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Pusiaukelėje į dangų
Dinai dvylika ir ji pirmą kartą bėga iš namų. Ji viską suplanavo: turi žygio batus, pilną kuprinę maisto ir šiltų rūbų, net šiek tiek pinigų. Dinos tikslas – nueiti visą Apalačų Kalnų kelią, tūkstančius kilometrų nuo Džordžijos iki pat Meino. Šis takas – tikra šeimos legenda, mat prieš keturiolika metų čia susitiko Dinos tėvai. O dabar jie skiriasi.
Tačiau Dinos laukia kur kas sudėtingesnė kelionė, nei iš pradžių atrodė. Reikės suprasti ir atrasti labai daug – ir Dinai, ir jos mamai, ir joms abiem drauge.
Amerikiečių autorė Kimberly Brubaker Bradley (g. 1967 m.) skaitytojams jau pažįstama iš knygų „Karas, išgelbėjęs mano gyvenimą" bei „Karas, kurį galiausiai laimėjau". Rašytoja drauge su šeima gyvena Apalačų kalnų papėdėje, kur augina šunis, kates, ponius, avis ir ožkas. Gyvenimas šalia kalnų įkvėpė parašyti knygą „Pusiaukelėje į dangų". Tai įtraukiantis pasakojimas apie sunkią ir išbandymų pilną kelionę Apalačų Kalnų keliu, suartinančią paauglę Diną su mama. Gamtos grožio, žygio nuotykių ir sudėtingų šeimos dramų pilna knyga skirta vaikams ir paaugliams nuo dešimties metų, tačiau sudomins ir suaugusįjį skaitytoją.
Tačiau Dinos laukia kur kas sudėtingesnė kelionė, nei iš pradžių atrodė. Reikės suprasti ir atrasti labai daug – ir Dinai, ir jos mamai, ir joms abiem drauge.
Amerikiečių autorė Kimberly Brubaker Bradley (g. 1967 m.) skaitytojams jau pažįstama iš knygų „Karas, išgelbėjęs mano gyvenimą" bei „Karas, kurį galiausiai laimėjau". Rašytoja drauge su šeima gyvena Apalačų kalnų papėdėje, kur augina šunis, kates, ponius, avis ir ožkas. Gyvenimas šalia kalnų įkvėpė parašyti knygą „Pusiaukelėje į dangų". Tai įtraukiantis pasakojimas apie sunkią ir išbandymų pilną kelionę Apalačų Kalnų keliu, suartinančią paauglę Diną su mama. Gamtos grožio, žygio nuotykių ir sudėtingų šeimos dramų pilna knyga skirta vaikams ir paaugliams nuo dešimties metų, tačiau sudomins ir suaugusįjį skaitytoją.
200 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2002
36 people are currently reading
878 people want to read
About the author
Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
26 books2,840 followersKimberly Brubaker Bradley's next book, The Night War, will be published April 9, 2024. She is the author of nineteen previous books, including the Newbery Honor winners Fighting Words and The War that Saved My Life. The sequel to the latter, The War I Finally Won, appeared on many state-award and best-books lists and was described as “stunning” by The Washington Post and “honest” and “daring” by The New York Times. She is also the acclaimed author of She Persisted: Rosalind Franklin. Kimberly and her husband have two grown children and live with their dogs, two highly opinionated mares, and a surplus of cats on a fifty-two-acre farm in Bristol, Tennessee. Visit her at kimberlybrubakerbradley.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 136 reviews
March 6, 2019
4-1/2 stars
I wanted to read this because adored this author's two book series The War That Saved My Life and The War I Finally Won. This wasn't quite as amazing but if I weren't comparing it to those books I'd have no problem giving it 5 stars. My 9-12 year old self definitely would.
I’ve always been interested in the Appalachian Trail, and this story made me want to thru-hike it or at least do some other equal hiking challenge. I think had I read this before I turned 50 (and suffered the injuries I did at age 50) and certainly had I read it by my mid-thirties, I’d have tried it.
This is a great story about nature & hiking & challenges, about a mother-daughter relationship, and sibling relationship, etc. relationships. It’s a tale of perserverance and ingenuity.
