My Side of the Mountain/On the Far Side of the Mountain

Mountain #1-2

by Jean Craighead George

Genres: Fiction, Young Adult, Classics, Adventure, Childrens, Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction

177 pages

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Jean Craighead George wrote over eighty popular books for young adults, including the Newbery Medal-winning Julie of the Wolves and the Newbery Honor book My Side of the Mountain. Most of her books deal with topics related to the environment and the natural world. While she mostly wrote children's fiction, she also wrote at least two guides to cooking with wild foods, and an autobiography, Journey Inward.

The mother of three children, (Twig C. George, Craig, and T. Luke George) Jean George was a grandmother who joyfully read to her grandchildren since the time they were born. Over the years Jean George kept one hundred and seventy-three pets, not including dogs and cats, in her home in Chappaqua, New York. "Most of these wild animals depart in autumn when the sun changes their behaviour and they feel the urge to migrate or go off alone. While they are with us, however, they become characters in my books, articles, and stories."

Reviews

[Hillari Morgan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm pretty sure that I read this when I was in elementary school, although my memory of what actually occurred and how I felt about it is pretty slim. When my students chose it as a book to read in class, I wasn't sure how I would feel about it as an adult. Needless to say, it was barely okay.

This story centers around a boy named Sam who decides one day that he no longer wants to live in New York city, so he up and leaves, heading to his family's desolate farm. There, Sam learns to live off the land and makes friends with the resident animals.

I began to recognize quickly, that my struggles with this book started due to being a realist. You can't write a realistic fiction book and then fill it with holes that couldn't possibly exist or happen. You also cannot attempt to make readers believe that Sam is in the full-fledged wilderness of the Catskill Mountains but then write in characters who stumble upon him while picking strawberries and hunting for game. Moments such as those, ruined the atmosphere of the text.

The above definitely influenced my feeling and rating of this book but it was solidified by the overwhelming amount of nothingness that happened. While I certainly appreciated the quiet moments that the author included about Sam's camp set-up, his hunting, and his ability to get back to the things that mattered most, I also recognized the boredom that set in due to those very same things. It makes me wonder if I felt the same way when I read it in elementary school, or if the story held more wonder for me, then.

[Cody · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story line was good, but the end was horrible.

[Michelle Isenhoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I left New York in May. I had a penknife, a ball of cord, an ax, and $40, which I had saved from selling magazine subscriptions. I also had some flint and steel which I had bought at a Chinese store in the city.” And with that, Sam Gribley left his city apartment filled with two parents and eight brothers and sisters and hitched a ride to the Catskill Mountains. And he never looked back.

My Side of the Mountain was one of my favorite escapes when I was young. It tickled something deep inside me. I mean, what kid doesn’t want to run away and live off the land? But Sam is the only one I knew who DID it. I envied him his burned-out tree home, his storehouse of nature’s bounty, his neighbors the Baron weasel and Jessie Coon James, his falcon, and his wide open backyard. I visited again and again and again. Having just finished this book in my 30’s, I still felt the pull of the Catskills. That hopeful runaway is still there inside me.

Published in 1959, My Side of the Mountain claimed Newbery honors the next year, and it’s just as good as it ever was. It isn’t a book of fantasy, magic, action or suspense, which are so popular with kids today. Rather it’s a survival story, but one with a kicked-back pace. I mean, once Sam sets up housekeeping and figures out how to find food, he has all the time in the world. No school, no appointments, no stress, only the problem of avoiding reporters. For once word leaks out that a wild boy is living outside Delhi, the outside world takes an interest. And once Sam makes a friend or two and burns out a guesthouse, it’s the beginning of the end. “I seem to have an address now,” he comments. It’s an end I’ve resisted every time I’ve read it.

My only complaint is that the ending still doesn’t settle well with me, even after years and years and a now grown-up perspective. It’s too real-world, too adult, too against my inclinations. Other than that, the book is flawless. I so admire the way Ms. George can make a simple plot so compelling, so broadly appealing. And I love how she gently weaves in truth and discovery. This is children’s literature at it’s very, very best. I highly, highly recommend it.

[Suz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can see this being a great book for about a 4th grader to maybe a middle school aged child I think kids would really enjoy it and fantasize about it. Being able to make things from the wild, come up with food from the earth and living on your own; making your own clothes and living in a tree would be really fun for kids to read.
I did think it was a fun little read and I know I would’ve loved it if I were reading it as a kid. It would be a fun bedtime story to read to your child.

[Avalley · Rating 2 out of 5]

It wasn't very good, and it was also pretty boring. At the end, it was kind of depressing and terrible. It also made me lonely. Other than that, It was great.

[Marlet · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would really love to love this book. You have a great plot. A boy ran away not because he had differences with his parents but he just wanted to experience life in the woods. He made friends, humans and animals alike. He applied everything he learned from reading books about survival. But, I felt like I was reading a textbook. There were no emotions. I didn't even know which was the high point. I didn't where to find the denouement. It's sad because the narrator is a boy and boys are full of life. When they tell stories, they exaggerate. Alas, this book is none of that.

