ALA Booklist (Mon Mar 01 00:00:00 CST 2021)

Twelve-year-old Hunter Higgins, whose favorite book is Hatchet, is beside himself with excitement; he's about to go on his first hunt with his father, grandfather, and Uncle Rick. The Higgins men's passionate devotion to the sport is the very reason the boy was named Hunter. But can he live up to that name? The first day of deer hunting puts it to the test when Hunter finds he's unable to shoot a magnificent buck because it's so beautiful. "Coward," he bitterly calls himself, "failure, hippie." He is only partially mollified when Uncle Rick, whom he reveres, talks with him about the philosophy of hunting and "the awesome, the holy power to kill." Hunter will test that thesis when, later, he and his uncle find themselves in mortal danger. This is a well-written but sometimes didactic paean to hunting that is otherwise notable for its verisimilitude and well-realized setting, the Idaho wilderness. The book's uncritical devotion to hunting recommends it for classroom use, where it may well invite discussion and debate.

Kirkus Reviews

Can Hunter live up to his name?Hunter Higgins is 12, and it feels like his whole life has been leading to this weekend: his first deer hunt. His family is a hunting family, and their land in the Idaho wilderness has been its emotional center for decades. Hunter's taken all the classes, has perfected his shooting, earned his license-but still he wonders whether he can actually take a life. He keeps this worry bottled up as his family gathers at their lodge: his father, his grandfather, his uncle, and his cousin, Yumi, who's also 12-and, unexpectedly, Yumi's friend Annette, their classmate and Hunter's secret crush. Now Hunter has to navigate his family's expectations and Annette. Reedy introduces a powerful subplot in Yumi's difficult relationship with her father, a veteran whose experiences in Afghanistan have left hidden scars. Reedy's familiarity with the terrain, the culture of the outdoors, and combat breathe authenticity into the narrative; as Hunter reflects, "A non-shooter would probably never be able to understand what this felt like." Hunter's rural Idaho world is populated by folks like the Higginses; the ethics of hunting are not called into question. It is also mostly White, with Yumi and her mom's presumed Japanese heritage hinted at in their names. Readers from outside Hunter's culture may find such details as the lodge's all-camo decor cartoonish, but those from within it should feel at home.For kids who, like Hunter, can't get enough of Hatchet. (Fiction. 8-12)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

In the small town of McCall, Idaho, Hunter Higgins, 12, has spent years preparing for -the weekend of his first-ever hunt,- a coming-of-age ceremony in his white family. Now that he-s completed gun safety training, Hunter finally gets to join his lawyer father, construction worker grandfather, and Uncle Rick, an Army National Guard member-who served in Afghanistan 10 years ago and whose PTSD-like symptoms threaten to estrange him from his wife and daughter-on the last hunt of the season. There-s just one problem: though Hunter desperately wants to bag his first buck to prove himself, he feels deep uncertainty over killing an animal. His plans are upset when Yumi, Uncle Rick-s half-Japanese, half-white daughter and Hunter-s best friend and classmate, and her bespectacled friend Annette Willard, Hunter-s secret crush, show up at the family lodge to join the hunt, shifting the hunters- all-male dynamic. Vividly realistic passages about shooting and hunting enrich the narrative, while explorations of toxic masculine attitudes in hunting culture, fear of failure, and trauma underscore the steady action. Though a slightly contrived final act and overly neat ending muddle the thematic impact, intertwining Hunter-s growth with his uncle-s narrative makes for an emotionally satisfying read. Ages 9-12. Agent: Ammi-Joan Paquette, Erin Murphy Literary. (Mar.)