I got a good feel for the various locales and what it would be like to make this kind of hike. I got a wonderful feel for the camaraderie and these specific characters, their issues, their relationships, etc. I really adored Dani, and also liked many of the other characters.
I loved the map. I always love maps in books. This one is lacking though. Not only is it too basic but when markers are reached by the characters they don’t appear on the map at all. I wish that they had. I was able to get the gist though.
I really appreciated the 2 pages at the end post novel that give some info about some interesting real life characters who've thru-hiked the trail.
I’d love to write more but I still have no way to update or create documents on my computer. I’m posting now to Goodreads and maybe to LibraryThing but will have to wait to update my reviews doc on my computer. I’m getting way too behind with computer work though so I’m posting online at least. I could say so much more but am keeping it short.
P.S. I also love Dani’s mother Susan and Vivi. So much else I could say sans spoilers!
I wanted to read this because adored this author's two book series The War That Saved My Life and The War I Finally Won. This wasn't quite as amazing but if I weren't comparing it to those books I'd have no problem giving it 5 stars. My 9-12 year old self definitely would.
I’ve always been interested in the Appalachian Trail, and this story made me want to thru-hike it or at least do some other equal hiking challenge. I think had I read this before I turned 50 (and suffered the injuries I did at age 50) and certainly had I read it by my mid-thirties, I’d have tried it.
This is a great story about nature & hiking & challenges, about a mother-daughter relationship, and sibling relationship, etc. relationships. It’s a tale of perserverance and ingenuity.
I got a good feel for the various locales and what it would be like to make this kind of hike. I got a wonderful feel for the camaraderie and these specific characters, their issues, their relationships, etc. I really adored Dani, and also liked many of the other characters.
I loved the map. I always love maps in books. This one is lacking though. Not only is it too basic but when markers are reached by the characters they don’t appear on the map at all. I wish that they had. I was able to get the gist though.
I really appreciated the 2 pages at the end post novel that give some info about some interesting real life characters who've thru-hiked the trail.
I’d love to write more but I still have no way to update or create documents on my computer. I’m posting now to Goodreads and maybe to LibraryThing but will have to wait to update my reviews doc on my computer. I’m getting way too behind with computer work though so I’m posting online at least. I could say so much more but am keeping it short.
P.S. I also love Dani’s mother Susan and Vivi. So much else I could say sans spoilers!
March 21, 2019
Katadin runs away. She's having a hard time, she is suffering the loss of a sibling and her relationship with her parents isn't easy and school is tough. She decides to do the Appalachian trail, something her parents did when they first met. We really enjoyed the details of the trail, what a great thing to do and looks like the ideal therapy. The trail looks like a great way to spend some time with a family member and brought back happy memories for me of an attempt I made to walk from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean across the Pyrenees. The parts of the story about hunger were so true, food tastes amazing and you just couldn't get enough. I remember eating some instant pea soup with spaghetti and it was my most memorable meal, the hunger that day was so great! The Appalachian trail was well described, the facts in the story were interesting and the author's afterword provided some other interesting information. You can tell this author has been on the trail and not just researched it!
The parts about the loss of of a loved one were particularly well written about in this book, it made for a very hard read aloud in places. This was also a nice look at a mother/daughter relationship that had become distant and the mum was trying hard to make it better. We would have loved a follow up book to this, hopefully one where they can
The parts about the loss of of a loved one were particularly well written about in this book, it made for a very hard read aloud in places. This was also a nice look at a mother/daughter relationship that had become distant and the mum was trying hard to make it better. We would have loved a follow up book to this, hopefully one where they can
March 11, 2019
Wow! Kimberly Brubaker Bradley's Halfway to the Sky has been a both emotionally draining but in the end also totally uplifting and encouraging reading pleasure (as well as a novel that although I am generally a slow and sometimes actually a trifle plodding reader even with and for books meant for children/teenagers I have managed to read in less than a day or rather in less than one night).