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Made me happy made me smile

[Ally C · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a good book, the ending was really bad though. He had all the things he needed to survive. It seemed like he really wasn't that far away from the road considering he would go into town every now and then and how much people he saw in the woods. Overall not a bad book but also not a great one

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

I do not understand why this book got so many awards. I mean, seriously? This is about a boy who runs away from home and decides to live in the woods. Now, I have read (and enjoyed) books about people living in the woods. Hatchet was a book I read in sixth grade, and absolutely loved it. The difference, though, is that the boy in Hatchet was forced to live on his own, due to a plane crash. In this book, however, the boy decides to live in the wilderness. I think that this book would be a lot better if it turned out to be a dream. The thing that bugs me a lot, is that the author makes it seem like nobody cares that a teenager is living in the woods on his own.
They never specified this boy's age. He could be 10 years old. Then again, he could be 17. If he was 17, I don't think anybody would care as much, but...Also, one would think that his parents would actually care!

[Julianna S · Rating 5 out of 5]

My mommy suggested that I read this book. I think she was right. It was a really good book, and it was about a boy who runs away into his great-grandfather's mountains. I liked learning about the boy's life in the woods. It seems like a really good life. It made me want to have an adventure like his.

[Sam Raven · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was very fun to listen to. The ending surprised me. I really liked Bando as well.

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm sure this trilogy and Jean Craighead George will become top favorites of mine.

[shuang · Rating 4 out of 5]

The outdoor boys in Central Park. Jokes aside, an amazing read. Chill and casual 1 year survival in the mountains. Somehow every dire situation turns out to a wholesome ending. Just shows that if you love Mother Nature she will love you back. Lots of fun facts about nature and survival. “Her feet squeezed into the earth and take root”, makes me feel like a plant :P

Ending was a bit rushed but I understand. Since there were no serious plot, the author couldn’t possibly write about Summer again. Although the ending was rushed, it was a much needed outcome for our main character Sam.

I love how chapters are not numbered but starts one after another. It is as if the book was a combined version of several diary notes. Like the author was trying to save space on what little paper he had in a survival situation.

Sometimes you think you want to disappear, but you really just want to be found.

[Kiah Nordgren · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you can get past the fact that this book is insanely unrealistic (no parent would let their 12 year old son just leave to go off grid and never check to make sure hes alive) (also the police wouldn’t have let him stay) (also it’s NOT that easy to live off the land), and that the author has never once used show, dont tell, this book is really good. I like the character, I like the amount of survival facts thrown in, the story progresses nicely, and I was invested in that tree house. I liked the ending (even though it was crazy unrealistic), it was nice that it didn’t end with Sam back in the city.

[Lyndon · Rating 4 out of 5]

At 177 pages this edition is just the first book, not the sequel. I'll have to change the book info on Goodreads.

Anyway, this was a delightful story from 1959 about a young high schooler who ran away from his life in the city to live among the creatures of the forest and mountains. No huge crisis or tension or tragedy, just immersion in a world we all dreamt about as children - living at one with nature. The ending, which was really no ending, leaves the reader pondering the tension between the urge to retreat and the reality of being together, which is at the core of life in 'the city.' Good themes, gentle storytelling, fond memories. 3 1/2 stars.

[Bernadette · Rating 4 out of 5]

The middle dragged on for me, and there wasn’t enough action for my son, with whom I was reading the book. But I guess that’s the point? Feeling the solitude, the endless dragging on of days. Definitely an “atmosphere” book instead of an action-driven book. Makes me want to spend even more time in the forest!

[Ty · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is all about living in the wilderness. A boy runs away from home to live in the wilderness. He survives out there until people start hearing about him. Then people start to start looking for him. Will he still be able to live his new life?

[Hiram Andrea]

This was a really good book. The ending was a surprise as Sam's family comes to him and ruin his wilderness experience until he is 18.

[Gerjen Slim · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite book growing up.

[Hweston · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a perfect retreat of a book.

[SamuelM2019 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It was very interesting seeing how a child like me learned how to survive and live on his own. It was also interesting to see the effects on a mind that was living in the wilderness only surrounded by nature and where there's a place with no buildings or people. It is also interesting to see how people see him and how it is to be a complete social outcast. Finally this book is a very fun read and i found myself not being able to put it down. I suggest it highly.

[Kyle Ziemke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the story until the end. Parents ruin everything!!

[Legolas Greenleaf · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was quite fortunate to come across the book once again, during my job. The last time I had the pleasure of reading it was back in 4th grade. This book is ENCHANTING to any youngster (or even adult) who's fascinated by the outdoors and-or itiching for adventure. This book reminds me a lot of 'Brian's Winter' by Gary Paulsen.
How many youngsters want to get out in the wilderness for an adventure all their own? LOTS (I was one of them ;) ). One of the best touches is that this wonderful work of literature contains a good dose of reality (perhaps not as much as in 'Brian's Winter', however); by "reality", I don't necessarily mean the "reality" we live in as "rationally thinking people". To a youngster, reality is something that can be created and shaped. There are no limits to a kid's reality. It is sad that kids these days grow up on electronic garbage. Their sense of adventure is being replaced by video games and celebrity crap.
Take your children out into the wilderness - take them fishing, hiking, camping, mountain biking, exploring,...you name it. Nature is not something to hide from.
This is a MUST READ (or else your kids will probably make you buy the book so they can read it ;) ) for all kids, and even for adults who still embrace their own inner-kid :).

