Summary: Fourteen-year-old Henry, wishing to honor his brother Franklin’s dying wish, sets out to hike Maine’s Mount Katahdin with his best friend and dog. But fate adds another companion–the Cambodian refugee accused of fatally injuring Franklin–and reveals troubles that predate the accident. 297 p., Clarion Books.
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Eva Perry Mock-Newbery Club 
Well, Gary Schmidt has done it again! This is a wonderful story that drew me in and captivated my attention all the way through!
I’ve been a huge Gary Schmidt fan ever since Lizzy Bright and the Buckminster Boy, so I’ve been eagerly awaiting his latest offering. Naturally, I was not disappointed!
This book has more than an absorbing plot. Schmidt reveals the heart of darkness in all of us, evenly distributing shame on all sorts of ethnic groups, ages, and genders. But he also shows the grace that can accompany all sorts of human interaction. Somehow, as usual, he gets plenty of humor in there so that we don’t collapse under the serious issues!
For me, part of the enjoyment of reading one of Gary Schmidt’s books is that I find myself going back to reread certain passages, trying to memorize his beautiful and unexpected use of words. Of course, I can never remember exactly how he said something, but it’s just nice to know that some people out there are true wordsmiths.
Be sure to read this book soon so that you can tell me how much you love it, too! (Just kidding. You can say whatever you want. Sorta.)
This was a very compelling and absorbing book. It was hard to put down once you started reading! I loved the way the separate threads of the plot all tied together, and I really cared about the characters. I think this is a book that you could read over and over and still enjoy. It’s one of my favorites this year!
I thought this book took a long time to read. Even at the peak of its action, it didn’t go fast and i didn’t feel the need to read and read and read. I love the author, but i don’t think this book will be flying off the shelves.
This is a really stunning, thought-provoking book. It takes a while to get going, and never really has a fast pace, but it’s not meant to be something that you read all at once. The characters were so complex and it dealt with issues that must have been absolutely terrible to face. I won’t spoil them, but just imagine how you would have felt if you were the sister. This is absolutely going to be in my top 6, if not my top 3.
During our First Top 3 Vote this year, the following comments were made about this book:
“I can picture it perfectly. It is almost poetic the way it is written.”
“Very thought-provoking book. I felt as if I could have no idea how the characters felt, but was in their shoes at the same time… a really stunning book.”
“The writing style was beautiful and the themes were very well developed.”
Loved it until the straw broke the camels back as it were. The scene where Henry sees the etching of his house in the museum in Millinocket was one coincedense too much … loved it but please in New England that print would have been in the local historical society for sure.