| Wildlife and Nature Books Online in Association with Amazon.com |    |
|
|
|
| My Side of the Mountain (Puffin Modern Classics) | 
| Author: Jean Craighead George
Publisher: Puffin Books
Category: Book
List Price: $6.99
Buy New: $3.19
You Save: $3.80 (54%)
New (42) from $3.19
Avg. Customer Rating:  512 reviews
Sales Rank: 6803
Media: Paperback
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 192
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 6.9 x 4.9 x 0.6
ISBN: 0142401110
EAN: 9780142401118
ASIN: 0142401110
Publication Date: April 12, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: ** INTERNATIONL SHIPPING!!! SHIPS from 5 locations based on your Zip Code and availability! (PA TN IN OR SC) *-* Gift Quality *-* Orders Processed Immediately! - We get your book to you Very Quickly!
|
| Customer Reviews:
 A trip into the wild May 11, 2008
This was a favorite of mine as a child, and even when I picked it up again for a reread I was blown away by the sheer majesty of nature that Ms. George manages to inject into this story. In the tradition of Thoreau (which is actually brought up in the story) we get to witness the bond between boy and nature when a city teen runs off into the Catskills. And why not? So many in our modern world are tragically bothered by the encrouchment of so-called civilized society. Our recent turn to Green culture echoed to me as I read this. Why wouldn't anyone in their right mind want to run away into the woods and live freely? Have a chance to discover themselves away from society's input? Who wouldn't just want to camp indefinitely for the sheer pleasure of it? Sam's character is incredibly believable--reminiscent of any fervant Boy Scout, and you appreciate his love of his new world as well as his attachment to the civilized world he had left, which is seen with his relationships with the select few citizens that find their ways to him in various mindsets: The college professor enchanted by his life, Sam's father who is torn by jealousy and his responsibilities as a working father, a local kid so blinded by soceity that he sees Sam's authentic dear clothing as fakes. But wow, they are all such wonderful characters that I don't care, and none of them can be considered bad, just examples of different people in the world. Ms. George has truly created a wonderful story, all themes aside. The descriptions are quietly beautiful and thoughtful, the characters understated and entertaining. Those looking for a fast-paced action-packed novel will not appreciate the quiet, observant story, but I enjoyed the journalistic pace of Sam's experience and the occasional extract from his notes. This is an amazing classic for anyone who appreciates the natural world. Trust me, it will make you want to run away to live in a tree.
A Can't Put Down Book October 20, 2007
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
When I first picked up this book,I just could not put it down! It's true there is no straightforward plot, but I really, really enjoyed it. After reading it(I also read the second book)I was more appreciative of nature and became very interested in trees and plants. I liked reading about what Sam did to live off the land. I wanted to run away and do the same! This was a spectacular book, yet I am still looking for a fictional survival book where the main character knows ABSOLUTELY nothing about surviving, and where he/she does not have luck as do many of the main charcters in other stories. But this was one of the best books I have ever read.
Sam Gribley got so lucky in this book October 6, 2007
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
I realize this book has already been anointed as a great children's book, and a great book for boys, but it doesn't mean I have to like it. My 14-year-old son loved this book when he read it in elementary school, and my 9-year-old daughter is loving it in fourth grade presently.
That being said, the people at Puffin dodged the issue of a child in the wilderness by making a cover where Sam looks like a teenager instead of the 11 or 12-year-old he looks like in Jean Craighead George's illustrations. There were numerous occasions in the book where Sam could have been seriously injured or killed, and George just blurbs or whooshes past them.
The back cover said Sam was terribly unhappy with living in New York City, but the book doesn't suggest that anywhere
I was impressed with the level of natural knowledge Sam possessed, and I was impressed that my children could come up with plausible ways that he acquired this knowledge. I considered the bit about hunger having an intelligence to be particularly clever.
Maybe the moral of the story is that as a parent, I could tell my kids without fear of contradiction that they are nowhere near as knowledgeable regarding the wild as Sam Gribley was, and that Sam was rather lucky in a few spots.
By: Nicholas MB 5th grade My Side of the Mountain September 26, 2007
My Side of the Mountain is a very catching book it had me jumping out of my seat the whole story!. It told you some facts about the wild and also it had a sad story of a kid living off the land. I learned alot of facts about the Catscill Mountains too. I think evrey outdoor kid should read this thrilling book. Its truth, fiction and wildlife mixed! This is truly one of my favorite books. READ THIS BOOK!
Yeah for Sam Gribley September 14, 2007
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
My Side of the Mountain is a great book. Jean Craighead George must have spent a lot of time in the forest. Her descriptions of the landscape and anecdotes regarding the animals are vivid. The only thing that doesn't ring true is the fact that a young kid goes and lives on his own in the wild and no adults appear to be concerned. A very enjoyable read.
|
|
|
Wildlife, nature and the Environment
Sponsored Links
Learn how to get your own Amazon Book shop | |
|
