Peak by Roland Smith (#69 in 2020)
Whenever I read something from the YA genre, I have to consider the book from two different perspectives: that of an adult (because I am), and that of a young adult (because that's the intended audience).
For adults: The issues that are important to Peak are juvenile on the surface, but the deeper feelings are what make Peak special. As an adult, I can appreciate all the research that Smith must have conducted in order to nail down the accuracy of the mountain, the conditions, and the challenges with the climb.
For young adults: The cover and synopsis lead readers to believe that this is going to be an action-packed book. Spoiler alert- it's not (at all). The time that Peak spends in NYC is minimal, and a bulk of the story takes place where Peak is training and slowly making his ascent up the mountain. The scenery lacks a lot of detail making the setting difficult to grasp. In middle school, we teach our students to write using imagery from the five senses, and Smith doesn't follow the style the way most YA books do. The novel is almost entirely character driven, but I think a younger reader might require more action or suspense to remain interested. Regarding morals, Peak doesn't do much reflecting and the story focuses more on his actual climb than on the actions that led him to the mountain in the first place. as the story progresses. Peak is only minimally developed, and the other characters remain flat for the entirety of the book.
It's a super short book at only 246 pages, so you could likely read it quickly or in one sitting. The ending got this reaction out of me: "oh." If you're looking for realistic survivalist stories for young adult readers, I would much rather recommend Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, The Talking Earth by Jean Craighead George, or Hatchet by Gary Paulsen. 2.5 stars ⭐️⭐️💫
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