[Jeanette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just finished reading aloud with my 8 year-old boy. I remember reading it in 5th or 6th grade by myself and loving it. This is a great story about self-reliance, and learning to live off the land. As a child I was fascinated and dreamed of going away to live in my own secret place, eating plants and making my own nature home. I definitely enjoyed reading this book again with my son, and he enjoyed it as well.

At one point while reading we were looking on the store shelves for a car-washing chamois (shammy) called for in Owen's Wizard Craft book for making a coin pouch. (He's simultaneously been reading Harry Potter.) The chamois at the store was much larger than we needed and therefore more expensive, and so I went to explain to Owen what we might try instead. I said, "What the instructions want is some fabric that looks like leather, so do you know what we could do instead?"

"Kill a deer?!" He said.

So I about died. "Yes, kill a deer." How can I argue with that? If what he learned from this story is that when he needs some leather he can go kill a deer then I am a happy person. Good bye "Made in China", Hello self-reliance!

[Candice]

Sam runs away to the Catskills Mountains to live off the resources of nature. It's really cool how Sam lives in a huge old tree he had burnt out like the Indians. He made his own bed and has a deer skin door, blanket and clothes. His food is even mooore interesting! He makes baked fish, boiled fish, mussels, turnip soup, onion soup, turtle soup, rabbit soup, and so on. He also makes wild salad, venison, and he eats out of turtle shells.
He lives with his falcon, Frightful. Sometimes, an English teacher he met called Bando would come and visit for a wekk, and help him make strawberry jam.
He had also made animal friends, like The Baron, (a nosy weasel)many squirrels, Jessie c. James( a scrawny raccoon), a cute white- footed mouse that comes in to visit, and various little animals.
So when you read this book, just imagine what's going on and this book won't be a bore.

[Eileen W · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you like the wilderness or adventure, you will likely enjoy this book of a young teenage boy living on his own in the wilderness. I read it with my boys at the New Jersey Shore this summer. My 9 and 11 year olds liked it more than the 13 year old. I think it was a great story and as my 11 year old said..."really stays with you longer than a modern book." For us, there was too much detail of what the boy ate and how it was prepared, and the older writing style was at times challenging to read. And of course the whole concept of him living in the woods with his parents approval seemed more than a little far-fetched. However, we enjoyed all the parts about the falcon and his other wildlife friends, and we enjoyed reading about his little home inside the tree. We liked it.

[Yeah It'S · Rating 1 out of 5]

I vividly remember reading this book in fifth grade and despising every moment of it. I felt a complete disconnect from the main character primarily because I'm not a boy living in the mountains getting myself into hijinks and also because the writing style was not engaging enough for me to want to read it when I didn't have to. Every time my teacher pulled this book out I contemplated the purpose of life and wished that the book would just end already. I picked it up again out of sheer curiosity and those feelings haven't changed even as an adult. Still boring, still the same white kid stumbling through the woods and talking to animals, still the same disconnect and flicking toward the end. Read it if you must.

[Thomas Poplawski · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Side Of The Mountain Is A great Book Written By Jean Craighead George. My Side Of The Mountain is about a boy named Sam Gribley that lives in New York. To Sam New York is super busy and so is his family he has lots of brothers and sisters. He Want's out! So one night he sneaks out and runs off to the woods where he starts a new life.If you want to hear more about this book you will have to go and read it. I would recommend this book for people ages 9 and up, just because their are some confusing words in it and I had to go ask my teacher what they meant. Overall I rate this book five stars because this book Is so well written and is just a great story.

[Gurgen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The reason why I picked this book is because the name of the book seemed weird sort of. The cover, when I looked at it, there was this boy and a bird and trees in the background so I told myself this kid might be a loner living alone on a side of a mountain. I would recommend this book to my friends and other people because it was pretty amusing. A boy that does not like living in a city, but likes living on a mountain in the woods. His life was very interesting and so was the boy. I found out about the book at my school's library. While looking for a book I stumbled upon it and decided to get it.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book!!!! We all loved it and already are looking forward to listening to the audio again. The kids didn't like the ending. Jake wanted Sam to just visit his family and stay where he was at. Ellie didn't want them to build a house but to stay living in the tree....5/29/15

Listening to "On the Far Side of the Mountain"..krb 8/10/16
Ellie and mom rated 5 stars, Jacob rates 4 stars. He thought the first book was better than the sequel. I wonder if Ellie and I liked the sequel just as much because there was a feisty little sister in it? :)....krb 8/13/16