Gary Paulsen was my assigned author for my author study. I focused mostly on his Brian books. The series includes Hatchet, The River, Brian's Winter, Brian's Return, and Brian's Hunt. All of these books have the same main character and same themes. The main character is a boy named Brian. The reoccurring themes in these books are survival, appreciation of nature, making choices, and self discovery. Each book is about a different adventure that Brian goes on and how he survives every obstacle that he comes upon.
The first book in the Brian series is Hatchet. It is the story of
Brian at age thirteen. He is stranded after
the pilot of the plane in which he is flying has a heart attack and dies. Brian is left alone in the middle of nowhere
with nothing but his hatchet. Throughout
the story Brian teaches himself how to eat and how to live in the wild. He learns how to keep himself alive.
The second book takes place two
years after Hatchet. Brian is asked by the government to go back
into the wilderness. They want Brian to
show them his survival techniques so that they can be used by the
military. However, this time in the
wilderness, he will be accompanied by a government psychologist by the name of
Derek Holtzer. The government sends the
two to a lake to live around for a month.
The only form of communication they have with the rest of society is a
radio transmitter. Shortly after
arriving, Brian and Holtzer find themselves in the middle of a terrible thunder
storm. The radio is destroyed and the
psychologist is in a coma. Brian must
save them both by traveling 100 miles down the river that runs from the
lake.
The third book, Brian’s Winter, tells what would have
happened to Brian if he was not rescued at the end of Hatchet. It tells of what would happen if Brian was stranded in the Canadian wilderness just
as winter arose. The winter time is the
ultimate test of survival for Brian.
The fourth book is Brian's Return. The previous books have shown that Brian can survive in the wilderness through any obstacle. But can he
survive high school? Brian is now
fifteen-years-old and trying to make sense of high school and the real
world. After getting into a fight with
another student, Brian is sent to the school guidance counselor. The counselor suggests that Brian should
return to the wilderness to figure out who is he. This story is different from the others
because now Brian has the supplies he needs to survive. Being back in the wild helps Brian realize
where he belongs and who he wants to be
The fifth and last book is called Brian's Hunt. By this time, Brian has discovered that he fits in better with nature
than with modern civilization. One day
while on his way to visit the family that rescued him from the wild, Brian
comes across an injured dog. The dog has
appeared from the direction that Brian is headed. After doctoring the dog’s wounds, he decides
to take it with him. Upon arriving at
the family’s home, Brian finds that the owner of the home and his wife have
been mauled by a bear. Brian sets out to
hunt down the bear that has killed his friends.
Students can be taught about Gary Paulsen's writing style through these five books.
