Above All Else

August 15, 2020
Two friends embark on an emotional and physical challenge. Rose and Tate have been lifelong friends, traveling the world and summiting mountains together. Now, at the end of their senior year of high school, they're going for the big one--Mount Everest. But Rose feels conflicted about climbing without her mother, and Tate has a terrifying secret. Their journey from San Francisco to the highest altitude in the world tests their physical and mental strength and endurance. The isolation and harsh conditions force the pair to examine their feelings for one another as well as their motivations for climbing and the impact of the tourist trade on the environment, culture, and people of Nepal. Each chapter begins with the date, altitude, and location, helpfully setting the scene for a narrative that alternates between Tate and Rose, with some chapters acting as flashbacks. Setting and character details abound, deftly balanced with Tate and Rose's emotionally engaging relationship. This combination allows readers to feel the dangers of climbing, the anticipation of trying for the summit, and the firecracker chemistry between the leads. A map provides context, and an author's note offers insight into the multiple meanings of sherpa/Sherpa, further reading, and organizations that support Nepalese people, specifically Sherpa families affected by accidents on Everest. Rose is biracial (with a White dad and Puerto Rican mom); Tate is White and has ADHD. An engrossing, suspenseful, and thought-provoking adventure. (Fiction. 14-18)

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September 1, 2020

Gr 8 Up-Rose Keller and Tate Russo have been friends forever and have wanted to summit Mount Everest since they were children. After much planning and training, they are ready to fulfill their lifelong dream, but the journey to reach the top of the world is not an easy one. In the midst of it all, these best friends turn to lovers and it becomes apparent that climbing this mountain may not be what they want anymore. With their relationship and lives on the line, they will need to decide for themselves whether they want to make it up the mountain. The story is so well-researched that readers will feel transported to Nepal, as if they are taking the journey with the characters. While learning about Mount Everest and the financial disparity in the region is eye-opening and informative, the abundance of details often detracts from the plot and pacing. The extensive research leaves little space for character development and the plot moves at a snail's pace with very few events holding the reader's interest. Rose's mother is Puerto Rican and her father is white, and Tate's ethnicity is never mentioned. VERDICT While this is a well-informed homage to Mount Everest, the over-dependence on research makes the novel a slow-paced read unlikely to hold the attention of many readers.-Myiesha Speight, Towson Univ., Baltimore

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2020
Grades 8-12 Rose and Tate are your average high-school seniors from California, but they're also legacy mountain climbers embarking on the trip of a lifetime. As they prepare to climb Mount Everest along with Tate's father, the two teens are simultaneously riddled with life's big questions: where they'll go to college and whom they want to date. These are soon overshadowed by more dire questions, however, as a tragedy befalls the Sherpas right before the scheduled climb. Tate's PTSD is triggered, and the dynamics between family and friends begin to unravel. Levy's fast-paced novel mirrors the frantic, heartrending, and blood-pumping journey undertaken by her characters. Thanks to a detailed map of the mountain routes, readers can track Rose and Tate's adventures as they wind around each other like climbing ropes, their stories dovetailing into a passionate, climactic romance. As they explore their reciprocated feelings, they must put aside disagreements and work together to survive the climb. A physical and emotional expedition, filled with danger, death, disease, and above all else, sacrifice.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

September 14, 2020
In her YA debut, children’s author Levy (It Wasn’t Me) offers a nail-biting adventure set in Nepal, where two recent high school graduates prepare for “the ultimate goal”: climbing Mount Everest. Californians Rose and Tate, best friends and long-time climbing partners, have been dreaming about this trip for years, but conditions have changed now that their goal is within reach. Rose is making the climb not just for herself, but also for her Puerto Rican mother, who has been diagnosed with MS and can’t accompany the teens as planned. Tate has had doubts about this journey after nearly losing his life on the duo’s last expedition, to Mount Rainier. Still, he wants to prove he’s not the “Master of Disaster,” like his father thinks, and be with Rose, with whom he’s in love. Written from the protagonists’ alternating viewpoints, the book’s main focus is not on the climb itself, but the teens’ changing emotions, vulnerabilities, and profound realizations as they face the dangers ahead during training. Levy skillfully shows the sharp contrast between the experiences of the disadvantaged Sherpa guides, who risk their lives to get paid, and the privileged tourists paying thousands for a thrill, and draws on all five senses to bring Nepal’s splendor to life. Ages 12–up.