The River is a sequel to Gary Paulsen’s first book Hatchet, about a boy named Brian Robeson, who is a normal teenager except for one thing he has done. He has survived alone in the Canadian wilderness for two months with nothing but a hatchet. In The River, the government asks Brian to go into the wilderness again. Brian thinks it over carefully and decides to do it because it will help people learn how to survive in the forest. He and a government official take a plane to a lake which is similar to the one Brian was near the first time. The government official is there to record everything Brian does. They find shelter, water and food, and everything is going as planned until tragedy strikes. Their shelter is struck by a lightning and the government official is knocked into a coma. Their radio is also hit by lightning and broken. Brian must find a way to get the government official to safety and do it quickly.