My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
15 year old Sam Gribley ran away from home one day in May. He was tired of living in a cramped apartment in New York City with 8 siblings and his parents. His father told him about land that his great-great- grandfather owned in somewhere in the Catskills, and so armed with a penknife, a ball of cord, an ax, some flint and steel, and $40 he saved from selling magazine subscriptions — and just the clothes on his back — Sam takes off to find his ancestral home.
And so begins Newberry Honor Book, My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George. The book, first published in the USA in 1959, chronicles Sam’s adventures the first year living on his own on the family’s land in the Catskills. The book is written in the first person, as if you were hearing from Sam himself tell the tale of learning to find food, taming a falcon, creating a warm home, and preparing for a harsh, mountain winter.
I picked up this book after reading an excerpt from the third book in the series. I can’t read books out of order, so I started with the first. I found this book engaging, full of adventures and mishaps. I liked the character Sam, a smart boy, willing to do the research in the town’s library and then apply what he has learned to the situations he finds himself in.
I would recommend this book to strong upper elementary readers, and middle school readers who are looking for adventure. The book has a Lexile rating of 810, and a Guided Reading Level U.
Mrs. Hudson Reads 