Now part of the reason for my enthusiasm with regard to Halfway to the Sky of course is that I have always been intrigued and fascinated by the Appalachian Trail, and yes, I therefore kind of expected right from when I first read my Goodreads friend Lisa's glowing and enthusiastic review that not only the hiking scenarios (the descriptions and depictions of life on the trail, with the uplifting and encouraging realisation that hikers look out for one another, that lasting friendships are often forged, such as Dani and her mother's close and emotionally sustaining relationship with Vivi and how they all pitch in when Trailhead destroys his knee and needs rescuing) but also and in particular the family story of twelve year old Dani running away from home to hike the full length of the Appalachian Trail to both put order back in her life and escape from her family's myriad of problems and tragedies (both her older brother Springer's recent death from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and her parents' subsequent divorce, including her father's remarriage to a woman whom Dani is determined to despise) would make Halfway to the Sky right up my proverbial reading alley so to speak, although as an older adult, I do indeed think that Dani's original plan is dangerously haphazard and not particularly well planned especially with regard to the time it would take to hike the full length of the Appalachian Trail. And yes, while I do very much understand and appreciate why Dani runs away from home and her often emotional anger at both her mother and her father, personally, I was breathing a very loud sigh of relief when the mother locates Dani and that she then joins Dani on her quest, a quest that basically is not only a hiking adventure but also finally opens up and publicly airs out many long festering family wounds regarding Springer's death, the parents' divorce and indeed that Dani as much as she had loved her muscular dystrophy stricken older brother and desperately misses him also had often and in my opinion totally with justification felt as though her parents and in particular her mother were spending all of their time with and on their son and leaving her feeling emotionally and sometimes also physically abandoned and neglected.
And furthermore and for me very much importantly, I do love how neither Dani nor the parents are shown as perfect, that both Dani and her mother on the trail go through many rough patches with Dani actually often being not all that pleasant and even respectful to her mother and indeed also vice versa, as the mother also is portrayed in Halfway to the Sky with the proverbial warts and all by Kimberley Brusker Bradley, and for that matter so are both the father and his new wife (and even the deceased Springer is not simply portrayed by the author as some unassailable martyr of patient suffering but as a boy who for example never wanted to watch his sister Dani play soccer because it made him angry and upset at his physical challenges and that nothing could be done about his muscular dystrophy). Four stars (as I do find the entire Beagle episode and especially how his connection with and to Dani ends so abruptly and in a rather unfinished manner a bit annoying and as though Kimberly Brubaker Bradley just seems to want him him gone for good and quickly, but still rounded up to five stars as the positives of Halfway to the Sky far outweigh any negatives).
Now part of the reason for my enthusiasm with regard to Halfway to the Sky of course is that I have always been intrigued and fascinated by the Appalachian Trail, and yes, I therefore kind of expected right from when I first read my Goodreads friend Lisa's glowing and enthusiastic review that not only the hiking scenarios (the descriptions and depictions of life on the trail, with the uplifting and encouraging realisation that hikers look out for one another, that lasting friendships are often forged, such as Dani and her mother's close and emotionally sustaining relationship with Vivi and how they all pitch in when Trailhead destroys his knee and needs rescuing) but also and in particular the family story of twelve year old Dani running away from home to hike the full length of the Appalachian Trail to both put order back in her life and escape from her family's myriad of problems and tragedies (both her older brother Springer's recent death from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and her parents' subsequent divorce, including her father's remarriage to a woman whom Dani is determined to despise) would make Halfway to the Sky right up my proverbial reading alley so to speak, although as an older adult, I do indeed think that Dani's original plan is dangerously haphazard and not particularly well planned especially with regard to the time it would take to hike the full length of the Appalachian Trail. And yes, while I do very much understand and appreciate why Dani runs away from home and her often emotional anger at both her mother and her father, personally, I was breathing a very loud sigh of relief when the mother locates Dani and that she then joins Dani on her quest, a quest that basically is not only a hiking adventure but also finally opens up and publicly airs out many long festering family wounds regarding Springer's death, the parents' divorce and indeed that Dani as much as she had loved her muscular dystrophy stricken older brother and desperately misses him also had often and in my opinion totally with justification felt as though her parents and in particular her mother were spending all of their time with and on their son and leaving her feeling emotionally and sometimes also physically abandoned and neglected.
