- Hardcover: 240 pages
- Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers (May 22 2007)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0375838732
- ISBN-13: 978-0375838736
- Product Dimensions: 13.9 x 2.2 x 21.7 cm
- Shipping Weight: 204 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #724,709 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From School Library Journal
Grade 4-8–Eleven-year-old Tom Hammond lives with his widowed mother in a windblown old house chained to the top of a gigantic rock. One night, unable to sleep, he heads down to the stream that borders their property, where he has left a heavy piece of refrigerator packing foam. What starts out as aimless drifting down quiet water turns deadly when Tom's foam slab feeds into the rougher mountain water and he is pulled under a rock, ending up in an underwater cavern. The secrets he discovers while attempting to find his way out of the mountain caves are surprising, yet seamlessly executed. While Leepike Ridge is primarily an adventure story involving murder, treachery, and betrayal, Wilson's rich imagination and his quirky characters are a true delight. Tom's feisty mother will not believe that her son has drowned despite the evidence to the contrary, and her run-ins with various townspeople are jewels in themselves. There are enough twists and turns in the plot to keep both seasoned and reluctant readers turning the pages. Think Mark Twain with a contemporary and utterly captivating twist.–Kim Dare, Fairfax County Public Schools, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Fleeing the possibility of a new stepfather, 11-year-old Tom Hammond washes downriver into a series of caves that contain a few dead bodies; Reg, a man who has been trapped inside for three years; mysterious carvings; and no apparent way out. Outside, on their mountaintop, his grieving mother, threatened by treasure hunters, continues to search for him. Tom's adventures have several literary ancestors, including Tom and Huck in the cave, and the inventive Swiss Family Robinson, but this is solidly set in the present, standing on its own with well-crafted suspense and fascinating survival detail. Underlying the story is the possibility that explorers from ancient civilizations arrived in North America long before Columbus, a theory certain to interest middle-grade readers. They will also relish the physicality of the journey: underwater swims, tight passages, and rock climbing as Tom, Reg, and a found dog search for an exit. A crotchety neighbor and a group of local thugs add to the tension of this appealing and easy-to-booktalk package. Isaacs, Kathleen
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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Most helpful customer reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
master of description,
By kmhurt (Lynchburg, VA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Leepike Ridge (Library Binding)
N.D. Wilson is a master of description. In reading Leepike ridge you will find yourself smiling and enjoying his sentence structure in ways you never thought possible, even if you are already a Dickens fan. If you are up in the middle of the night due to a nasty bug bite itching like crazy you will still be happy for the extra time to finish this delightful story.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating story,
By
This review is from: Leepike Ridge (Paperback)
I picked up this book because I loved the 100 Cupboards trilogy by N.D. Wilson. This is the first novel by this author, and he kept the story the way he wanted it instead of selling out to get a book deal earlier than he did. I am glad he did. I was amazed by this book for a few reasons. First, as a debut novel it is very polished and far more coherent than some first novels I have read. Second, the complexity of the story and twists in the plot were unique, new, and drew the reader in and kept you reading. The story is almost addictive. Twice I stayed up reading when I should have put the book down to get a good night's rest. Third, it is so different from his other series; few authors this early in their careers show such diversity and skill. I am very impressed overall with the writings of N.D. Wilson and with this book, Leepike Ridge in particular.
Thomas Hammond is eleven years old. His father died a few years ago, and now one of his teachers wants to marry his mother and move into their strange house. The Hammond's house is chained on top of a rock ledge, up a long staircase. Thomas and his mother have a fight over her suitor. Thomas slips out during the night and ends up floating down the creek, near his house, on a giant piece of packing foam. He soon finds himself washed under his ridge. Everyone says he is dead, but his mother does not believe it. In this strange underground world he encounters a corpse, four graves, a tomb and buried treasure. But can he find his way home again? This is an incredible story by N.D. Wilson and I think readers of all ages will become enchanted and enthralled as they read it. Well done.
4.0 out of 5 stars
A good first go...,
By
This review is from: Leepike Ridge (Hardcover)
Nathan Wilson's first children's novel is a good read. Combining some of the themes and struggles common with modern youth together with familiar imagery and characters from classic fiction (Tom Sawyer & the Odyssey, at least), Wilson weaves a yarn that is sure to capture imaginations to the end (even if it is somewhat predictable for the parents who might be reading it). It is a winning premise for sure, with the remains of an ancient civilization and culture right in what could be, with a little imagination, just about anyone's backyard.
Unfortunately, I found Wilson somewhat inconsistent. He oscillates between detailed description of some elements and glossing over others. While the main protagonists are fairly well developed to the point where the reader is able to sympathize and, at least to a degree "enter in", the villains all felt cardboard and unthreatening (mind you, it is written for a younger age where most parents would not want the evil characters to be too realistic and detailed). The final confrontation in the book, the "showdown", is over so quickly and predictably that it is far overshadowed by the events of the flooded river toward the beginning of the book. There are some genuinely well crafted and poetic turns of phrase in this book but unfortunately they are likely to be lost on some of Wilson's younger readers. This is not a comment against Wilson including such prose but rather this reader and parent is hoping that Wilson's tribe would increase and that one day children's literature would again be the kind of literature that can be enjoyed by those who are children at heart. All in all, for Wilson's first foray into this genre, based on the quality of this story, it will not be his last. This was a very good story and one which makes me expect his future works will only get stronger.
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