Thirteen-year-old Brian's parents are getting a divorce, and he thinks he knows why after he saw his mother kissing another man. When his mother puts him on a plane to go see his father, she gives him a strange gift, a hatchet, which becomes more valuable than he can ever imagine. This is the story of Brian's fight for his life after his plane crashes and he must survive in the Canadian wilderness for fifty four days alone.

This classic book contains themes most teens and tweens can relate to: divorce, ambigious feelings about parents, independence, and self-relaince. Brian feels a sense of pride every day he stays alive. Parents should note that Brian attempts suicide by slitting his wrist in the wild, but when he wakes up, he is filled with new found hope and determination. Animals are killed in order to survive.

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