The River
- 144
- Pages
- about 2.5 h
- Reading time
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Our view
“The River” is a short survival sequel to “Hatchet”, best read as a side path in Gary Paulsen’s saga. Some readers feel the danger of the new expedition keenly, while others find the excuse for heading back into the wild a little contrived. Worth knowing: the later books, starting with “Brian’s Winter”, set this one aside and continue the story as if it had not happened.
The view of the BookRank editors, written from readers’ ratings and comments. It does not affect the score or the book’s place in a ranking.
About the book
The River, also known as The Return and Hatchet: The Return, is a 1991 young adult novel by American author Gary Paulsen. It is a sequel to Hatchet (1987), and the second installment in the Hatchet series. The book was followed by Brian's Winter (1996), which began an alternative trilogy of sequels to Hatchet that disregard The River from canon.
Reading order · Brian's Saga
Full order & progress →- HatchetStart here
7.57.5 / 10 - The RiverThis book
7.77.7 / 10 - Brian's Winter
7.97.9 / 10 - Brian's ReturnBrian's Return–Not ranked yet
- Brian's HuntBrian's Hunt–Not ranked yet
Where the score comes from
The sources average 7.5 across 67 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 31% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Young adult average of 7.8. That is how 7.7 comes out.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 8.0 | 8 | 12% |
| Hardcover | 7.4 | 59 | 88% |
Frequently asked
What age is The River for?
The River sits on the Young adult shelf in the sources we use, which by convention means roughly ages 13 and up. This is a guide from the book’s category, not a publisher’s age rating. It has 144 pages — shorter than 99% of the ranked books in Young adult.
In this book
Themes this book shares with others — each leads to the best books on it.
If you liked this
Same shelf — Young adult — with scores between 7.7 and 7.8, closest to this book.
