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Leepike Ridge
Thomas Hammond has always lived next to Leepike Ridge, but he never imagined he might end up lost beneath it! The night Tom’s schoolteacher comes to dinner and asks Tom’s mother to marry him, Tom slips out of the house and escapes down a nearby stream on a floating slab of packing foam. The night and stars lull Tom to sleep, and when he wakes, he has ridden his foam raft all the way to the ridge, where the stream dives underground. Flung over rapids and tossed through chasms, Tom finally hits shore, sore but alive. What Tom finds under Leepike Ridge—a dog, a flashlight, a castaway, a tomb, and buried treasure—will answer questions he hadn’t known to ask, and change his life forever. Now, if only he can find his way home again. . . .
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First published May 22, 2007
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September 6, 2007
I am a traitor to my sex. I must be. All evidence clearly points in that direction. If 2007 is remembered as anything, for me it will be the year of Boy Books That I Adored While My Female Friends Slowly Shook Their Heads. First I fell head-over-heels gaga for Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Girls didn't always get the jokes. Then Atherton #1: The House of Power struck me as particularly fun. Blank stares from my female co-workers. Now I've read "Leepike Ridge" and if I am not physically shoving this book down your throat it is only because I have faith that this THIS book must surely be the exciting boy-centered tale that's going to win over mutual genders. It's got archaeology... and sheer death-defying, nail-biting survival! There's a practical tale of a boy finding a new father figure... and evil villains who will kill any man foolish enough to stand between them and TREASURE! Add in the fact that the writing itself is remarkably good (I used an unprecedented six colored tabs on cool sentences in the first chapter alone), the plot riveting, and the book itself a kind of Hatchet meets Holes and you've got yourself one heckuva debut novel, my friend. Boys, girls, small genderless rocks, EVERYONE should love and appreciate this book. And if I hear anyone so much as yawn in its direction, heads are gonna roll.
Things could be better. Two years ago Thomas Hammond's father died in a plane crash and since that time the boy and his mother have lived quite simply in their weirdo home on top of a rock. Now Elizabeth, Tom's mom, is looking like she might marry the dweeby schoolteacher, Jeffrey, who's been courting her and her son is not pleased with the situation. In a fit of pique Tom finds a bit of styrofoam packing material and proceeds to lazily ride it down the local stream. Then he falls asleep and before he knows it the foam is sucked into a series of underground caverns with Tom just barely clinging to his life. And then, THEN he finds himself stuck in a world where there is no escape, no light, no food, and no comfort. As Tom finds two unlikely allies in his new prison, Elizabeth remains certain that her boy is alive and finds herself facing a crew of men intent upon locating the treasure they're so very certain lies wherever Tom might be.
Let's talk writing. Wilson's slick, you know. The kind of author who can get away with introducing his hero's age by writing something like, "Tom had traveled around the sun eleven times when the delivery truck brought his mother's newest fridge..." That takes guts. Anyone can write, "Tome was eleven" but "Tom had traveled around the sun eleven times"???
Basically what we're dealing with is an adventure novel with a soul. It's easy enough to look at this book with a clear man vs. nature eye, but there are other elements at work here. Being buried underground only to reemerge through your parents' bed, for example. Well that's just rife with the kind of psychoanalytic stuff teachers just go goofy for. I suppose I could work myself up and write a paper on how this book melds myth and action and creates something that's both new and familiar, but I'll leave that to our future scholars, if you don't mind.
It's fun to compare academic adults in kidlit. When E.L. Konigsburg does it, for example, it feels like she'd much rather be talking to the over-21 set anyway. Yet when Wilson does it, it feels just that he isn't talking down to kids but at them as equals. There's a difference. This book is that difference. There's always going to be a debate over whether or not kids are going to read such n' such a book if it's "good". I like to think that "Leepike Ridge" has enough guts and gore and great writing and smart characterizations to attract ALL kinds of readers, no matter who they might be. This one is worth holding onto.
Things could be better. Two years ago Thomas Hammond's father died in a plane crash and since that time the boy and his mother have lived quite simply in their weirdo home on top of a rock. Now Elizabeth, Tom's mom, is looking like she might marry the dweeby schoolteacher, Jeffrey, who's been courting her and her son is not pleased with the situation. In a fit of pique Tom finds a bit of styrofoam packing material and proceeds to lazily ride it down the local stream. Then he falls asleep and before he knows it the foam is sucked into a series of underground caverns with Tom just barely clinging to his life. And then, THEN he finds himself stuck in a world where there is no escape, no light, no food, and no comfort. As Tom finds two unlikely allies in his new prison, Elizabeth remains certain that her boy is alive and finds herself facing a crew of men intent upon locating the treasure they're so very certain lies wherever Tom might be.
