Customer Reviews

My Side of the Mountain (Puffin Modern Classics)

5 star:		(205)
4 star:		(94)
3 star:		(32)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(24)

 

 

My SIDE of the MOUNTAIN

by Jean Craighead George

Did you read this novel as a kid? Is a copy collecting dust on your bookshelf? Well, get it down and give it a fresh read, you'll be blown away how timeless this tale is. And fun too.

Who doesn't dream of running away--imagine no husband or wife to nag you, so long to the kids and hand over your cell phone!

"I am on my mountain in a tree home that people have passed without ever knowing that I am here. The house is a hemlock tree six feet in diameter, and must be as old as the mountain itself."

So begins Sam Gribley's pretty amazing adventure on his great-grandfather's land in the Catskill Mountains. From foraging in the wild to stealing a baby falcon and raising it to hunt for him, Sam's life unfolds into a modern day Thoreau with a dash of Swiss Family Robinson. He explains that living in a cramped New York apartment with an enormous family literally drove him to run away, but how his parents could have let a boy of only 14 live for nearly 9 months in a tree did have me wondering.

Tossing parental concerns aside and realizing this story was written in 1959, there's so much to appreciate and the amount of wildlife knowledge, thanks to a local library Sam often visits, is actually very useful.

"I would bake the acorns in the fire, and grind them between stones. This was tedious work too, but now that I had a home and smoked venison and did not have to hunt food every minute, I could do things like make flour."

One of the many moral lessons the author weaves into her story is that no matter where you run and attempt to hide; the world is right there watching--even before all the crazy technology was at the ready. Sam does learn early on that living on your own can be a lonely affair and so, of course, several different characters literally wander into his life.

My only beef with this adventure-filled story is that the ending seemed rather abrupt. I won't spoil it for you since I know everyone is going to read this, but it really felt dropped in like a, well, like a dive-bombing falcon. BAM--end of story. But I know different, and perhaps you do too, there's a sequel and a movie and...

The best part about MSOTM is that for a short time you can once again be that boy who not only had a dream, but made it happen and guess what?

Like Sam Gribley, maybe you'll be inspired to stop dreaming and start living the dream!

Written by Gene Craighead George, My Side of the Mountain explores one boy's quest for peace and quiet and his realization of what it means to be alone. An adolescent boy, Sam, escapes the chaos of his family's crowded New York apartment. Sam runs away, to the Catskill Mountains in search of space and independence. Sam feels like a free man up in the mountains. He learns to live off the land. He manages to ward off reporters, tourists, and hikers, so that he may preserve his secret living quarters. Sam faces many hardships, but his determination, to live on his own, helps him persevere. Through his interaction with neighboring animals and his friendship with his pet falcon, Sam survives hardships on the lonely mountain. Sam is content with his life in the mountains, but he realizes that he misses human conversation.

This interesting and exciting book shows Sam's journey away from his fellow humans and his need to be amongst them again. Sam's great journey is inspiring to anyone who has ever just wanted to escape for a while. The plot is developed through Sam's struggle to survive nature and his inner conflicts.

I recommend this book to people of all ages. I believe this story appeals to children because of the adventure and excitement of running away to an unknown place. Adults will find it appealing because they understand the need to be away from the chaos of crowds and cities to find a haven of peace and quiet. Our hectic lifestyles help us relate to Sam's desire for simplicity.

Upon first reading this book as a child, I simply loved it! The thought of living off nature is pure glee to me. Sam Gribly does something any youth wishes for: independance. While the author portrays Sam's independence through running away and living in a forest, there are many ways in which a youth can achieve it.

Some say this book is far-fetched and silly, however, is it any sillier than Harry Potter? or any other fiction book? It is a story, a very good one at that.

The way Sam lives and takes care of himself is purely wonderful. I recommend this story to all.

I just re-read this book for the first time since childhood as a project for a Children's Literature class and the things that made me love this book as a child came leaping off the pages to meet me. George inserts visual and humorous quirks into the animals who share Sam's home with him, without injecting them with the unrealistic ability to speak. These animals speak volumes in their actions and habits.

This book does contain some curious themes for children, such as a boy running away from home, several adult characters who know that Sam has run away but just decide to help him hide, and a father who comes to see his son just before the onset of winter in the Catskills, but doesn't force him to come home with him.

However, George's intricate details (recipes, drawings, etc..) and varying narration (slipping between diary form to storytelling) add a realism that can't help but spark the imagination and feed that part of a little boy's soul that yearns for independence and self-sufficience.

A great book for children who don't necessarily like to read. What's cooler than a falcon for a pet? Nothing.

This book, in excellent condition is testimony of
the determination of a young boy to make his
own way in the wilderness with practically nothing
but knowledge from library readings. A joy to
read I would recomend it to anyone, teenagers and
adults who want to learn more about the outdoors.
An adventure for sure.

Running away from home and living in the wilderness may be the dream for millions of teenage boys, but the reality of 'pulling it off' couldn't possibly be as easy as the author of this book makes it appear.

Everything Sam wants to accomplish in his tree home away from civilization, he does. He may fail once or twice, but then it all works out: He successfully hunts for food, creates flavorful recipes for grand suppers (which he shows off to visitors), sews his own winter clothes from deer hides and rabbit furs...it's all very, very simple! GET REAL! From the incredible anti-authoritarian parents, who let Sam go on his quest in the first place, to the rediculous 'dragged in by the hair' ending, this book was a disappointment. I'm a 4th grade school teacher, and this book was not on any of my students' favorites list!

My only reason for giving 2 points rather than only 1 to this Newbery Award Winner (? )is the fact that this novel does give lots of useful instruction on 'how to' cook, keep water from seeping through home-made vessels, and to entertain oneself when there is no company around.**

I would recommend My Side of the Mountain to everyone who reads because this is a very realistic, page turning, survival story which also provides great information if you were ever stranded in the wilderness as was the main character, Sam.

I liked this book because I thought it was adventure-filled. In this book I learned how to make willow whistles, how to soften a skin, and how to survive in the wild. I also learned that you can eat tubers and crow eggs, if you can get to them! I think it was exciting when Sam stole his bird, Frightful, from her nest on a cliff. I recommend this book to boys and girls, because I'm a girl and I liked it.

Get ready to go on a fantastic journey with Sam Gribley in the Catskill Mountains in which he climbs a cliff, steals a deer, and builds a treehouse. Sam has some scary adventures and he also meets some friends ,sooo... if you want to read this book , you can. I loved it!

Be amazed because Sam Gribley is on an amazing adventure! Sam Gribley is running away from his family because his family never noticed him. Sam runs off to the Catskill Mountain. On his way he finds a weasel named the Baron Weasel. The Baron Weasel is ferocious. Sam climbed a mountain,and found a baby falcon . He named the baby falcon Frightful. In one of the chapters Sam Gribley invited his animal friends but the trash his treehouse. My opinion is that this book shows you a lot of ways to survive in the mountain. You should read this book because it has a
lot of similes,and personifications.