Peak

Author: Roland Smith

Rating: * (1 star out of 3 possible, "C")

Recommended with Reservations

Audience: Middle-school

Here is a contemporary youth novel offering middle-schoolers a unique plot and setting. The main character, Peak Marcello, is a 14 year old boy with mountain climbing skills in his bones and in his brain. Relocated with his mom, stepdad and twin stepsisters from Colorado to New York City, he illegally climbs skyscrapers to satisfy his thrill-seeker genes. Peak is a good kid: bright, doing well in his private school, loving to his stepsisters. But when arrested for trespassing on skyscrapers, Peak finds himself in serious juvenile delinquency territory.

Through some inexplicable family/court arrangements, Peak's real dad, Joshua Wood arrives from mountain climbing in Asia to take custody of Peak. Apparently this is Josh's first foray into actual parenting responsibilities. Ultimately, his mixed motives are revealed: to spend time with Peak but also to essentially exploit him for his Himalayan climbing company, hoping Peak can succeed as the youngest person to summit Mount Everest.

On the positive side, the book offers decent factual information about Everest, base camp life, and climbing culture. There's no doubt this is an adventure book that can "hook" active boys and girls who might otherwise not spend a lot of time reading.

It also offers a decent theme as Peak grows and matures through the relationships and challenges of base camp. He eventually discovers he does not want to become a selfish, all-consumed climber like his biological dad:

"To climb at Josh's level you have to be completely selfish, Peak. When you were born I couldn't do that anymore. I have no doubt you have the physical ability to summit Everest....But you may not have the ability not to care. For the next few weeks you have to harden yourself inside. Your guts and heart need to be stone cold." (Peak's Mom)

This is a valuable message in a culture preoccupied with elite athletics. At some point, many young people have to make a decision which skills to pursue at what cost. Many times the message professional athletes send is "develop your athletic skill and squander your schooling," or "do whatever you want on the court while kicking relationships to the curb."

Peak's strength of character shines when he allows a Nepalese teenager to make the world-record summit and also escape the Chinese government. Finally, in keeping a promise to his New York family Peak makes the ultimate break from Josh's influence. The relationship with his father is not broken, however, just established with proper boundaries.

Reservations include casual parenting relationships (parents living together outside of marriage), Josh as an absent father ("Don't call me 'Dad'-I don't deserve it. Pretend I'm you big brother and call me Josh.") and the adolescent "attitude" of the book. There is not a lot of strong vocabulary or "literate" writing. There is some infrequent coarse language ("butt," "crap"), but no swear words. Finally, there are some spiritual references to Buddhist temples, prayers, priests and superstitions. Climbing Mount Everest is considered a spiritual experience by elite athletes and that creates ready-acceptance of Buddhist or New Age values. The references are not over-done in my opinion, and at the end of the book Peak acknowledges the power of prayer as well a belief in God. For Christian families it would be important to discuss the spiritual aspects of the book and some basic differences between Buddhism and Christianity.

All things considered, a decent recommendation for young people who may be more excited about athletics than reading.