One Wrong Step
Jennifer A. Nielsen. Scholastic Press, $18.99 (336p) ISBN 978-1-33827-586-5
Just before WWII’s start in 1939—when no one had yet reached Mt. Everest’s summit—14-year-old white-cued Atlas Wade accompanies his father on a hazardous expedition to stand “at the top of the world.” During the excursion, the group learns that Nazis are attempting their own climb. Despite Atlas’s eagerness to finish the trek—born from his desire to escape grief surrounding his mother’s death three years ago—his father forbids him from making the final climb to the summit. While waiting at Advanced Base Camp at 21,300 feet, Atlas spies an avalanche around where the expedition should’ve been. Together with the daughter of another explorer and an injured adult Sherpa, Atlas determines to rescue them, using all the hiking skills his father taught him to survive. Employing her extensive mountain climbing experience—as outlined in an endnote—Nielsen (Uprising) details the activity’s pitfalls, hazards, and potential disasters with authenticity. The result is a gripping adventure tale that provides a new perspective through which to view the history of the era. An explanation of specific climbing terms begins each chapter; maps depicting Atlas’s progress scaling Everest feature throughout. Ages 8–12. Agent: Ammi-Joan Paquette, Erin Murphy Literary. (Mar.)
Details
Reviewed on: 12/12/2024
Genre: Children's
Other - 1 pages - 978-1-338-27587-2