Center for Teaching & Learning

Peak Marcello is not your average fifteen-year-old boy. In his short life he has summited some of the earth’s tallest mountains, setting records across the world. After all of these adventures and accomplishments, none of them could have prepared him for his next climb.
When asked to take part in a documentary set on an international peace accent, Peak is sceptical at first because of his recent break from climbing but once his mother and past climbing friends urge him on, he takes the offer. On his second day in the Hindu Kush mountains of Afghanistan, Peak wakes up to find the rest of his climbing crew and his mom and longtime friends have been kidnapped. Peak uses his courage to set off on a journey with just a documentarian and climbing supplies to aid him.
Smith not only keeps an extremely fast moving plot, but he also develops Peak as a character immensely. At the start of the novel, Peak is shy and not very outgoing. As the book progresses, Peak’s anger and worry create an almost completely different character. Peak uses his mixed emotions to fuel one thing: his determination to save his mother and friends.
The only thing I would alter or completely remove from the book is the unrealistic romance that takes place. There is a classic “who’s gonna get the girl”  concept between Peak and two other climbers that, while it may work in other books, had no place in this book. In a book that had many realistic features, this side story did not fit in.
Although this book is very fast paced, it contains poem-like diction. When describing the Afghanistan mountain landscape, Smith creates vivid images in your mind that make you want to never put the book down. These transitions help push the plot forwards without boring you.
Overall this book is an incredible mix of action, mystery, and climbing. I believe that anybody who reads this will be compelled and will not be able to put it down.
Nolan
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 238 pages