Lily's Mountain

May 1, 2017

Gr 4-7-Lily's father is pronounced missing after he went climbing Denali, the highest mountain in North America. Her father is an expert in mountaineering, so Lily suspects something doesn't add up. She refuses to accept that her father has died. Lily enlists the help of her sister Sophie, and together they set out to rescue their dad. Readers will easily become absorbed in this plot-driven story. The sisters are each tested emotionally and physically. What keeps them sane is the teachings of their father and the memories that they share. There is strong character development, and readers will be inspired by Lily's and Sophie's ambition, perseverance, and self-determination. The chapters are short and the pacing quick but natural. VERDICT This is a heartwarming novel that is filled with adventure and would be a solid addition to middle grade shelves, especially where survival tales circulate well.-Ericka Greer, Ouachita Parish Public Library, Monroe, LA

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2017
Her dad has climbed Denali, North America's highest mountain, six times, so when he's reported as having fallen to his death in a deep crevasse, narrator Lily, 12, knows better than to believe it. Lily talks her sister, Sophie, 18, into a camping trip in Denali National Park but omits the true reason for their journey: rescuing Dad. Guilt-ridden over her fight with Dad before he left, Sophie doesn't share Lily's conviction but likes the suggestion that Dad will hear her apology better there. Mom agrees to their trip reluctantly when reminded that Ranger Collins at the Wonder Lake campground will be there to keep an eye on them. The trip isn't easy. At the crowded Wilderness Access Center, they're told that Wonder has no vacancies until the following night. Lily agonizes over the delay--Dad's now been lost for four days. At Wonder, the weather is rainy and mosquitoes are biting, but Lily's conviction and drive persuade Sophie to take off, exhausted and sleep-deprived, on the 20-mile trek to the glacier where their father disappeared. Dad's portrayed as a free spirit and savvy woodsman. His remembered teachings and outdoor lore sustain Lily and help the girls ford icy rivers and survive wildlife (porcupine and grizzlies) encounters. An absence of racial markers will likely have readers seeing them as white. If Dad seems less a character than a collection of folksy forest do's and don'ts, the author's practice of recounting terrifying events in a matter-of-fact tone (an Alaskan specialty) renders the sisters' journey more than sufficiently compelling. (Adventure. 10-12)

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September 18, 2017
In Moderow’s debut, indomitable 12-year-old Lily refuses to believe that her survivalist father has died on his latest climb up Mt. Denali, so she sets off with her teenage sister, Sophie, to recover him. The novel’s descriptions of local wildlife, flora, and ever-present mosquitoes cast the vivid Alaskan wilderness as its own character in the story. The two sisters, who have started to drift apart, come together as their journey takes them closer to the last place their father was seen alive, amid dangerous animals and dwindling food supplies. The novel’s pacing is as fast as one might expect in a race against time and the elements, and the momentum squares with Lily’s impulsiveness. However, confronted with the loss of her father, Lily and other family members don’t rest too long in grappling with their grief. Despite the brusque emotional tone, Lily’s conflicted relationship with her sister and the natural landscape she loves (“This land is alive—harsh and changing”) make this an engrossing portrait of a girl’s devotion to her father and how she makes the most of everything he taught her. Ages 10–12.

October 15, 2017
Grades 5-7 How far would you go to rescue your father? When 12-year old Lily hears that hers, a seasoned mountain climber, has fallen to his death while hiking Denali, North America's highest peak, she refuses to believe it. Convinced that rescue crews gave up too soon and the absence of her father's body must mean he is still alive, she and her 18-year-old sister, Sophie, immediately start off toward the mountain with their own hopes of rescuing their father. Despite their determination, there are life-threatening obstacles at every turn. The girls must ford icy rivers, face grizzlies and porcupines, and contend with their own exhaustion during the 20-mile trek. While city-bound young readers may question the reality of a 12-year-old surviving in such a harsh environment, Moderow's beautifully written imagery of the Alaskan wilderness is enough to take their breath and minds away from the sidewalks and SUVs of everyday life. Lily's determination and strength as well as her touching relationship with her sister give Moderow's first book an additional layer of poignancy and emotion.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)