Brian's Winter

Infobox Book |
name = Brian's Winter
title_orig =
translator =


image_caption =
author = Gary Paulsen
cover_artist =
country = United States
language = English
series = Brian's Saga
subject =
genre = Young adult
publisher = Scholastic Press
release_date = January, 1996
media_type = Print (Paperback)
pages = 133 pp
isbn = ISBN 0-590-69013-2
preceded_by = Hatchet
followed_by = The River

"Brian's Winter" (also titled "Hatchet: Winter") is the 1996 sequel to Gary Paulsen's young adult novel "Hatchet".

It was also released as "Hatchet: Winter" by Pan Macmillan on February 9, 1996.

Plot summary

At the end of "Hatchet", thirteen-year-old Brian, who has been trapped in the Canadian wilderness after a plane accident, decides to dive for supplies from the submerged aircraft. He almost drowns. He recovers, among other things, an emergency transmitter. Within hours, a pilot receives the beacon and rescues him. The book ends with a note that Brian, who learns wilderness survival through trial and error, probably would not have survived the upcoming harsh winter.

Paulsen says that many readers wrote to him, complaining about the deus ex machina ending. In response, Paulsen wrote "Brian's Winter", which explores what would have happened if Brian had not activated the transmitter. The story deals with Brian constructing a winter shelter, building snow shoes, being attacked by a bear, and learning to make a more powerful bow. Eventually, Brian meets a family of Cree trappers, who help him return home.

This book is followed chronologically by three sequels, "The River" (actually written before "Brian's Winter"), "Brian's Return", and "Brian's Hunt".