Let's talk writing. Wilson's slick, you know. The kind of author who can get away with introducing his hero's age by writing something like, "Tom had traveled around the sun eleven times when the delivery truck brought his mother's newest fridge..." That takes guts. Anyone can write, "Tome was eleven" but "Tom had traveled around the sun eleven times"???
Basically what we're dealing with is an adventure novel with a soul. It's easy enough to look at this book with a clear man vs. nature eye, but there are other elements at work here. Being buried underground only to reemerge through your parents' bed, for example. Well that's just rife with the kind of psychoanalytic stuff teachers just go goofy for. I suppose I could work myself up and write a paper on how this book melds myth and action and creates something that's both new and familiar, but I'll leave that to our future scholars, if you don't mind.
It's fun to compare academic adults in kidlit. When E.L. Konigsburg does it, for example, it feels like she'd much rather be talking to the over-21 set anyway. Yet when Wilson does it, it feels just that he isn't talking down to kids but at them as equals. There's a difference. This book is that difference. There's always going to be a debate over whether or not kids are going to read such n' such a book if it's "good". I like to think that "Leepike Ridge" has enough guts and gore and great writing and smart characterizations to attract ALL kinds of readers, no matter who they might be. This one is worth holding onto.
November 8, 2018
So very good.... I will read this again for sure!
"Every breath, every smell, and the laughter of faraway insects, every bit of the world's dance greeted him at once, and the noise overwhelmed him. From the rippling green and the lazy willows beneath them to the blue kingdom and its cloud herds above, all the world rose up, stood on its head, and crushed his soul with joy."
"Every breath, every smell, and the laughter of faraway insects, every bit of the world's dance greeted him at once, and the noise overwhelmed him. From the rippling green and the lazy willows beneath them to the blue kingdom and its cloud herds above, all the world rose up, stood on its head, and crushed his soul with joy."
January 15, 2009
Nate does great work.
April 30, 2016
Just read again after a number of years. Really fun.
May 30, 2022
A mixture of The Odyssey, Tom Sawyer, and Robinson Crusoe. Doug Wilson's review is here (Father Hunger). Wikipedia page. Seen on a dollhouse box. Mentioned in WORLD here, here (interview), and here (interview). I took it to Mexico.
Characters
Thomas Hammond (protagonist)
Elizabeth Hammond (mother)
Jeffrey Veach (first suitor)
Cy (eyepatch [p. 52]; cyclops)
twins
Phil Leiodes (second suitor)
Pook (airfield guy)
Big Lotus (Louis Tuscanoli)
Sirens (Roger—cop)
Theodore Dolius Hammond (father)
Reginald Ulysses Fisher (cf. Fisher King; Odysseus)
Jerry (dead caver with pictures [p. 107])
Jeb (dead body in caves [p. 111])
Leonard (from Smithsonian [p. 220])
Ch. 1: Time (Once Upon A)
1: issue of place (far, far away)
2: in medias res; "Tom had traveled around the sun eleven times" (place/spatial imagery)
3: father gone for 3 years; know someone better after a story; 3 houses
5: Jeffrey mentioned
6: "willow worlds" (name of NDW's short story in Wingfeather Tales); foam in tree is out of place (like Jeffrey in his home)
7: Jeffrey comes for dinner (4th grade teacher [p. 9])
9: it's Friday, and storms are coming Sunday or Monday
11: playing war; embarrassment and anger
15: summertime (p. 36)
16: into the first night
Ch. 2: Voyage
19: worlds of flame—stars (place)
21–22: Cy and Pook (p. 51)
23: Tom calms when he realizes he'll die; "life: one breath at a time"
25: Day 2 begins (Saturday)
Ch. 3: The Mountain's Belly
30: dead man
31: ring, bag with supplies (including sardines)
[place: high above ground—house; underground and under water; willow worlds; star worlds; sent into afterlife early (p. 20)]
36: end of Day 2 (Saturday)
37: Nestor (early in Odyssey)
Ch. 4: The Second Suitor
39: paper next day (Sunday—Day 3)
40: church on Sunday
42: 5 weeks until school (late June or early July)
43: Phil Leiodes (lost his brother when little)
44: Nestor calls Phil a trespassing treasure grubber
46–47: dog Argus (Gus) has been down before—Nestor throws an apple in river and Gus goes under
49: bowling alley basement meeting
50–51: twins, cop (Sirens), Big Lotus, Pook, Cy
52: treasure hunting
Ch. 5: Dark Encounter
55–57: dream
59: time slows and stops
64: "dust to dust"
Ch. 6: Sky Water (rain)
66: "Hope was not something her visitors were equipped to handle"
Ch. 7: King Fisher (Reg Fisher—Fisher King)
78: near-death experience; already but "not yet"