And furthermore and for me very much importantly, I do love how neither Dani nor the parents are shown as perfect, that both Dani and her mother on the trail go through many rough patches with Dani actually often being not all that pleasant and even respectful to her mother and indeed also vice versa, as the mother also is portrayed in Halfway to the Sky with the proverbial warts and all by Kimberley Brusker Bradley, and for that matter so are both the father and his new wife (and even the deceased Springer is not simply portrayed by the author as some unassailable martyr of patient suffering but as a boy who for example never wanted to watch his sister Dani play soccer because it made him angry and upset at his physical challenges and that nothing could be done about his muscular dystrophy). Four stars (as I do find the entire Beagle episode and especially how his connection with and to Dani ends so abruptly and in a rather unfinished manner a bit annoying and as though Kimberly Brubaker Bradley just seems to want him him gone for good and quickly, but still rounded up to five stars as the positives of Halfway to the Sky far outweigh any negatives).
September 14, 2020
Actually I would rate this book 4 1/2 stars. It was a lovely pleasant book about a young 12 yr old girl who is negatively impacted by the death of her brother and the divorce of her parents. So, she decides on going to hike over 2000 miles on the Appalachian Trail.
The resulting experience actually helped her to work through all the incidence of her life and I thoroughly enjoyed that part.
The book very gently handled with feelings and emotions like loss and despair, loneliness, frustration, and ultimately love.
Characters are very well developed and I think easy to associate with –– as they go through their problems.
I highly recommend this book for everyone!
The resulting experience actually helped her to work through all the incidence of her life and I thoroughly enjoyed that part.
The book very gently handled with feelings and emotions like loss and despair, loneliness, frustration, and ultimately love.
Characters are very well developed and I think easy to associate with –– as they go through their problems.
I highly recommend this book for everyone!
July 14, 2022
Kimberly Brubaker Bradley gana garsiai nuskambėjo Lietuvos knygų mylėtojų širdyse savo knyga "Karas, išgelbėjęs mano gyvenimą". Girdėjau ne vieną ir ne du puikius atsiliepimus, tad pasitaikius progai tikrai smalsu buvo susipažinti su autorės kūryba. Leidykla "Nieko rimto" šį norą išpildė.
Tai pasakojimas apie dvylikametę mergaitę Diną, kuri nepaisant savo amžiaus, išgyvena sudėtingus dalykus: brolio mirtį bei tėvų skyrybas. Medžiagos apmąstymams, suprantama, ji turi į valias. Dina pasirenka savotišką būdą kovoti su širdgėla ir reflektuoti savo patirtį - ji leidžiasi į ilgą kelionę Apalačų kalnų keliu. Šis maršrutas gana simboliškas, nes tai vieta, kur susipažino jos tėvai. Neilgai trukus prie jos prisijungia mama. Tai kelionė per savo skausmą, prisiminimus, maištą, mamos ir dukros santykį. Atradimų bus daug.
Reikia, pripažinti, kad viltys buvo itin didelės. Atvirai sakau - iki galo nepasiteisino. Pritrūko gylio ir refleksijos, bet, reikia turėti galvoje, kad tai YA literatūra, tad visai suprantu kodėl nebuvo leistasi ilgais bei painiais apmąstymo koridoriais. Norėjosi daugiau išgirsti ir išjausti mergaitės patiriamą jausmų paletę, kartu su ja bandyti susidėlioti kaip gyventi toliau. Vis tik, jauniesiems skaitytojams, kurie išgyvena tėvų skyrybas arb netektį, ši knyga puiki pirmoji pagalba. Tikiu, kad yra čia ko pasisemti, į ką įsikabinti.
