Read It Wednesday!

I love juvie fiction. Everything from Junie B. to Edward and Bella. The problems are so real (ok, maybe not Edward and Bella), without getting all tangled up in grown-up perspectives and scruples. I always think that the problems in juvie books are really what all our problems are about, once you strip away all the crap.

One of my favorite books I read this year was Hatchet by Gary Paulson. I know, I know. I must be like a decade behind, right? Both of my daughters read it long before I did.( I always thought it was about historical fiction....and I really try to avoid that like the plague. I had enough in my own intermediate years. No offense to any historical fiction lovers out there.)

Hatchet is a survival story. If I had known that, I would have read it ages ago. If there is one thing I'm irresistibly drawn to, it's a survival story. I'm not alone; why do you think "Survivor" is going on it's, like, 80th season? And Zombies? Yep, it's that survival stuff again.

Hatchet is the story of Brian, a 13 year old who is traveling in a single engine plane on his way to visit his father in Canada.When the pilot has a heart attack, Brian crash lands the plane in a very remote area, far off the plane's original route. When he regains consciousness, Brian realizes he doesn't have much in the way of survival equipment, except for a small hatchet his mother gave him as a going away gift.

There are several other books that follow Hatchet, including Brian's Winter, Brian's Hunt, Brian's Return, and The River. Each one is as good as the  last. This is a great series that I have found many of my reluctant readers drawn into.

What is one of your favorite juvie fiction books? Link up and talk about it! I need more books to add to my "Must Read" list!

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