the river by gary paulsen

the river is another book about Brian... the thirteen year old boy in "hatchet". Now since he is back from his long 54 days in the great outdoors with only a hatchet. Now since he is back, the government wants him to go back and do the same thing all over again so astronauts and the military can copy the same things he did so they will know how he stayed alive. He would go with a government psychologist, Derek.

When both Derek and Brian go to do the same thing again, a storm hits the wilderness. the lightning hit Derek and now he is stuck in a coma. Brian has nothing else to do an he is stuck in the same situation he was in way before. He has no way to conntact anyone because the radio derek was holding when he got struck is now broken. When Brian thought about it for a while and he suddenly realized that the only thing he could do was build a raft and go down a river that would have to be 100 miles long.