Peak

by Roland Smith (Author)

Peak
Reading Level: 6th − 7th Grade
The emotional, tension-filled story of a 14-year-old boy's attempt to be the youngest person to reach the top of Mount Everest is an action-packed adventure about friendship, sacrifice, family and the drive to take on Everest, despite the incredible risk.
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Publishers Weekly

Starred Review
Here's the perfect antidote for a kid who thinks books are boring. In his latest, Smith ("Cryptid Hunters") introduces 14-year-old Peak Marcello (named by his mountaineering parents) as he's arrested for scaling Manhattan's Woolworth Building, in an attempt to graffiti his taga blue mountain peakhigh on the side of it. Peak is headed for a long stint in juvie when his estranged father swoops into the courtroom with a solution that will get the media's newest darlingthe papers have dubbed Peak Spider Boyimmediately and far out of sight. Before the trek to China, where Peak's father runs a commercial climbing operation on the Tibetan side of Mount Everest, Peak's English teacher, Vincent, gives him two notebooks to fill, which will complete his requirements for the school year. This conceit allows Peak to tell his story in his own wry voice and to share lots of Vincent's advice. A good writer should draw the reader in by starting in the middle of the story with a "hook", Peak recalls. I guess Vincent thinks readers are fish. The hook here is irresistiblePeak will try to become the youngest person ever to scale Everestovercoming Chinese bureaucrats, resentment of his father, rivalry with a Nepalese teen who has the same goal, avalanches, icy crevasses, howling winds, searing cold and many, many frozen corpses to reach the 29,028-foot summit. The nifty plotting, gripping story line and Peak's assured delivery give those who join this expedition much to savor. Ages 12-up. "(May)" Copyright 2007 Publishers Weekly Used with permission.

School Library Journal

Gr 6 UpIn this high-altitude adventure, 14-year-old Peak Marcello's passion for climbing is clearly in the genes, but when he is arrested for scaling tall buildings, his mom and stepdad make a deal with the judge to ship him out of the country to live with her ex-husband and squelch the media attention that might inspire "Spider Boy" copycats. The teen's father, Josh, and his Himalayan expedition company are preparing teams to climb Mount Everest and suddenly Peak is faced with the possibility of becoming the youngest climber to reach the summit. Excited about the adventure, he learns that Josh may have less-than-fatherly motives involving publicity and financial gain for his company, at the expense of his paying customers. Peak is handed off to his father's head Sherpa for training and altitude acclimation with a Nepalese boy his own age, named Sun-jo. At the same time, a media crew gathers at base camp to witness the climb, and an overzealous Chinese police captain doggedly searches for passport violations and underage climbers. Facts about Mount Everest, base camps, and the dangers of climbing are plentiful, depicting an international culture made up of individuals who are often self-absorbed and indifferent to the Tibetan Sherpas, who risk their lives for them. Peak's empathy for Sun-jo helps him make a critical decision as they near the summit, revealing his emotional growth and maturity. A well-crafted plot and exotic setting give the novel great appeal to survival adventure fans."Vicki Reutter, Cazenovia High School, NY" Copyright 2007 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

"Here's the perfect antidote for a kid who thinks books are boring. . . . The nifty plotting, gripping story line and Peak's assured delivery give those who join this expedition much to savor."
Publishers Weekly (starred)— (06/04/2007)
Roland Smith
Roland Smith first worked with animals at the Oregon Zoo, and he has been involved in animal rescues and conservation work around the world for more than 20 years. He is the author of numerous books for young readers, including Jack's Run, Zach's Lie, Peak, the Cryptid Hunters series, and the Storm Runners series. He is also the coauthor of numerous picture books with his wife, Marie. Roland lives with Marie on a farm south of Portland, Oregon. You can find him online at rolandsmith.com.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780152062682
Lexile Measure
760
Guided Reading Level
T
Publisher
Clarion Books
Publication date
August 01, 2008
Series
Peak Marcello Adventure
BISAC categories
YAF001020 - Young Adult Fiction | Action & Adventure | Survival Stories
YAF007000 - Young Adult Fiction | Boys & Men
YAF059000 - Young Adult Fiction | Sports & Recreation | General
Library of Congress categories
Survival skills
Survival
Coming of age
Mountaineering
Everest, Mount (China and Nepal)
Golden Sower Award
Honor Book 2010 - 2010
Texas Lone Star Reading List
Commended 2008 - 2009
National Outdoor Book Awards
Winner 2007 - 2007
Georgia Children's Book Award
Nominee 2009 - 2009
Sunshine State Young Reader's Award
Nominee 2009 - 2009
Eliot Rosewater Indiana High School Book Award
Nominee 2009 - 2010
Colorado Children's Book Award
Nominee 2009 - 2009
Capitol Choices: Noteworthy Books for Children and Teens
Recommended 2008 - 2008
Isinglass Teen Read Award
Nominee 2008 - 2009
Oregon Book Awards
Finalist 2008 - 2008
North Carolina Children's Book Award
Nominee 2009 - 2009
Black-Eyed Susan Award
Nominee 2008 - 2008
Volunteer State Book Awards
Nominee 2009 - 2010
Sequoyah Book Awards
Nominee 2010 - 2010
Nevada Young Readers' Award
Winner 2009 - 2009
Evergreen Young Adult Book Award
Nominee 2010 - 2010
Young Reader's Choice Award
Nominee 2010 - 2010
Iowa Teen Award
Nominee 2010 - 2010
Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award
Nominee 2011 - 2011
Colorado Blue Spruce Award
Nominee 2011 - 2011
Virginia Readers Choice Award
Nominee 2013 - 2013
Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Book Award
Nominee 2012 - 2012

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