Book bits
A review of 'Peak' by Roland Smith, three kids' books about mysteries, readers' picks of children's books, and kids' books for fall.
from the June 19, 2007 edition
Page 1 of 2
Peak
By Roland Smith
If you know a recalcitrant reader, a teen or preteen perhaps, who swears that he could more easily scale Mount Everest than finish a novel, try handing him a copy of Peak. Not only will he gain a more realistic sense of what's involved in climbing a mountain, but he might even enjoy himself.
"Peak" is a newly released young adult novel nicely packed with all the things that ought to abound in a good summer book: a breezy style, an appealing narrator, a healthy dose of nail-biting adventure, the occasional fact, and just a pleasing soupçon of sentiment.
The story is told through the notebooks of its protagonist, 14-year-old Peak Marcello who's just been nabbed by the New York City police for climbing the Woolworth Building.
Peak comes naturally by his attraction to heights: His parents Joshua Woods and Teri Marcello were once daring young "rock rats,"mountaineers busy shattering world climbing records left and right.
But Josh long ago vanished from his son's life – that is, until Peak's arrest and threatened incarceration. Then Josh swoops in from Nepal and offers to take his boy under his wing and out of the country. Eager to keep Peak out of jail, Teri agrees. Peak is to live with his dad in Thailand and attend school there.
Or so Teri thinks. Actually Josh has other ideas and before Peak knows it he's in Nepal getting ready to scale Mount Everest with his dad. If he succeeds, he'd be the youngest climber ever to do so – an event likely to benefit Josh's struggling outdoor-adventure company.
Peak is no fool. He knows when he's being used but he also recognizes the chance for the adventure of a lifetime – and the chance to get to know his dad.
So he begins his climb and starts to fill a pair of Moleskine notebooks with his story.
For readers it's an opportunity to revel in descriptions of climbing equipment and techniques, but also to face some of the harsh realities of the sport – everything from oxygen deprivation to belligerent Chinese border guards to the frozen corpses that litter the path. But it's also a chance to watch a teen grapple with questions about his own nature: Is he a driven loner like his dad or does he share some of the softer qualities of his mom?
The answer to that last question is never really in doubt but Peak's ascension to the top of Everest is anything but a certainty. His struggle en route might just keep that reluctant reader engaged till the end.
– Marjorie Kehe