79: "just barely on the right side of life"
80: Reg says the cave is very old (carvings, columns); Reg has been there for 3+ years
84: storytelling
85: more carvings
90: baseball—phrase reminds Tom of his dad
91: ancient bowls; treasure/fame; dead man; hard to want to stay alive (cf. p. 53)
93: Tom starts telling his story
96: hope (see p. 66)
98: Tom refuses to stay (cf. p. 84); references to community and Catholic churches
99: storm coming
Ch. 8: Infestation (suitors' home invasion)
101: Monday morning (Day 4); an almost sense of beauty
102: going to Hell for robbing a widow
103: stole letters of Ted's (from Reg)—one from the time of Ted's death (both mention treasure)
104: alternate history; ancient carvings
105: origin of carvings: Welsh, Norse, Phoenician, Chinese
106: "murder will out"
107: Jerry (p. 104)
108: cop called Sirens because of siren on car
108–9: Reg became a professor at UPenn, but was fired; father at Smithsonian—more alternative history
110–11: Ted had found an entrance to caves
111: man that Tom found was Jeb
113: Jeb found the beach/coast (p. 111)
114: hope opens Elizabeth's eyes (cf. p. 96)
116: suitors invade ("Infestation")
Ch. 9: Reginald Spins His (...tale)
122: ancient water clocks
123: ring that Jeb had (p. 31) was stolen—Reg knew the owner (Ted); treasure room and cemetery room [place]
125: Reg stopped rationing 5 months ago—planned to run out and head for the ocean
126: Reg's story reserved for cemetery room [place]
127: more Phoenicia/China: script and boat carvings
127–28: Ps. 23
128: Reg knew Ted—buried him in the cemetery room (p. 129)
129: Pook's airfield; Tom/Elizabeth had been lied to regarding Ted's death (explosion)
130: Ted's epitaph: "In the ground, the best seed is never wasted."
130: 4 burial mounds of rock [1: buried by old man; 2: old man; 3: Ted; 4: murderer]
131: beginning of Reg's story; mountain house was Tom's grandfather
133: more about Pook; detonation that killed Ted; "the world ended"
134: "bastards"; Phil tried to kill Reg/Ted
135: whom did Reg kill?—see p. 49 (missing/dead members) and p. 136 (buried)
136: Reg found an old man (dead) with a light—old man had already buried someone
137: plan to get out tomorrow (Tuesday?) morning; Reg's killing is not murder (two kinds of killing on the "tombstone"); Reg warns against revenge, but promises justice
138: Reg's middle name is Ulysses; "Will grow in sunlight"—epitaph for Reg's grave; "darkness with a story"
Ch. 10: Diving for Sunshine
138/39: Tuesday?
139: Ted isn't trapped in the cave, only his bones [place]
140: breeze/goosebumps
141: real life; Reg won't miss another sunrise; Reg's girl's shirt with "Summer God-girl" on it —> Reg: "I'll advertise it as having been found at the gates of Hell" (for more than one reason)
142: Tom doesn't want treasure; Reg thinks there's lots, but doesn't want certain people to get it
147: Phoenicia
147–48: dread vs. hope (p. 114)
Ch. 11: Circumspected
159: Elizabeth says she wasn't trying to kill herself; Nestor saves Elizabeth
160–61: Nestor encourages Elizabeth that Tom is trying hard
162: Nestor's chariot
163: Nestor offers help
164–71: suitors get pushy
169: Lotus asks Elizabeth about the bed—Ted didn't build it
171: suitors get violent: Jeffrey bloodied, Elizabeth tied up
Ch. 12: 'Dads and Jam
184: ancient statues/carvings; probably a tomb
185: academics will be upset; Asia/Phoenicia
186: land bridge from Russia to Alaska; ancient sailing explorers; Reg thinks "a lot of Native Americans descended from deteriorated and failed colonies established by ancient explorers who really did discover the place" [This seems related.]
187: Evolution means that newer is better (sarcasm)
189: Tom might cry like a baby upon exiting
197: burial tomb
198: sarcophagus; reference to bed posts
200: stairs lead up
202: storm cellar; headlamp dies just before finding matches
Ch. 13: Easter
206: Phil's dragon tattoo is Chinese
207: Elizabeth hears something pop under the bed
213: Reg can't see (see p. 215)
215: Reg forces himself to look into the light, just like he did with Phil 3 years ago (p. 134)
216: Argus shot by Phil; Phil shot by Reg; Nestor comes to help
217: house full of sirens
218: that last paragraph (about Reg) gets me every time
Ch. 14: Crazy Berry
219: another fridge (still in medias res—p. 2); Reg says more treasure above ground than below; Phil becomes treasure (yellow diamond), but not much
220: Kara and I were flying out of Mexico when I read about Veach drinking Mexican water; Leonard and Reg's father from the Smithsonian
221: Reg wants to leave sarcophagus in its place; Leonard mentions Admiral Cheng and Fu Hsi (tamer of animals)—issue of rewriting American history [See Gavin Menzies's 1421 (pub. 5 years before Leepike), and see here.]
