Peak: A Heart-Pounding Tale of Adventure, Father-Son Dynamics, and Mountain Climbing (A Peak Marcello Adventure, 1)

I thoroughly enjoyed this teen boy adventure. Peak Marcello is a 14-year-old boy, the son of two well-known mountaineers, so he hardly can help it that climbing is in his blood. But when he’s caught climbing a New York skyscraper, he only escapes jail when his father, Josh, shows up and offers to take him back to Thailand with him until things cool down. But Josh has never been part of Peak’s life. He left when pregnancy and then a serious fall caused Peak’s mom to give up the sport. Peak hopes for a meaningful time with his dad, and he’s stunned to find out Josh’s motivations are primarily financial. Josh wants Peak to climb Mount Everest. If he succeeds, he’d be the youngest climber ever, which could only benefit Josh’s guide business. This is a fantastic adventure novel. Not only do we have a well-rounded character in Peak with a tough predicament, we get to climb Mount Everest with him! The context is a virtual crash course in procedure, equipment, hazards, glories, geography, and topography. It got my blood pumping, I’ll tell you! In addition, we’re introduced to several sherpas, those unsung heroes who guide climbers to the top, making the trip again and again. It was an interesting look at the local people who live, work, and often die tragically on Mount Everest. We even get a taste of the restrictive politics of China (Tibet), which shares the mountain with Nepal. Peak becomes close friends with a local Nepalese boy named Sun-jo whose grandfather is a sherpa. Without giving away anything, let me just say the friendship does much to drive the story into deeper levels and illustrate who Peak really is, deep down. Peak’s classic quote, the great takeaway at the end of his emotional journey, is: “The only thing you’ll find on the summit of Mount Everest is a divine view. The things that really matter lie far below.” I loved Peak. I enjoyed his story, and I liked his conclusions. Highly, highly recommended for boys (and girls who like a good kick-butt adventure now and again). Ages 12+.

It was good. Had a good plot and story. This book is a really really really really interesting book and it is very climatic and will have you on the edge of your seat twirls the end of the book.

Peak is the ultimate action/survival/friendship/adventure story! Peak opens with the retelling of the time that Peak Marcello scaled a skyscraper in New York, then being arrested for the feat and taken to court. Peak’s parents were there and his biological father is presented the opportunity to take Peak to Thailand for a while, or send him to jail in New York City. Peak then embarks on the trip with his father to Thailand; only to realize that they are not going to Thailand at all. They are going to climb Mount Everest. They are going to Kathmandu. Peak’s father needs to ramp up his business with the climbing company, so to get publicity he tries to get Peak to become the world’s youngest person to scale the mountain. Peak is then set up to go climbing, after days upon days Peak fights to get to the summit. Disease is spread throughout the entire camp and many people leave the mountain. Some people even die on the trek up. As Peak rears the summit he is faced with a huge decision. It’s up to you to find out what he does next. • Peak Marcello- Peak is the main character; he climbs Mount Everest with hopes of becoming the youngest person in the world to reach the summit. Very bold and courageous, but tends to keep to himself. • Josh- Peak’s biological father, helps Peak try to reach the summit. Hard on the outside, but soft on the inside. • Sun-Jo- A boy only six days older than Peak, is a fellow competitor to become the youngest to reach the summit. He and Peak are in a fight for duration of the book. Smart and clever, but friendly towards Peak. • Zopa- The monk that guides Sun-Jo and Peak up Everest, he cares deeply for Sun-Jo. Zopa is very old and wise, with plenty of advice to give to those in need. • Holly Angelo- a reporter that follows Peak up the mountain and befriends him on the way. Very nosy, but you can tell that she does care about Peak. • The Twins- Paula and Patrice; Peak’s twin sisters, they are actually only his half-sisters though. Very small and tend to laugh a lot. • Yogi and Yash- Two Sherpas that accompany Peak and Sun-Jo up Mount Everest. The two tend to keep to themselves during the book, but do provide some helpful information to Peak and sun-Jo. • Teri Marcello- Peak’s mother. She loves Peak but doesn’t fully approve of him climbing Everest due to a serious climbing injury she suffered. A major theme throughout this book is Perseverance. Peak battles major winds and harsh, snowy weather. Peak also feels he needs to improve his relationship with Josh, although Josh shows no sign of love for Peak. Peak is also shocked by the amount of people with disease. As the book progresses he shows a little more care for Peak. Peak has to have perseverance to make it up the mountain. This book is dull in the beginning and a little confusing, but as it proceeds the story develops and blooms into a wonderful book! I would recommend it to someone who likes to wonder why characters make certain decisions. Peak provides a wonderful friendship story of Peak and Sun-Jo, and how Peak develops empathy for Sun-Jo. Peak is an overall good book, for everyone!

Good book, fast shipping, excellent condition. This book came in exactly as expected and the content is perfect for a freshman boy. My son had to write a short paper over the summer for the first day of school, and thoroughly enjoyed this book. The story is about a young man who has lost his way and when his life completely changes (because his living situation does), he not only thrives physically but also learns life lessons along the way. He learns that everyone is not as fortunate as he is, although it may not appear to him that he IS fortunate, and he also learns the value in putting other people first. He learns to appreciate the selfless acts of others and pay those acts forward to help the less fortunate. My son is not an avid reader and it was no problem getting him to stay focused on this story. Well written, well packaged, well shipped. Highly recommend for this age group and from this seller.

My son and I enjoyed the Peak series.

Really enjoying this book.

Summer reading list

I ordered this book for my son. It is one of his required summer reading books for entering 7th graders. I read it before he was able to read it and it was a great book. It's about a boy named "Peak". He loves to climb, but does get into a little trouble where he climbs. He ends up in a very adventurous situation and learns a lot about himself and what is important to him through the process. I thought it was a fast-moving and exciting book, while also researching and learning some information about himself and growing up! Great book!