Blind Mountain

by Jane Resh Thomas

Twelve-year-old Sam Flynn would rather be anywhere than high up in the Rockies, trying to get up the courage to leap across a dangerous crevice. His father’s taunts aren’t helping, but Sam is used to them. His dad has been putting him down ever since Sam took up the guitar and started spending most of his free time with the band instead of coming along on hikes.

Sam finally overcomes his fear, jumps the crevice, and rejoins his father. But it isn’t long before a careless move on the boy’s part injures his father and puts them both in danger. With help far away, father and son will have to depend on Sam’s skill and knowledge to get them down the mountain. Night is falling fast, and their food and water are in short supply. As if that weren’t bad enough, Sam has a bad feeling they’re not alone.

By turns suspenseful and poignant, Blind Mountain is a gripping story of survival. It will appeal to all readers who enjoy a blend of well-developed characters and nail-biting action.

117 pages, Hardcover

First published December 18, 2006

About the author

Jane Resh Thomas has written more than a dozen fiction and nonfiction books for young readers, including the highly praised Behind the Mask for Clarion. She lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Reviews

[Victor · Rating 4 out of 5]

12 year old Sam has gone hiking with his father when he accidently blinds his father with a branch.
Sam had taken up guitar and was in a band with some of his close friends but his father was persistent about them hiking together because they had been doing so since Sam was a little kid. In a desperate attempt to get back down they encounter multiple dangers.
The idea of this book is great but the execution could have been better done. We hear very little about the characters past or how he feels which makes it hard to connect to them. Apart from that this is a great book with a great story and Im givving it 4 stars.

[Nova]

The theme of Blind Mountain is survival. Sam Flynn begrudgingly goes back country hiking with his father. This is an activity that Sam and his dad used to enjoy taking part in together; but since Sam turned 12 and began playing guitar in a rock band he doesn’t feel like hiking with his dad. Along with being uninterested in nature, Sam resents the way his father pushes him to be tough all the time. During the hike, carelessness on Sam’s part results in Sam’s father being temporarily blinded. Now it is up to Sam to get his father back home safely. Sam must create an emergency camp, start the fire, defend them from a cougar attack, and find a way to safely navigate them home. Despite the dangerous conditions, Sam and his father begin to find common ground and learn to rely on each other again.
Blind Mountain is written for children in third through sixth grade. The best thing about this book is that it is very accessible regarding reading level and complexity. This would be a great book for reluctant boy readers who are struggling to find something to read. The reviewer from Kirkus Reviews wrote that Blind Mountain is great for students that are just beginning to read books from the adventure and survivalist genre that “aren’t quite ready for Gary Paulsen yet”. While this fictional novel is mostly for entertainment, it does contain some real information about surviving in the wilderness. I don’t think that the author does enough with character development or that the plot contains enough story elements to use for whole group instruction, but I could see it being used for a small reading group of hard to motivate male readers. I think the real value of Blind Mountain is to introduce the adventure and survivalist genre to students, who will some day become readers of the more sophisticated Will Hobs and Gary Paulsen.
I was actually expecting a higher degree of suspense from this story. I am familiar with novels from this genre and was expecting the characters to go through a bit more struggle. This was a very short book and while I do appreciate that the author was trying to write for the reading level of her audience, it seemed almost like she could have put more effort into the plot. This book was well reviewed by professional reviewers, but I thought the book was a little flat.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is another book I have read aloud to my boys. We enjoyed the action packed story of a Father and Son fighting not only to get down off a mountain but for recognition of who they are. However I gave the book 3 stars because I felt like there was no beginning and really no end to the story. When the story begins you are already on the mountain and have no character knowledge until halfway through first chapter. The ending is also very vague and a little disappointing. The middle (which I consider the whole book) was full of action and suspense. Which was very enjoyable.

[Abby Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

12-year-old Sam does Not want to be hiking with his overbearing father. His dad seems to criticize everything he does and Sam would much rather be practicing with his band. When Sam accidentally lets a pine branch swing back and hit his father in the eyes, Sam must take responsibility and lead his father back down the mountain.

A fast-paced survival adventure story, the action in this book starts at the very beginning and doesn't let up until the very end. Suggest for reluctant readers.

[Lis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was short and fun. It was a pleasant read and it was very realistic in the way that the characters acted. I enjoyed it, except for the end, which was far too abrupt for my liking. It also had some nice touches of humor and emotional intrigue and it was exciting and tense, at times. It was the perfect blend of excitement and humor. Thomas knows how to keep the reader invovled, but also make her story light and humorous.

[Partridge Public]

Thomas,Jane R.

[Miriam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This survival/adventure book is a quick read that combines father/son conflict with human/nature conflict. For good measure, a heroic dog is added to the mix.

[Tracie Berghaus · Rating 4 out of 5]

This a quick read. Great to get my son reading without requiring a huge commitment. The story is fast paced - short and sweet with realistic dialogue and action.