222: world like a firework, but different—not anti-climactic or depressing
224: first treasure taken out is people (p. 221)
Author's Note
227–28: pattern of discovering ancient civilizations
Characters
Thomas Hammond (protagonist)
Elizabeth Hammond (mother)
Jeffrey Veach (first suitor)
Cy (eyepatch [p. 52]; cyclops)
twins
Phil Leiodes (second suitor)
Pook (airfield guy)
Big Lotus (Louis Tuscanoli)
Sirens (Roger—cop)
Theodore Dolius Hammond (father)
Reginald Ulysses Fisher (cf. Fisher King; Odysseus)
Jerry (dead caver with pictures [p. 107])
Jeb (dead body in caves [p. 111])
Leonard (from Smithsonian [p. 220])
Ch. 1: Time (Once Upon A)
1: issue of place (far, far away)
2: in medias res; "Tom had traveled around the sun eleven times" (place/spatial imagery)
3: father gone for 3 years; know someone better after a story; 3 houses
5: Jeffrey mentioned
6: "willow worlds" (name of NDW's short story in Wingfeather Tales); foam in tree is out of place (like Jeffrey in his home)
7: Jeffrey comes for dinner (4th grade teacher [p. 9])
9: it's Friday, and storms are coming Sunday or Monday
11: playing war; embarrassment and anger
15: summertime (p. 36)
16: into the first night
Ch. 2: Voyage
19: worlds of flame—stars (place)
21–22: Cy and Pook (p. 51)
23: Tom calms when he realizes he'll die; "life: one breath at a time"
25: Day 2 begins (Saturday)
Ch. 3: The Mountain's Belly
30: dead man
31: ring, bag with supplies (including sardines)
[place: high above ground—house; underground and under water; willow worlds; star worlds; sent into afterlife early (p. 20)]
36: end of Day 2 (Saturday)
37: Nestor (early in Odyssey)
Ch. 4: The Second Suitor
39: paper next day (Sunday—Day 3)
40: church on Sunday
42: 5 weeks until school (late June or early July)
43: Phil Leiodes (lost his brother when little)
44: Nestor calls Phil a trespassing treasure grubber
46–47: dog Argus (Gus) has been down before—Nestor throws an apple in river and Gus goes under
49: bowling alley basement meeting
50–51: twins, cop (Sirens), Big Lotus, Pook, Cy
52: treasure hunting
Ch. 5: Dark Encounter
55–57: dream
59: time slows and stops
64: "dust to dust"
Ch. 6: Sky Water (rain)
66: "Hope was not something her visitors were equipped to handle"
Ch. 7: King Fisher (Reg Fisher—Fisher King)
78: near-death experience; already but "not yet"
79: "just barely on the right side of life"
80: Reg says the cave is very old (carvings, columns); Reg has been there for 3+ years
84: storytelling
85: more carvings
90: baseball—phrase reminds Tom of his dad
91: ancient bowls; treasure/fame; dead man; hard to want to stay alive (cf. p. 53)
93: Tom starts telling his story
96: hope (see p. 66)
98: Tom refuses to stay (cf. p. 84); references to community and Catholic churches
99: storm coming
Ch. 8: Infestation (suitors' home invasion)
101: Monday morning (Day 4); an almost sense of beauty
102: going to Hell for robbing a widow
103: stole letters of Ted's (from Reg)—one from the time of Ted's death (both mention treasure)
104: alternate history; ancient carvings
105: origin of carvings: Welsh, Norse, Phoenician, Chinese
106: "murder will out"
107: Jerry (p. 104)
108: cop called Sirens because of siren on car
108–9: Reg became a professor at UPenn, but was fired; father at Smithsonian—more alternative history
110–11: Ted had found an entrance to caves
111: man that Tom found was Jeb
113: Jeb found the beach/coast (p. 111)
114: hope opens Elizabeth's eyes (cf. p. 96)
116: suitors invade ("Infestation")
Ch. 9: Reginald Spins His (...tale)
122: ancient water clocks
123: ring that Jeb had (p. 31) was stolen—Reg knew the owner (Ted); treasure room and cemetery room [place]
125: Reg stopped rationing 5 months ago—planned to run out and head for the ocean
126: Reg's story reserved for cemetery room [place]
127: more Phoenicia/China: script and boat carvings
127–28: Ps. 23
128: Reg knew Ted—buried him in the cemetery room (p. 129)
129: Pook's airfield; Tom/Elizabeth had been lied to regarding Ted's death (explosion)
130: Ted's epitaph: "In the ground, the best seed is never wasted."
