10 Books to Read If You Liked Hatchet
One of the most beloved children’s books of the last 40 years is Hatchet by Gary Paulsen.
This tale of adventure and survival has gripped young readers for decades. (Don’t miss the other books in the Hatchet series – there are five total, starting with Hatchet and then going through The River, Brian’s Winter, Brian’s Return, and Brian’s Hunt).
If you’re looking for more books like Hatchet, here are some of our family favorites.
10 books to Read if You Liked Hatchet
My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
A great survival story, Sam is so unhappy living with his family in New York City that he runs away to the Catskill Mountains. He learns about courage, danger and independence as he figures out how to survive all on his own.
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
This book is just SO GOOD. I was worried my girls wouldn’t be into it (it’s about a young boy in the Ozark and his hunting dogs), but they were SO into it. I absolutely cried my face off at the end of it, which is always a sign of the very best books. Also, don’t miss his other, lesser known book, Summer of the Monkeys, about a boy who discovers a tree full of monkeys. I am planning on reading it to my girls this year, I’ve heard it is also very emotional, so be ready with tissues just in case.
Holes by Louis Sachar
Holes is one of my favorite Newbery winners and since my girls love the Wayside School books, I couldn’t wait to introduce them to this one about a boy who gets sent to a reform camp for boys and discovers that things might not be exactly what he expected. It was just as good as I remembered and when we finished, we had a special outdoor movie night with our giant screen to watch the film version.
A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park
I’ve loved Linda Sue Park since I read A Single Shard years ago, and I can’t wait to read this bestseller about about two eleven-year-olds in Sudan. One is a girl in 2008; the other is a boy in 1985.
I Survived Series by Lauren Tarshis
If you have a non-fiction lover, these short middle grade books about big historical events are really fun and high action. Plus, as the title says, it’s all about survival! They’re a perfect fit for reluctant readers, especially those with low patience for made up stories.
Peak
by Roland Smith
Peak Marcello comes by his love of climbing naturally – his father (that he’s had no contact with for years) runs a climbing company in Thailand. Peak has a hard time channeling his love into legal climbing though, and gets himself arrested after he scales a skyscraper in New York City. His options are to go to juvie or go live with his father. Obviously the latter sounds better but when he and his father reunite, he discovers that his dad wants him to be the youngest person to ever successfully climb Everest.
All Thirteen by Christina Soontornvat
I mean, you already know I’m obsessed with this book. If you haven’t read this incredible story of the young boys who got trapped with their soccer coach in a cave during a flood, you should change that immediately. I’m pretty sure there is NO book I’ve ever talked about in the 15 years I’ve been blogging that I’ve gotten more positive feedback about. (Full review here)
Rascal by Sterling North
Can you imagine how crazy life would get if you adopted a little raccoon? Rascal is the right name for sure. And this novel chronicles a year of all their adventures together.
Refugee by Alan Gratz
If you have a reader who also enjoys a little bit of historical fiction, Alan Gratz has some amazing historical fiction middle grade books including this one. This one in particular follows three different children all looking for refuge – a Jewish boy in 1930s Nazi Germany, a Cuban girl in 1994, and a Syrian boy in 2015.
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi
This was a favorite of mine growing up about a young girl who sets out alone on as ship to rejoin her family in America and finds herself in the middle of a mutiny and then tried for murder. I had read this one aloud to my older girls – and we were all SO into it!
And if you’d like a printable copy of this list of other books similar to Hatchet that you can take to your library or screenshot on your phone for easy access, just pop in your email address below and it’ll come right to your inbox!
if you liked this post about other books like hatchet, you might also like these other posts:
- 9 Books to Read If You Liked Wonder
- 30+ Favorite Middle Grade Realistic Fiction Books
- 5 Good Books for 6th Graders
