Being shuffled between divorced parents, Brian is on his way to the far northern Canadian woods in a small plane. The pilot suffers a fatal heart attack and it is up to Brian to save his own life, both in getting out of the sky and in surviving alone. All he has are the items in his pocket, the clothes on his body, and the hatchet his mom had given him to take up North. He hadn’t really wanted the dorky thing, but didn’t want to hurt his mom’s feelings. A good story of survival, learning what is important, and making do. I’d read that a librarian had recommended this to a junior high boy who had stated a total aversion to reading. The kid buried himself in the book and wanted more. It tweaked my interest, too, and I’d recommend it for the girls as well as the boys. Totally appropriate for that age group and beyond. Parents don’t have to worry about exposing their youngsters to swearing, prejudices, sexual content, etc. One book in a series by Gary Paulsen.