130: 4 burial mounds of rock [1: buried by old man; 2: old man; 3: Ted; 4: murderer]
131: beginning of Reg's story; mountain house was Tom's grandfather
133: more about Pook; detonation that killed Ted; "the world ended"
134: "bastards"; Phil tried to kill Reg/Ted
135: whom did Reg kill?—see p. 49 (missing/dead members) and p. 136 (buried)
136: Reg found an old man (dead) with a light—old man had already buried someone
137: plan to get out tomorrow (Tuesday?) morning; Reg's killing is not murder (two kinds of killing on the "tombstone"); Reg warns against revenge, but promises justice
138: Reg's middle name is Ulysses; "Will grow in sunlight"—epitaph for Reg's grave; "darkness with a story"
Ch. 10: Diving for Sunshine
138/39: Tuesday?
139: Ted isn't trapped in the cave, only his bones [place]
140: breeze/goosebumps
141: real life; Reg won't miss another sunrise; Reg's girl's shirt with "Summer God-girl" on it —> Reg: "I'll advertise it as having been found at the gates of Hell" (for more than one reason)
142: Tom doesn't want treasure; Reg thinks there's lots, but doesn't want certain people to get it
147: Phoenicia
147–48: dread vs. hope (p. 114)
Ch. 11: Circumspected
159: Elizabeth says she wasn't trying to kill herself; Nestor saves Elizabeth
160–61: Nestor encourages Elizabeth that Tom is trying hard
162: Nestor's chariot
163: Nestor offers help
164–71: suitors get pushy
169: Lotus asks Elizabeth about the bed—Ted didn't build it
171: suitors get violent: Jeffrey bloodied, Elizabeth tied up
Ch. 12: 'Dads and Jam
184: ancient statues/carvings; probably a tomb
185: academics will be upset; Asia/Phoenicia
186: land bridge from Russia to Alaska; ancient sailing explorers; Reg thinks "a lot of Native Americans descended from deteriorated and failed colonies established by ancient explorers who really did discover the place" [This seems related.]
187: Evolution means that newer is better (sarcasm)
189: Tom might cry like a baby upon exiting
197: burial tomb
198: sarcophagus; reference to bed posts
200: stairs lead up
202: storm cellar; headlamp dies just before finding matches
Ch. 13: Easter
206: Phil's dragon tattoo is Chinese
207: Elizabeth hears something pop under the bed
213: Reg can't see (see p. 215)
215: Reg forces himself to look into the light, just like he did with Phil 3 years ago (p. 134)
216: Argus shot by Phil; Phil shot by Reg; Nestor comes to help
217: house full of sirens
218: that last paragraph (about Reg) gets me every time
Ch. 14: Crazy Berry
219: another fridge (still in medias res—p. 2); Reg says more treasure above ground than below; Phil becomes treasure (yellow diamond), but not much
220: Kara and I were flying out of Mexico when I read about Veach drinking Mexican water; Leonard and Reg's father from the Smithsonian
221: Reg wants to leave sarcophagus in its place; Leonard mentions Admiral Cheng and Fu Hsi (tamer of animals)—issue of rewriting American history [See Gavin Menzies's 1421 (pub. 5 years before Leepike), and see here.]
222: world like a firework, but different—not anti-climactic or depressing
224: first treasure taken out is people (p. 221)
Author's Note
227–28: pattern of discovering ancient civilizations
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 7, 2021
After being completely blown away by Wilson's The Dragon Tooth, my path led me to the library in order to find its sequel. What I found instead was this.
The last time the copy I borrowed was checked out was 2014, and I have no idea why—because this was absolutely amazing. N. D. Wilson's imagination does not cease to confound me. And his writing is just beyond words. I marvel at Wilson's ability to create a world that feels so tangibly real in all its gritty detail. Wilson also does a great job of revealing things as they unfold and foreshadowing what is to be revealed. It makes his writing so interesting to read (and me a bit jealous, but I digress).
For those of you who don't know, this is a book about a boy who accidentally finds a way under a mountain. He discovers an ancient underground civilization, a man trapped for three years inside, secrets long-forgotten, and terrible wrongs to be put right.
Suffice it to say that the ending is extremely satisfying. I'll leave it at that, lest I give anything away.
I returned to the library a couple days after I returned this book to retrieve it for my sister to read. They were going to get rid of it because it hadn't been borrowed in such a long time, so they gave it to me.
