Hatchet: Chapters 1–4

by Gary Paulsen
The sole survivor of a plane crash in the Canadian wilderness, thirteen-year-old Brian Robeson will need resourcefulness, courage, and strength in order to stay alive.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–4, Chapters 5–8, Chapters 9–12, Chapters 13–16, Chapters 17–Epilogue

Here is a link to our lists for The Voyage of the Frog by Gary Paulsen.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. altitude
    elevation above sea level or above the earth's surface
    He had never flown in a single-engine plane before and to be sitting in the copilot’s seat with all the controls right there in front of him, all the instruments in his face as the plane clawed for altitude, jerking and sliding on the wind currents as the pilot took off, had been interesting and exciting.
  2. indicate
    give evidence of
    On the dashboard in front of him Brian saw the dials, switches, meters, knobs, levers, cranks, lights, handles that were wiggling and flickering, all indicating nothing that he understood and the pilot seemed the same way.
  3. tundra
    a vast treeless plain where subsoil is permanently frozen
    He was working in the oil fields of Canada, up on the tree line where the tundra started and the forests ended.
  4. hatchet
    a small ax with a short handle used with one hand
    Inside there was a hatchet, the kind with a steel handle and a rubber handgrip.
  5. grimace
    contort the face to indicate a certain mental state
    Brian turned again to glance at the pilot who had both hands on his stomach and was grimacing in pain, reaching for the left shoulder again as Brian watched.
  6. audible
    heard or perceptible by the ear
    The pilot’s words were a hiss, barely audible.
  7. spasm
    a painful and involuntary muscular contraction
    He stopped as a fresh spasm of pain hit him.
  8. altimeter
    an instrument that measures the height above ground
    Down beneath that were dials with lines that seemed to indicate what the winds were doing, tipping or moving, and one dial with a needle pointing to the number 70, which he thought — only thought — might be the altimeter. The device that told him his height above the ground. Or above sea level.
  9. depress
    push down
    He had seen the pilot use it, had seen him depress the switch at his belt, so Brian pushed the switch in and blew into the mike.
  10. hurtle
    make a thrusting forward movement
    He felt like a prisoner, kept in a small cell that was hurtling through the sky at what he thought to be 160 miles an hour, headed — he didn’t know where — just headed somewhere until...
  11. throttle
    a valve that regulates the supply of fuel to the engine
    Or he could pull the throttle out and make it go down now. He had seen the pilot push the throttle in to increase speed. If he pulled the throttle back out, the engine would slow down and the plane would go down.
  12. abate
    become less in amount or intensity
    When he opened them again it was evening and some of the sharp pain had abated — there were many dull aches — and the crash came back to him fully.
  13. remnant
    a small part remaining after the main part no longer exists
    He pulled the torn remnants of his windbreaker, pieces really, around his shoulders and tried to hold what heat his body could find.
  14. horde
    a vast multitude
    With it came some warmth, small bits of it at first, and with the heat came clouds of insects — thick, swarming hordes of mosquitos that flocked to his body, made a living coat on his exposed skin, clogged his nostrils when he inhaled, poured into his mouth when he opened it to take a breath.
  15. agony
    intense feelings of suffering; acute mental or physical pain
    In the end he sat with the windbreaker pulled up, brushed with his hands and took it, almost crying in frustration and agony.
Created on Fri Feb 22 03:14:17 EST 2013 (updated Fri Jun 13 14:00:24 EDT 2025)

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