Tai pasakojimas apie dvylikametę mergaitę Diną, kuri nepaisant savo amžiaus, išgyvena sudėtingus dalykus: brolio mirtį bei tėvų skyrybas. Medžiagos apmąstymams, suprantama, ji turi į valias. Dina pasirenka savotišką būdą kovoti su širdgėla ir reflektuoti savo patirtį - ji leidžiasi į ilgą kelionę Apalačų kalnų keliu. Šis maršrutas gana simboliškas, nes tai vieta, kur susipažino jos tėvai. Neilgai trukus prie jos prisijungia mama. Tai kelionė per savo skausmą, prisiminimus, maištą, mamos ir dukros santykį. Atradimų bus daug.
Reikia, pripažinti, kad viltys buvo itin didelės. Atvirai sakau - iki galo nepasiteisino. Pritrūko gylio ir refleksijos, bet, reikia turėti galvoje, kad tai YA literatūra, tad visai suprantu kodėl nebuvo leistasi ilgais bei painiais apmąstymo koridoriais. Norėjosi daugiau išgirsti ir išjausti mergaitės patiriamą jausmų paletę, kartu su ja bandyti susidėlioti kaip gyventi toliau. Vis tik, jauniesiems skaitytojams, kurie išgyvena tėvų skyrybas arb netektį, ši knyga puiki pirmoji pagalba. Tikiu, kad yra čia ko pasisemti, į ką įsikabinti.
May 4, 2020
I've heard of the Appalachian Trail, but only in the past year have I really learned about thru-hikers, from reading the blog of someone who is making plans for it in the future and talks a lot about the accounts of hikers they follow as well as all the pack-preparation and planning it takes. But for all that, I haven't read any firsthand accounts of the actual experience. And even though this is written for younger readers, as an adult, I found it to be a perfect introduction to the concept.
Dani is such an incredible and inspiring 12-year-old that I found myself cheering her on right from the start, despite her naive and thoughtless belief that she could just run away to the trail with a note letting her mom know she'd be gone hiking for six months, and have her parents be fine with it. "Beagle" was fantastic (for a while...), but I loved seeing her mom join her. Mom isn't perfect and they have a lot of issues to work out, but she's channeling some pretty great parenting skills on this trip, and their relationship is wonderful to follow, as are the bonds they form with a few other hikers along the way.
Her home life is a tragic mess and I never really felt good about her parents' divorce situation (which is to say: I would have accepted nothing less than a fairy tale ending), but since that forms her impetus for hiking the trail in the first place, I guess it's a pretty good story element.
Bonus: this is the most a book has motivated me to get my butt out the door and walk since The Year We Were Famous.
Dani is such an incredible and inspiring 12-year-old that I found myself cheering her on right from the start, despite her naive and thoughtless belief that she could just run away to the trail with a note letting her mom know she'd be gone hiking for six months, and have her parents be fine with it. "Beagle" was fantastic (for a while...), but I loved seeing her mom join her. Mom isn't perfect and they have a lot of issues to work out, but she's channeling some pretty great parenting skills on this trip, and their relationship is wonderful to follow, as are the bonds they form with a few other hikers along the way.
Her home life is a tragic mess and I never really felt good about her parents' divorce situation (which is to say: I would have accepted nothing less than a fairy tale ending), but since that forms her impetus for hiking the trail in the first place, I guess it's a pretty good story element.
Bonus: this is the most a book has motivated me to get my butt out the door and walk since The Year We Were Famous.
July 1, 2009
Because of crummy knees (and quite proabably, my ADD!), I’ll never hike the AT (Appalachain Trail), from Georgia to Maine . . . but I like dreaming about it, and this teen novel, set on the trail was great for that. The mother-daughter conflicts were handled in a very believable way, as was the story ending. Another good coming-of-age story.
August 5, 2017
I think Bradley has a real handle on teens, their development and struggles to become themselves separate from their families. Here, she shows us a deeply divided family having suffered a dreadful loss, and one child's response with unexpectedly wonderful ramifications!
I'm on a mission to read all of Bradley's books!
I'm on a mission to read all of Bradley's books!
March 15, 2011
I LOVE this book!!! It is so amazing! It is my favorite book! If I could only have one book to read for the rest of mt life it would be this one. Most Definately. It is on the top of my list for sure! Dani is a character that relates a lot to my friend. When you have a connection like that it makes the whole book worth reading five more times. I am also a through hiker, which is mentioned a lot in this book. Taking this adventure was amazing and definately a life-changing experience. Way to go Kimberly Brubaker Bradley!! You rocked this book.
