Dorothy Canfield Fisher Book Award (VT)
  • Virginia Young Readers Book Award
  • Buckeye Children's Book Award (OH)
  • Golden Archer Award (WI)
  • Iowa Teen Award
  • Massachusetts Children's Book Award
  • Maud Hart Lovelace Award (MN)
  • Minnesota Book Award
  • High School Sequoyah Book Award (OK)
  • Oregon Battle of the Books List
  • 3 Apples Book Award Master List (NY)
  • Bluestem Book Award Master List (IL)

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More books from this author: Gary Paulsen

More books from this illustrator: Drew Willis