Peak (novel)

Peak is a young adults novel, written by Roland Smith. Genre- Realistic Fiction

Plot

The book starts out with Peak, introducing himself and his family. Then, the event that sets the plot into motion occurs. Fourteen-year-old Peak is arrested for climbing a skyscraper. Peak's biological father Joshua Wood gets Peak out of having to stay in a Juvenile Detention Center by bringing Peak to live with him in Chiang Mai, Thailand, where he runs a climbing company. But instead of going there, Peak stays at a hotel alone waiting for a man named Zopa. Then, Peak meets a boy his age named Sun-jo, who is very poor and supports his sisters. When they arrive at Base Camp, Joshua finally tells Peak about his plan to make him the youngest person to reach the top of Mount Everest. While at Base Camp, Peak also meets a reporter named Holly, who plans to document his journey. Later, Peak finds out that Sun-jo is the grandson of Zopa, (who is a former sherpa who is now a monk), and is planning to summit Everest. Peak and Sun-jo are very close in age. Peak feels angry at Sun-jo not only for not telling him of his plan to summit but also because he thinks that he is trying to compete with him. Later, Peak doesn't reach the summit, but rather watches Sun-jo summit instead. He doesn't want the fame and he would rather Sun-jo be the youngest ever to summit, the reason being that Sun-jo needs the money to pay for his and his sisters' education. He must also avoid Captain Shek, the ruthless Chinese soldier, determined to stop anybody's chances of scaling Mt. Everest Peak and Sun-jo also go through many troubles with the Chinese government (including Captain Shek) throughout the book. In order for Sun-jo and Peak to summit they had to leave base camp and go up the mountain on a different route. Then Peak decides to return to home when he is 10 feet away from the top and lets Sun-jo be the youngest person to climb Everest, the day before Sun-jo's 15th birthday ON JULY 13TH. After that Peak rushes home to be there in time for his younger twin sister's birthday which is also his birthday.

ON JULY 13TH

Blurb

For a climber, saying that you are stopping by Everest is like saying you are stopping by to see God. When fourteen-year-old Peak Marcello's long lost father presents the opportunity for them to summit Everest together, but head doesn't even consider saying no—even though he suspects there are a few strings attached. And if he makes it to the top before his birthday, he'll be the youngest person ever to stand above 29,000 feet. It's not a bad turn of events for a guy in New York City with only skyscrapers to scale (illegally), he will have to take some time just to get his lungs to catch up but he will reach the top. Added by Robert Lindgren

Published By: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (May 2007)