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bbckprpl's review
4.0
I'm not big into survivalist YA - I know I'm a literacy major, but Hatchet made me wish I had one & The Lord of the Flies just made me want to cry - so it's probably good that I opened this book without knowing what to expect.
(This comes from getting 99.99% of my books through PaperbackSwap & BookMooch - by the time they come, I have no recollection why they were added to the wishlist in the first place, and then, by the time I get around to reading them, I have usually no notion - besides cover clues & blurbs - of even what genre I might be reading. It's all very exciting, grab bag-surprise! ish.)
So going into this not having any idea what I was in for was probably a good thing all around, because I probably would've groaned at the thought of reading about a kid trying to be the youngest person to ever hike up Mt Everest, and I would've missed out on a strong & complex story. There's a lot going on here - Peak, who hasn't seen his dad in years, gets into some serious trouble and his father's version of riding to the 'rescue' seems to be taking the 14 year old to Mt Everest, leaving him with his sherpa friend, and plotting behind his back. There's a lot of plotting going on around, behind, and involving Peak, and discovering it along the way is what made this story so interesting to me. Even the action-y sequences, with all the climbing lingo and stuff that would ordinarily bore me to tears, was very well written & I found myself engaged in Peak's climb, in spite of myself.
Thinking back, I'm sure this came through the "read this to see if it's something my 6th grader nephew might enjoy" track, because I'm always looking for stuff he could read and NOT complain about how boring it is. *that he does not love reading as well as I do is a constant sadness for me* Hopefully, this is something he'll find as gripping as I did, and he'll be climbing up Everest this summer in spite of himself.
(This comes from getting 99.99% of my books through PaperbackSwap & BookMooch - by the time they come, I have no recollection why they were added to the wishlist in the first place, and then, by the time I get around to reading them, I have usually no notion - besides cover clues & blurbs - of even what genre I might be reading. It's all very exciting, grab bag-surprise! ish.)
So going into this not having any idea what I was in for was probably a good thing all around, because I probably would've groaned at the thought of reading about a kid trying to be the youngest person to ever hike up Mt Everest, and I would've missed out on a strong & complex story. There's a lot going on here - Peak, who hasn't seen his dad in years, gets into some serious trouble and his father's version of riding to the 'rescue' seems to be taking the 14 year old to Mt Everest, leaving him with his sherpa friend, and plotting behind his back. There's a lot of plotting going on around, behind, and involving Peak, and discovering it along the way is what made this story so interesting to me. Even the action-y sequences, with all the climbing lingo and stuff that would ordinarily bore me to tears, was very well written & I found myself engaged in Peak's climb, in spite of myself.
Thinking back, I'm sure this came through the "read this to see if it's something my 6th grader nephew might enjoy" track, because I'm always looking for stuff he could read and NOT complain about how boring it is. *that he does not love reading as well as I do is a constant sadness for me* Hopefully, this is something he'll find as gripping as I did, and he'll be climbing up Everest this summer in spite of himself.
gourmetsoda's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
orangebeanreads's review
adventurous
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Picked this up again after having not read it for years and wanted to refresh my memory. Although not as awe-inspiring as it was when I was a kid, it's still a fun, quick read and called up that need for adventure.
tbr_trepidation's review
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
sherwoodreads's review
Copy provided by NetGalley:
Peak Marcello is fourteen, and at the start of the novel he's clambering at the side of a New York skyscrapers, which he has climbed using his mountaineering training in order to tag. He's arrested and the authorities want to throw the book at him for maximum sentence as a warning.
So his absent mountain climber dad swoops in for the first time in Peak's life. Helps out, promising to whisk Peak off to Tibet and private school, until the notoriety dies down. But what his dad actually wants Peak to do is become the youngest person ever to climb Mt. Everest.
While the voice did not remind me of any fourteen year old boy [not just in its clear-sighted maturity, which some adults have trouble managing, but also in certain turns of phrase] I have ever known in a very long life of parenting, teaching, and counseling, that didn't matter much because I liked the voice, I liked the character, and I found the story brisk, vividly described, and gripping. This book is not new. NetGalley seems to have it as a publicity move to highlight the sequel.
Well, that worked. I want to read that sequel.
Peak Marcello is fourteen, and at the start of the novel he's clambering at the side of a New York skyscrapers, which he has climbed using his mountaineering training in order to tag. He's arrested and the authorities want to throw the book at him for maximum sentence as a warning.
So his absent mountain climber dad swoops in for the first time in Peak's life. Helps out, promising to whisk Peak off to Tibet and private school, until the notoriety dies down. But what his dad actually wants Peak to do is become the youngest person ever to climb Mt. Everest.
While the voice did not remind me of any fourteen year old boy [not just in its clear-sighted maturity, which some adults have trouble managing, but also in certain turns of phrase] I have ever known in a very long life of parenting, teaching, and counseling, that didn't matter much because I liked the voice, I liked the character, and I found the story brisk, vividly described, and gripping. This book is not new. NetGalley seems to have it as a publicity move to highlight the sequel.
Well, that worked. I want to read that sequel.
bethbaty's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
This story felt like This Just In, which probably no one has read, but I adore.
The hook from the very beginning with the sky scraper bit was wild and definitely worked well. Then I love how wholesome several parts were that I wasn’t expecting. For example,when Peak’s step dad wrote him a letter saying he misses Peak, I cried. It was so tender. Plus I really did like the ending. I felt a little sad that he never actually made it all the way to the peak after going so far, but it made a lot of sense and it was really heartwarming.
Love it all around.
Although I am a little lost at what the sequel could possibly be about after that.
The hook from the very beginning with the sky scraper bit was wild and definitely worked well. Then I love how wholesome several parts were that I wasn’t expecting. For example,
Love it all around.
Although I am a little lost at what the sequel could possibly be about after that.
ccchat8's review
4.0
I have been looking for this book since the 7th grade, which was when I first read it. I'm on my way to Uni, and I finally found it! I love this book.
ddeydub's review
adventurous
dark
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I enjoyed the story a lot, I even cried a few tears at the end of it. The two Peas were very lovable characters.