This was one of the few books my son willingly read during elementary school, so I would recommend it to boys on that merit alone. I finally got around to listening to it on CD and had a few thoughts on it.

1) It would be really hard to write a book with only one character. Paulsen does it pretty well. I don't think I'll ever try it.
2) I bet Paulsen did all the things that he writes about. I mean, I could totally see him putting together a pair of snow shows from branches and hide just to be authentic
3) Paulsen is the type of person who likes to be alone, and I think that really shows in his writing of the Hatchet books. (See point one) I would have liked to see Brian interact with his family, see that reunion etc.
4 )The writing style in this book is quite different then it was in Hatchet. Hatchet had a lot of short repetitive sentences. I wonder if the style change was on purpose or just the natural growth that happens when you're an author.
5) I never, never want to be stranded somewhere where I have to kill animals and eat them. I'm pretty certain I would just die quickly.

"Brian's Winter" was one of the best books I have ever read. This alternate ending to "Hatchet," by Gary Paulsen, tells of a teenage boy, Brian, who is riding in a plane that crashes in the northern forests of Canada. I found the writing in this book very descriptive, and it almost felt like I was there with the main character braving the winter. In the story, Brian shows extreme bravery because when he is injured and starving, he does not give up and wait to die but instead keeps on going. In one scene, he fights off a wild bull and gets a broken rib but still manages to escape with his life. I really enjoyed this story because it was full of adventure and action. I think this would be a good book for people who like stories about wilderness and survival.

Brians winter is about a boy named Brian whose plane crashed in the wild wilderness of Canada. He was only left with the tools he made and the ones he found in the planes survival kit. He was all alone besides the nature around him. Brian new he had to survive.

The plot of this book was very straight forward and to the point witch I liked a lot. It was also filled with excitement when he was getting food, and fighting of a bear that crept into his camp at night.

Brian changes during this time, because he had to prepare for the winter by getting fire wood. He had to take his mind of the summer months and had to prepare him for the winter and especially the cold. He also changes by not thinking about this survival as fun but now it is life or death.

I would recommend this book to kids in my age group which is 13-18 that like to be outside and enjoy to hunt and fish. Mostly a male gender but if there are some women that like to be outdoors then they can read it also.

This is listed as Brian's Saga #3, but I think it is worth reading directly after you finish Hatchet. Brian's Winter is an alternate ending. What if Brian had to survive through the winter, rather than the easier summer months?

Read if you liked Hatchet
Read if you like survival stories
Read if you like adventure