Happy endings all around.
The last time the copy I borrowed was checked out was 2014, and I have no idea why—because this was absolutely amazing. N. D. Wilson's imagination does not cease to confound me. And his writing is just beyond words. I marvel at Wilson's ability to create a world that feels so tangibly real in all its gritty detail. Wilson also does a great job of revealing things as they unfold and foreshadowing what is to be revealed. It makes his writing so interesting to read (and me a bit jealous, but I digress).
For those of you who don't know, this is a book about a boy who accidentally finds a way under a mountain. He discovers an ancient underground civilization, a man trapped for three years inside, secrets long-forgotten, and terrible wrongs to be put right.
Suffice it to say that the ending is extremely satisfying. I'll leave it at that, lest I give anything away.
I returned to the library a couple days after I returned this book to retrieve it for my sister to read. They were going to get rid of it because it hadn't been borrowed in such a long time, so they gave it to me.
Happy endings all around.
May 12, 2018
this was great definitly different but i feel like you could relate better to this character than other for example sam has snake arms cyrus has a snake and the solomon keys henry crawls through cupboards but toms pretty normal. also blegh stupid jeffery no one likes you lol also uder the bed who would have thunk overall i loved it, it was better than outlaws but it wasnt as good as some of the others
February 15, 2018
I’ve always loved this book and known that it draws heavily from the Odyssey so now that I’ve actually read the Odyssey, I was able to not just appreciate the cool story but also all the parallels and plot points and understand where this story came from. Really a fun read!
July 1, 2024
A good adventure romp. I hope my boys are like Tom, and my girls are grossed out by all the Jefferies they meet. Gus was the best of dogs. There is indeed more treasure up here than down anywhere. Should I chain my house down?
November 30, 2017
Honestly, I don't just give Nate Wilson's books all 5 stars.
Okay, maybe I do but not by default. They just all earn every single star.
Leepike Ridge rushed into my life on a slab of Styrofoam and whisked me into the current. I hadn't been reading much (due to being stuck in the middle of a less-than-favorite book and late nights of college study) but Leepike wouldn't be put down. The characters were quaint but real. The setting was vivid. The tension built and built as Wilson masterfully executed a couple of villain POV chapters which ratcheted up the stakes drastically. Plus, in between Ridge's covers rests one of my new favorite scenes in literature: a masterfully crafted chapter where no line of dialogue means what it says. The brilliant irony of dialogue is real in this book.
In the end, this book grabbed me, pulled me under, and left me gasping for breath right along with Tom and the rest of the cast. Five stars for that.
Okay, maybe I do but not by default. They just all earn every single star.
Leepike Ridge rushed into my life on a slab of Styrofoam and whisked me into the current. I hadn't been reading much (due to being stuck in the middle of a less-than-favorite book and late nights of college study) but Leepike wouldn't be put down. The characters were quaint but real. The setting was vivid. The tension built and built as Wilson masterfully executed a couple of villain POV chapters which ratcheted up the stakes drastically. Plus, in between Ridge's covers rests one of my new favorite scenes in literature: a masterfully crafted chapter where no line of dialogue means what it says. The brilliant irony of dialogue is real in this book.
In the end, this book grabbed me, pulled me under, and left me gasping for breath right along with Tom and the rest of the cast. Five stars for that.
July 6, 2022
“Elizabeth was not liking this man’s face. It was a face deciding what to say and how to say it, and the truth didn’t look as if it was a factor in the decision making. And it was fleshy.”
A bit of a palate cleanser. N. D. Wilson basically wrote Homer’s Odyssey for kids and it is really fun. The allusions to the ancient epic made me smile (and encouraged me that I haven’t forgotten everything I studied). Recommend for kids and families and the kids-at-heart.
A bit of a palate cleanser. N. D. Wilson basically wrote Homer’s Odyssey for kids and it is really fun. The allusions to the ancient epic made me smile (and encouraged me that I haven’t forgotten everything I studied). Recommend for kids and families and the kids-at-heart.
November 14, 2008
I read a review that made comparisons between this book and Louis Sachar's Holes. This kind of comparison always makes me skeptical. "We'll just see about that," I thought. I read it. I saw. And I get it now. This one is worthy of that comparison -- and then some. And this book will definitely appeal to fans of Holes.
Leepike Ridge is a book for every kid (and every grown kid) who played in refrigerator boxes, caught critters in the woods, and floated down creeks on homemade rafts. It's a fantastic story with a grand adventure, a heroic boy, bad guys that you love to hate, a loyal dog, and a hidden treasure. The fact that it's beautifully written with magical, transporting descriptions is gravy.
If you know and like a boy between the ages of, let's say 9 and 13, Leepike Ridge would make a fantastic gift!
