Some books are like chewing gum – you chew ‘em up and spit them out and instantly forget them. Others are like bad kebab and leave you with a bad taste in your mouth. Very few are like Ben and Jerry’s chunky monkey ice –cream; you want more and more and once tasted you can’t even remember what life was like before you sampled it!

Such is the way with the book Hatchet  by Gary Paulsen (please Google this man and find out how a librarian changed his life).

Brian’s parents have divorced and his summer is to be split between them. In order to get from one to the other he has to take a shortish ride on a plane, or so he thinks.  When an accident occurs on the plane our hero finds himself lost and alone in the Canadian wilderness with only a hatchet to make the difference between survival and well err the other thing.

I love this character he is brave, he is funny, he is weak and vulnerable; he is us and more.

Try to get hold of a copy of this little gem and you won’t forget it.