Peak

Fourteen-year-old New Yorker Peak ("It could have been worse. My parents could have named me Glacier, or Abyss, or Crampon.") Marcello hones his climbing skills by scaling skyscrapers. After Peak is caught climbing the Woolworth Building, an angry judge gives him probation, with an understanding that Peak will leave New York and live with his famous mountaineer father in Thailand. Peak soon learns, however, that his father has other plans for him; he hopes that Peak will become the youngest person to climb Mt. Everest. Peak is whisked off to Tibet and finds himself in the complex world of an Everest base camp, where large amounts of money are at stake and climbing operations offer people an often-deadly shot at the summit. This is a thrilling, multifaceted adventure story. Smith includes plenty of mountaineering facts told in vivid detail (particularly creepy is his description of the frozen corpses that litter the mountain). But he also explores other issues, such as the selfishness that nearly always accompanies the intensely single-minded. A winner at every level. For more mountaineering adventures, suggest Edward Meyers' Climb or Die (1994) and Michael Dahl's The Viking Claw (2001), both for a slightly younger audience. --Todd Morning Copyright 2007 Booklist

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 tag-a blue mountain peak-high 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 darling-the papers have dubbed Peak "Spider Boy"-immediately 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 irresistible-Peak will try to become the youngest person ever to scale Everest-overcoming 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) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Gr 6 Up--Roland Smith's adventure novel (Harcourt, 2007) is told in the first person by 14-year-old Peak Marcello, so named by his rock climber parents. Peak writes about his adventure as a school assignment. He loves to climb, but lives in Manhattan with his mom, stepfather, and twin sisters, so he attends climbing camp and climbs skyscrapers. When Peak is arrested for climbing the Woolworth take him to Thailand where has a climbing expedition company. When teenager arrives in Katmandu, he is whisked off to a Tibetan base camp where he soon discovers his father's plan to make him the youngest person to summit Mt. Everest. He is aided by a diverse cast of characters--a monk, a Nepalese boy, Sherpa's, porters, and a TV crew. Listeners are carried along as Peak experiences acclimatization, below freezing temperatures, harrowing crevasses, lack of oxygen, and the deaths of fellow climbers. Ramón de Ocampo creates age, gender, and ethnic appropriate voices for all of the varied characters, augmenting the suspense that is inherent in the story. Although not an essential purchase, it will be a hit with patrons who love adventure.--Jo-Ann Carhart, East Islip Public Library, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.

Though he's only 14 years old, Peak Marcello has climbing in his blood. With two famous climbers for parents, it could have been worse, he says-he might have been named Crampon. When he is caught scaling skyscrapers in New York City, he is sent to live with his father. Turns out, Dad is leading an expedition to Everest and wants Peak to be the youngest climber ever to make the top. Cold Weather Appeal: Brrrrr, but it is cold at the top of the world. The frozen corpses and empty oxygen bottles will be familiar to readers of Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air. Why It Is for Us: Peak combines alpine adventure with a bit of "Free Tibet" commentary, focusing on the plight of the Sherpas who bring the climbers to the top and the border dispute with the Chinese government. Peak himself is a winning protagonist with the sense to know when to step aside for the greater good.-Angelina Benedetti (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(Middle School) Peak, as his name might indicate, is a natural-born climber. When he's apprehended four feet from the top of the Woolworth Building, he's rescued from juvie by his estranged father, a noted climber who has set himself up as an expedition leader specializing in taking the very wealthy up Everest -- and sees the prospect of making his son the youngest ever to summit the great peak as the surest way of cementing his business success. Smith takes classic plot elements -- kid in trouble, extreme physical challenge, rocky relationship with ambitious parent -- and plays them perfectly. He introduces the teenage son of a Sherpa who died rescuing Peak's father two years ago, a former mountain guide turned Buddhist monk who for reasons of his own has come out of retirement for this expedition, and the media team brought along to document Peak's record-breaking attempt; he also introduces geopolitical concerns, as the military superintendent at the Tibetan Base Camp works to regulate the various expeditions to the Chinese government's best advantage. The severe conditions lay bare the various personalities and their competing agendas, which, seen through Peak's first-person narration, evolve into a gripping story that pulls no punches about the toll Everest exacts on body and psyche alike. Copryight 2007 of The Horn Book, Inc. All rights reserved. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Dare-devil mountain-climber, Peak Marcello (14), decides to scale the Woolworth Building and lands in jail. To save him, his long-lost Everest-trekking dad appears with a plan for the duo to make a life in Katmandu--a smokescreen to make Peak become the youngest person in history to summit Mount Everest. Peak must learn to navigate the extreme and exotic terrain but negotiate a code of ethics among men. This and other elements such as the return of the long-lost father, bite-size chunks of information about climbing and altitude, an all-male cast, competition and suspense (can Peak be the youngest ever to summit Everest, and can he beat out a 14-year-old Nepalese boy who accompanies him?) creates the tough stuff of a "boys read." The narrative offers enough of a bumpy ride to satisfy thrill seekers while Peak's softer reflective quality lends depth and some--but not too much--emotional resonance. Teachers will want to pair this with Mark Pfetzer's Within Reach: My Everest Story (1998). (Fiction. 12-15) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

/*Starred Review*/ Fourteen-year-old New Yorker Peak ("It could have been worse. My parents could have named me Glacier, or Abyss, or Crampon.") Marcello hones his climbing skills by scaling skyscrapers. After Peak is caught climbing the Woolworth Building, an angry judge gives him probation, with an understanding that Peak will leave New York and live with his famous mountaineer father in Thailand. Peak soon learns, however, that his father has other plans for him; he hopes that Peak will become the youngest person to climb Mt. Everest. Peak is whisked off to Tibet and finds himself in the complex world of an Everest base camp, where large amounts of money are at stake and climbing operations offer people an often-deadly shot at the summit. This is a thrilling, multifaceted adventure story. Smith includes plenty of mountaineering facts told in vivid detail (particularly creepy is his description of the frozen corpses that litter the mountain). But he also explores other issues, such as the selfishness that nearly always accompanies the intensely single-minded. A winner at every level. For more mountaineering adventures, suggest Edward Meyers' Climb or Die (1994) and Michael Dahl's The Viking Claw (2001), both for a slightly younger audience. ((Reviewed April 1, 2007)) Copyright 2007 Booklist Reviews.

Though he's only 14 years old, Peak Marcello has climbing in his blood. With two famous climbers for parents, it could have been worse, he says-he might have been named Crampon. When he is caught scaling skyscrapers in New York City, he is sent to live with his father. Turns out, Dad is leading an expedition to Everest and wants Peak to be the youngest climber ever to make the top. Cold Weather Appeal: Brrrrr, but it is cold at the top of the world. The frozen corpses and empty oxygen bottles will be familiar to readers of Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air. Why It Is for Us: Peak combines alpine adventure with a bit of "Free Tibet" commentary, focusing on the plight of the Sherpas who bring the climbers to the top and the border dispute with the Chinese government. Peak himself is a winning protagonist with the sense to know when to step aside for the greater good.-Angelina Benedetti Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.

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 tag—a blue mountain peak—high 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 darling—the papers have dubbed Peak "Spider Boy"—immediately 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 irresistible—Peak will try to become the youngest person ever to scale Everest—overcoming 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)

Gr 6 Up— In 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