Leepike Ridge is a book for every kid (and every grown kid) who played in refrigerator boxes, caught critters in the woods, and floated down creeks on homemade rafts. It's a fantastic story with a grand adventure, a heroic boy, bad guys that you love to hate, a loyal dog, and a hidden treasure. The fact that it's beautifully written with magical, transporting descriptions is gravy.
If you know and like a boy between the ages of, let's say 9 and 13, Leepike Ridge would make a fantastic gift!
December 22, 2017
This book was an adventure and I rather enjoyed it.
August 10, 2023
In the cover of the book there’s a little note from 12-year-old Maddie that says, “Good book.” It still holds up fifteen years later. This book is responsible for my fear of caves. It’s creepy and gritty, but in a good way. My boys are going to love it in a couple of years.
December 3, 2007
This book starts out with a familiar "my mom is dating a man I don't like" kind of scene. But there is a twist. For example, there is a hint that the house that Tom and his mother live in is really different - it is chained to the top of a rock and experiences frequent power surges that cause appliances to fizzle. But the twist that grabbed me was the writing. The descriptions were beautifully written. The author can really write a good sentence.
Then comes another grabber. Tom, in trying to retrieve a large piece of packing foam from the stream near his house, takes a notion to use it for a raft for a while. In the middle of the night. And he falls asleep. He wakes up as the raft gets sucked into a strong current and he struggles in the water until he finds himself in an underground cavern.
Wow. I didn't want to put it down at this point, but I had to. And when I picked it up, I didn't put it down again until I finished it. The characters, including Tom's mother, are very real. The bad guys are suitably creepy, but the "good" guys have their secrets as well. The action is well paced and the ending is a stunner.
This would be great for boys, but I think girls would love this too. I can see this will be on many state book award lists next year.
Then comes another grabber. Tom, in trying to retrieve a large piece of packing foam from the stream near his house, takes a notion to use it for a raft for a while. In the middle of the night. And he falls asleep. He wakes up as the raft gets sucked into a strong current and he struggles in the water until he finds himself in an underground cavern.
Wow. I didn't want to put it down at this point, but I had to. And when I picked it up, I didn't put it down again until I finished it. The characters, including Tom's mother, are very real. The bad guys are suitably creepy, but the "good" guys have their secrets as well. The action is well paced and the ending is a stunner.
This would be great for boys, but I think girls would love this too. I can see this will be on many state book award lists next year.
November 12, 2007
For some reason, I thought this book was fantasy before I started reading it. I don't know where I got that idea. It's not fantasy.
Young Tom Hammond was just playing with the giant foam piece from the refrigerator box. He was playing with it outside because he wanted to get away from his mom's new boyfriend. He didn't mean to fall asleep on top of it and float down the creek. And he certainly didn't mean to get sucked underneath the mountain and trapped in an underground cave. But now Tom is stuck with no food, no light, and no hope of escape. Although everyone up top thinks Tom is dead, Tom's mother believes that he's alive. And unfortunately a band of treasure-hunting bad guys are worried that Tom might beat them to an underground treasure. If Tom can survive the dark and the wet, he just might find the treasure. He also might find out what really happened to his father. But first, he'll have to find his way out from under Leepike Ridge.
I enjoyed this engrossing underground adventure story with a host of quirky characters.
Young Tom Hammond was just playing with the giant foam piece from the refrigerator box. He was playing with it outside because he wanted to get away from his mom's new boyfriend. He didn't mean to fall asleep on top of it and float down the creek. And he certainly didn't mean to get sucked underneath the mountain and trapped in an underground cave. But now Tom is stuck with no food, no light, and no hope of escape. Although everyone up top thinks Tom is dead, Tom's mother believes that he's alive. And unfortunately a band of treasure-hunting bad guys are worried that Tom might beat them to an underground treasure. If Tom can survive the dark and the wet, he just might find the treasure. He also might find out what really happened to his father. But first, he'll have to find his way out from under Leepike Ridge.
I enjoyed this engrossing underground adventure story with a host of quirky characters.
February 16, 2009
Everyone who reads this book LOVES it. It is part Huckelberry Finn, part Hatchet, part David Copperfield, and part 'The Parent Trap'. Many teachers and librarians are calling this book one of the best books written this year.
April 27, 2017
Wow, what a great read! This is a really fun adventure story in the vein of Tom Sawyer and Treasure Island. Wilson does a great job of making you turn the pages. I highly recommend this one for both kids and adults.
August 31, 2007
60+ pages seems like giving this book a fair shot, but it just didn't grab me. So many people love it, though, that I'll have to try it again later.