November 19, 2024
Do not let the very 90’s looking cover dissuade you from picking up this book! I nearly let this one stay to the wayside as I’m working my way back through KBB’d backlog, and I’m so glad I didn’t. This was a fantastic story of grief and healing on the Appalachian Trail. Because of the personal journey that the main character takes along with the solitary feel of hiking, I feel like it’d make a better read alone than read aloud. Highly recommend for older kids and up.
February 12, 2025
Patinka man šios autorės knygos. Vien tai, kaip ji smulkmeniškai bet kartu įtraukiančiai vaizduoja eilines buitines problemas pasikeitus aplinkai - (ne)pažįstami žmonės, oro kaita, drabužiai, maistas, miegas, spalvos, skoniai, kvapai ir pan. O kur dar įdomi istorija, jos psichologiniai aspektai, sunkūs sprendimai, prasmės ir vilties paieškos.
Šįkart lankėmės Apalačų kelyje - patiko. Ir jau intriguoja, kur keliausime su K.B.B. toliau.
Šįkart lankėmės Apalačų kelyje - patiko. Ir jau intriguoja, kur keliausime su K.B.B. toliau.
March 19, 2015
This book is one that I would easily read again. The plot has a surprising depth to it that I didn't expect to find in the children's section of a local library. The initial concept seemed to be about a young girl's decision to hike the Appalachian Trail. The reality is far more complex. It's about family, grief and personal growth hiding under the guise of a simple adventure. I liked that it could be read by anyone. I also liked that everyone was portrayed in ways that explained how they could view themselves as the hero of their own story. I did think Dani's parents were dealing with their grief in ways that hurt their daughter. Once the parents discovered this they took the time to reassure Dani that despite their grieving for Springer they still loved her. I was shocked when I learned that Dani's real reason for hiking the Appalachian Trail. Dani feared that if she didn't start as quickly as possible she'd either be to infirm to do it later or dead. This changed her running away from rebellious to courageous allowing me to connect more with the main character.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 23, 2018
Interesting insight into hiking the AT, although the only stretch I've done -- through Grayson Highlands just north of Damascus -- was tricky and not well-marked. If I lived nearby I would have offered to do trail maintenance because that stretch needs it. An interesting feature of that area is that the herd of wild ponies that roam the park.
Story was okay. Dialog between mom and early teen daughter was believable, although the mom was a good deal more patient with the whining than I might have been. I think pre-teen reader might enjoy this, especially the part about running away from home and arguing parents.
Story was okay. Dialog between mom and early teen daughter was believable, although the mom was a good deal more patient with the whining than I might have been. I think pre-teen reader might enjoy this, especially the part about running away from home and arguing parents.
October 19, 2019
This book is a classic childhood book for me I love the whole story around this in the whole becoming of book I read this in middle school in about 10 years later 12 years later I’m reading it again it’s such a heartwarming book and I love reading it in the fall it’s definitely one that I’ll never be able to physically get rid of the book because it’s just attachment to all the feelings that Dani feels The small adventure that Dani goes on it’s just the beginning of things you learn through life...
October 7, 2009
Really liked it!! I wish I was as fit and active as this girl. She'd be my best friend if she was real. I recommend this book to all who are hikers and can handle sadness. Her mom is amazing, too. It would be so hard to be in a place like her, but she works it all out. I would love to hike the Appalachian Trail! Anyone want to go with me?? It's only about 2175 miles.
December 29, 2023
this book feels like such a fever dream to me. i desperately need to reread it. it left SUCH a strong impression. the only reason i haven't given it 5 stars is because it makes me feel cold and empty (it always did every time i read it, and the mere thought of it still does now, despite the fact that i have forgotten nearly everything), a feeling i do not enjoy. i think it objectively deserves 5 though.
January 1, 2022
A lovely book that was a favourite of mine in highschool. It was emotionally taxing but also very fulfilling. Has an uplifting message & definitely for young readers feeling suffocated in their family turmoil.
