Hatchet by Gary Paulsen is an award-winning, suspenseful middle-grade novel about thirteen-year-old Brian Robeson who survives 51 days in the Canadian wilderness after a plane crash leaves him stranded and alone. I enjoyed the plot twists and empathized for this young narrator.

If you also like Hatchet and want to know what to read next, you’ve come to the right place. The following list will satisfy your hunger for YA wilderness survival thrillers.

Against the Pack by Khristina Chess

“And once you decided you were going in the wrong direction, how did you find your way back? What happened when you couldn’t go back?” ― Khristina Chess, quote from Against the Pack

While walking on a rural road, 18-year-old Melender and her mom are attacked by a pack of dogs and fall down a near-vertical hillside into a ravine. Now they’re trapped on a narrow ledge and wounded. No one knows where they are. No one even knows they’re missing.

They have no food, water, shelter, or warm clothes. No phone to call for help. No medical supplies. Nothing.

OH MY GOSH!!! Incredible! What I love most about Against the Pack is the way this story hooks you from the beginning and doesn’t let go. It’s impossible to put this one down. Melender is a gritty character who fights to live, and I was breathless as she journeyed toward the novel’s thrilling ending. This is the kind of wilderness survival adventure that explores the core spirit of a person, and as the hours and days unfold, the complicated nature of the relationship between Melender and her mom becomes apparent.

You won’t want to miss this action-packed YA book about survival. Fans of Hatchet will love this one.

I Am Still Alive by Kate Alice Marshall

“To survive you need to learn to hold contradictory things in your head at the same time. I am going to die; I am going to live. There is nothing to fear; be wary of everything.” ― Kate Alice Marshall, quote from I Am Still Alive

What an amazing page-turner! From the beginning this book grabbed me and didn't let go. It's the kind of story that had me staying up late to read, sitting outside in the shade to read, read, read, reading to finish because I couldn't put this novel down. It starts with a BANG--literally, when strangers kill Jess's father, leaving her stranded in the wilderness of Canada with his dog, Bo. She's still recovering from a car accident that killed her mother, so she doesn't walk well, and she's a city girl so she's not great at hunting and fishing. How will she handle a Canadian winter alone without shelter or food?

She is alive. And she is tenacious.

I loved this girl's grit, and I wanted to see her survive. I wanted to know the answer to the mystery about who the men killed her father.

And after reading this one, I binged on everything that Kate Alice Marshall has written and added her to my list of Best YA Authors to Binge on Kindle Unlimited because she’s amazing! She’s at the top of my list of the best YA book recommendations and authors of all time.

If you loved Hatchet and you’re looking for another gripping YA book about survival that you won’t be able to put down, check out I Am Still Alive.

Be Not Far From Me by Mindy McGinnis

“Living things will fight to stay that way.” ― Mindy McGinnis, quote from Be Not Far From Me

Be Not Far from Me is a fast and engaging read about a girl who is lost and wounded in the woods. There are some plot points that seem a bit problematic, but the story is so compelling that I couldn't put this book down. There was a moment near the end when I became as lost as Ashley and wasn't sure how things would end for her anymore.

I was impressed by a novel that progressed almost entirely with just one character. Ashley carried the weight of the narrative and the conflict on her shoulders by herself. Alone and barefoot.

If you enjoyed Hatchet, be sure to check out this YA book about survival that pits a lone quick-witted, tough-talking teen against nature’s elements.

Everything Beautiful Is Not Ruined by Danielle Young-Ullman

In this absorbing novel, a broken mother-daughter relationship drives everything that’s happening, both in the present and in the past. The present is awful. Ingrid has been sent away to a 3-week wilderness program for at-risk teens, although she didn’t realize what she was signing up for at the time, and now she’s wet, miserable, mosquito-bitten, and trapped with a misfit group in the middle of nowhere. But she’s determined to see things through to prove something to her mother and earn the carrot, which is permission to attend a music school abroad.

The past is a complicated story about her mother’s beautiful opera voice and depression and its impact on Ingrid. There is a strong codependency relationship between the mother and daughter, since the mother is a depressed diva. From an early age, Ingrid took care of her mother since no father was in the picture.

I loved the mystery about how Ingrid ended up in the wilderness, and I was rooting for her to make it out.

Fans of Hatchet will enjoy this YA book about survival that offers real character depth and heartbreak.

The Benevolent Lords of Sometimes Island by Scott Semegran

I picked up this novel because it was the 2021 First Place winner for Middle-Grade/Young Adult Writers Digest Self-Published Book Awards. Wow! It hooked me immediately and didn’t let go.

Four middle-school boys find a backpack full of cash and pot left behind by their nemesis bullies, the Thousand Oaks Gang, and after evading them fails (they get beat up), they decide to retreat to an abandoned lake house for a few days. Being kids, they haven’t thought this through. The bullies find them. They end up stranded on an island with no food, water, or shelter and must survive until someone rescues them.

I didn’t know what to expect when I picked up this novel. I felt I was in great storytelling hands with Semegran. I don’t usually like Middle Grade novels; they usually are too young for me to really appreciate. But The Benevolent Lords of Sometimes Island has something special. As others have noted, it reminds me of The Body by Stephen King, which inspired Stand by Me (the movie). Perhaps it is the narrator’s voice, which seems older and wiser than his young years.

Treat yourself to this suspenseful YA book about survival with strong and diverse male characters in a wonderful time and place. If you enjoyed Hatchet, I know you’ll like this.

The Distance Between Lost and Found by Kathryn Holmes

Three teenagers are separated from their church youth group and survive for 7 days in the wilderness. Along their journey, they find forgiveness with each other and also love. And faith. Although the story has a strong plot element of fighting nature to survive (storms, poison ivy, etc.), the real story is one of character transformation in the distance between lost and found.

Switchback by Danika Stone

I enjoyed the fast pacing of this YA survival story, and I was invested in seeing Vale and Ash get out alive. As with other books like Hatchet, many disasters and obstacles kept the tension taut through the length of the novel.

Other Books You’ll Devour If You Liked Hatchet

For a few other lists of great books for fans of Hatchet check out the Readers Who Enjoyed Hatchet list on Goodreads. You might also be interested in my post, Other Good Reads, which lists other reviews of YA contemporary books about tough topics for teens, including my list of Best YA Authors to Binge on Kindle Unlimited.

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