September 17, 2018
Written in two weeks by my friend and boss. A very fun book. The character of Reginald is basically my Great Uncle David, and that made this book a blast. Fun references to the Odyssey, Tom Sawyer, and anti-modern-archaeology scattered throughout. But Reginald's irrepressible cheerfulness and talking-to-himself is the best thing about the book. You should read it.
April 12, 2021
blast from the PAST #3
April 17, 2008
This is a very different sort of adventure story. A 12-year-old boy named Tom, disgruntled at his mother's relationship with a man he doesn't like, heads downriver on a raft (really the foam packing from a refrigerator box) and ends up under a mountain and utterly trapped, along with a corpse, a dog, and - eventually - a man who had been similiarly trapped for over 3 years. There are gritty details - nefarious "treasure-hunters," a plucky mom, a three-legged dog, and plenty of real danger - but what sets this book apart from other adventure/survival stories are the small details. The dialogue has a slightly different edge to it that snags the attention, the adults are as fully formed and unique as Tom, and ALL the dogs have personalities that are perfectly drawn with just an offhand sentence or two. It isn't perfect - there are odd plot stops and starts and not everything is explained satisfactorily - but it's a damn good story.
October 22, 2007
A great read for what otherwise would have been a miserable day in bed with nasty cold. I love adventure survival stories and was often reminded today of stories I enjoyed long ago (Hatchet, Julie of the Wolves, I know there are others...).
To my delight, this one also added the mystery of archaeological treasure. Had I read this before all those archaeology classes in college, I probably would have given it another star. As much as I wanted to for the sake of the story, I just couldn't believe in the hall of carved stone animals or the cuneiform tablets. Correct me if I'm wrong, but my understanding is that these are not consistent with findings in American Archaeology.
To my delight, this one also added the mystery of archaeological treasure. Had I read this before all those archaeology classes in college, I probably would have given it another star. As much as I wanted to for the sake of the story, I just couldn't believe in the hall of carved stone animals or the cuneiform tablets. Correct me if I'm wrong, but my understanding is that these are not consistent with findings in American Archaeology.
September 9, 2011
A well written adventure story in the tradition of King Solomon's Mines, Holes, and My Side of the Mountain. Adventure and depth and good writing, oh my! This was a fun one -- but it had some more complex family/grief issues, and definitely kept the pages turning. The only thing that bugged me a little was that the descriptions were kinda hard to follow -- for example, I had a tricky time trying to imagine exactly how Reg's water clock worked, 'cause the description was a little unclear. Otherwise, this book wins.
July 8, 2023
2023 - the single thing i remembered from this book 3 years ago was "you should look under the bed" and i did instantly just do upon re-finishing this book that but unfortunately under my bed is just a pile of boxes and clothes. cringe and fail i want a cool tunnel system running under my house (not that i AM home right now, but the sentiment still stands). anyway kinda wack and insane that it's been 3.5 years since early '20. banger books as always. dogs? absolutely.
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2020 - short & fun - very Wilson-esque
ANGUSSSSSS
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2020 - short & fun - very Wilson-esque
ANGUSSSSSS
October 9, 2007
A very cool adventure story. I would have liked some illustrations, especially of all those contraptions in the cave. And a map at the end that I could pore over and re-live the journey. But that's me: a visual girl. I want interior illustrations in almost every "chapter" or "middle-grade" book. Where can I sign the petition? Anybody with me on this?
October 13, 2008
A smashing adventure story, about a boy who is carried by the river into a network of caves, deep in the mountains near his home. The plot is riveting, and the writing is top-notch: Rich, descriptive, and poetic, but never so artsy-fartsy that it breaks you out of the narrative. Just perfect writing, really. Highly recommended.
August 20, 2007
One of my ABSOLUTE favorites of the summer! I loved the adventure, the mystery, the way the "bad guys" try to get their way. This would be a great read aloud due to the cliff hangers. Kids will enjoy the twists in the plot. Just when you think you have it figured out, think again!
September 16, 2007
Just finished this amazing book-every time I turned the page I was surprised up until the ending which I never predicted.
Excellent book for thinking, wondering, predicting and just
visualizing what it really would be like to have lived through Tom's experiences.
Excellent book for thinking, wondering, predicting and just
visualizing what it really would be like to have lived through Tom's experiences.
April 29, 2020
I think I'm going on a N.D. Wilson book spree! Next up, 100 Cupboards then Ashtown Burials #4!
I love Leepike Ridge. I listened to it read aloud by Dad back in 2018 and I've read it once or twice since then and picked it up again a couple of days ago.
5 stars. I love this book.
I love Leepike Ridge. I listened to it read aloud by Dad back in 2018 and I've read it once or twice since then and picked it up again a couple of days ago.
5 stars. I love this book.
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