April 2, 2021
This book was amazing! It was thrilling and exiting with twits and turns you wouldn’t expect. This is a great book about a girl with a tough life until a hiking trip changes her forever.
Read
April 5, 2024this was one book I randomly remember that I read in maybe 5th grade??
October 3, 2025
Another excellent middle grade offering from an outstanding author. Beautiful story of healing from grief while walking the Appalachian Trail.
September 27, 2024
This was a pre-read for a bookclub selection. I am also working my way through KBB's body of work, because she is amazing. Firstly, the cover isn't doing this book any favors, but the story was good. The spirit of the Appalachian Trail was captured authentically and well. I liked the repairing of the relationship between the mother and daughter. I wish that there was more meat to the story. I also think that there was a missed opportunity for some good descriptive passages highlighting the nature on the trail. A more thorough description of the setting would have helped. They also seemingly didn't encounter any animals in their months on the trail...odd.
May 8, 2024
My all time favorite book! I first read this in grade school and the story has stuck with me all these years.
A story about a young girl who decides to run away to hike the Appalachian trail, which she, Katahdin, and her brother, Springer, are named after.
It is a great book for any age about understanding grief, freedom, perseverance, and just learning about all the great and sad things in life that you just push through. Made me want to add hiking the Appalachian trail to my bucket list!
A story about a young girl who decides to run away to hike the Appalachian trail, which she, Katahdin, and her brother, Springer, are named after.
It is a great book for any age about understanding grief, freedom, perseverance, and just learning about all the great and sad things in life that you just push through. Made me want to add hiking the Appalachian trail to my bucket list!
August 14, 2018
After Dani's brother dies of muscular dystrophy, her father leaves, and then her parents get divorced. With her mother constantly at work, Dani figures she will hardly be missed. Since her parents met while hiking the Appalachian Trail, and named the children after the two ending points — Springer and Katahdin — Dani has heard about the Trail her entire life, and has decided to escape my making her own journey along it. Naturally, the people she encounters as she begins are concerned about a twelver-year-old hiking by herself; and equally naturally her mother does come to intercept her. But the story does not end there, nor does the hike. As they continue together, both Dani and her mother make discoveries of their own. Excellent and extremely moving. Highly recommended.
March 29, 2021
I will admit that I was a little disappointed. Probably set my hopes for this book too high. I know it's a children's book, but I had hoped that it would be a good/fun read for adults as well.
While I did enjoy some parts, some others were just.. odd. Dani/Kathadin is very much a (young) child in some instances, but then in other parts, she acts like an adult. The difference is huge and a little strange and hard to follow at times...
The ending was kind of... unsatisfactory for me as a reader, a sequel would have been nice if this is what the ending's going to be. Same for the storyline with Beagle... That could've been so much more!
Again, I liked what I read, I guess, but disappointed that this was it and that some parts felt so rushed.
While I did enjoy some parts, some others were just.. odd. Dani/Kathadin is very much a (young) child in some instances, but then in other parts, she acts like an adult. The difference is huge and a little strange and hard to follow at times...
The ending was kind of... unsatisfactory for me as a reader, a sequel would have been nice if this is what the ending's going to be. Same for the storyline with Beagle... That could've been so much more!
Again, I liked what I read, I guess, but disappointed that this was it and that some parts felt so rushed.
October 18, 2018
I really like this book because of how Dani is so focused on what she wants and she strives to get towards her goal. I also think that that having the setting of a trail that has to do with family heritage is so cool. It also gives a lot of background information about the trail and her experiences. I think the theme gives of a really good message to other readers because it teaches you to strive towards your dreams and goals and I would really recommend this book.
May 18, 2017
Dani has ran away from home. Her parents are divorced, and her brother died a few months ago. She has come to a mountain. She hikes it. Soon, her mother finds her. They go together.
you have got to read this book! It is awesome!
you have got to read this book! It is awesome!
July 24, 2018
To escape the pain of her brother’s death and her parents divorce, Twelve year old Dani, after months of preparation, runs away from home to hike the Appalachian Trail. The reader shares her hike as well as her recovering grief.
