Tales from the Top of the World

Gr 5-7–Hundreds of feet taller than its competitor in the altitude stakes, Everest is the epitome of challenge in the climbing world. Here readers are invited to accompany Pete Athans (who has climbed on Everest some 14 times and stood on top of the world on 7 different occasions) on the arduous journey from below base camp to the summit. The matter-of-fact text is broken by tales of Athans's personal adventures–a rockfall on the West Ridge, a seracs crash in the Khumbu Icefall, a rescue in the Death Zone among them–and all are decorated with a plethora of color photos. Interspersed with text/adventures are information boxes on such diverse topics as what to wear, high-altitude illnesses , and a list of the “Eight-Thousanders” (all more than 26,247 feet high) to be found in the Himalayas (should you wish just slightly less challenge in your ascent.) There are also several “Ask Mr. Everest” questions for Althans, along with his thoughtful answers. More detailed than Steve Jenkins’s handsome The Top of the World: Climbing Mount Everest (Houghton,1999), on a par with Jonathan Chester’s nifty alphabetic approach in The Young Adventurer’s Guide to Everest: From Avalanche to Zopkio (Tricycle, 2002), and simpler than Stephen Venables’s more detailed To The Top: The Story of Everest (Candlewick, 2003), Athans’s colorful work lends a personal touch to a dramatic endeavor, and may lure adventure-lovers high into the thin, cold air. Patricia Manning