August 6, 2018
Yes, I'm an adult reading juvenile books. So what, it's a great story. I love the trail and have hike the areas in the book. It's a great story of adventure, growth and heart. You can't beat that no matter who the audience the book is intended for. Great little read!
September 2, 2019
How do I love this book? Let me count the ways:
1) My 6 year old son and I already have reserved the hardback edition from the library because the audiobook on Audible doesn't include the maps, and we know it's going to be even more interesting to follow with maps!
2) We have already listened to the audiobook twice, at his request
3) We started reading this together on the morning of a day hike on the AT, and an hour into the book my 6 year old has set a life goal of thru-hiking the whole AT
4) The sense of place is pitch-perfect; you can tell the author is from near the Appalachian Mountains and has done her homework on the trail (at least the portion to Virginia)
5) I learned that I've been mispronouncing Katahdin for years in my own head but I have been saved from public embarrassment by the audiobook narration
6) Katahdin, the protagonist, is a richly drawn, believably flawed adolescent reeling from not only the sudden death of a beloved brother, but from her parents' traumatic divorce soon after the family's loss. Although she makes a selfish decision to run away, her anger at and disappointment in her parents is justified, and her emotional development on the trail, with her mother's support, is significant and meaningful.
We began listening to Halfway to the Sky after finishing (for the third time!) the audiobooks of The War That Saved My Life and The War I Finally Won. Although Kimberly Brubaker Bradley has undoubtedly grown as a writer since this novel was written, we thoroughly enjoyed this earlier work and credit her with our growing love of all things Appalachian Trail!
1) My 6 year old son and I already have reserved the hardback edition from the library because the audiobook on Audible doesn't include the maps, and we know it's going to be even more interesting to follow with maps!
2) We have already listened to the audiobook twice, at his request
3) We started reading this together on the morning of a day hike on the AT, and an hour into the book my 6 year old has set a life goal of thru-hiking the whole AT
4) The sense of place is pitch-perfect; you can tell the author is from near the Appalachian Mountains and has done her homework on the trail (at least the portion to Virginia)
5) I learned that I've been mispronouncing Katahdin for years in my own head but I have been saved from public embarrassment by the audiobook narration
6) Katahdin, the protagonist, is a richly drawn, believably flawed adolescent reeling from not only the sudden death of a beloved brother, but from her parents' traumatic divorce soon after the family's loss. Although she makes a selfish decision to run away, her anger at and disappointment in her parents is justified, and her emotional development on the trail, with her mother's support, is significant and meaningful.
We began listening to Halfway to the Sky after finishing (for the third time!) the audiobooks of The War That Saved My Life and The War I Finally Won. Although Kimberly Brubaker Bradley has undoubtedly grown as a writer since this novel was written, we thoroughly enjoyed this earlier work and credit her with our growing love of all things Appalachian Trail!
August 29, 2024
Character relationships was the powerhouse of this book’s narrative. I loved how the main character’s growth was driven by the realizations she was forced to make about her parents, her siblings, and her friends along the way. I especially appreciated how no relationship was perfect and that the twelve year old protagonist thought and acted like a 12 year old. It’s amazing how similar she was to how I was at 12; my anger and judgment was unleashed on my family constantly but I too was too immature to use the logic necessary to understand why people make the choices they make and why life is unfair sometimes. I also like how she idolized the 17 year old fellow hiker throughout most of the book only to find out later when he was with his friends that he was a teenage boy tag was “too cool” to be friends with a twelve year old. And the bitter stubbornness she held against her mother and father in particular was palpable and I found myself taking her side and being invested in getting a satisfying outcome. But in the case of her father, there was no perfect final reparation of the relationship, which is more akin to how life works anyway.
The only gripes I had was how sometimes the writing lacked transitioning between events so I was often left confused as to how we got to where we did in a conversation or a place on the hiking trail.
The only gripes I had was how sometimes the writing lacked transitioning between events so I was often left confused as to how we got to where we did in a conversation or a place on the hiking trail.
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