Our read aloud book for December and so far into January was this survival-in-the-wilderness book by Newbery award winning author Jean Craighead George. Here are the views of two of the urchins on the book:
Review by Brown Bear Daughter (Age Eleven)
Book: My Side of the Mountain
Author: Jean Craighead George
Summary: It is about young Sam Gribley, tired of city life, who moves into the Catskill Mountains. He trains his own falcon, builds his own house, and finds his own food.
Review: I would give this book, on a scale from 1 to 10, an 8. Although, in my opinion, the ending was disappointing, the rest of the book was very well written and I liked it a lot. This book is a Newberry Honor Book, an ALA Notable Book, and a Hans Christian Andersen Award Honor Book.
Review by Karate Kid (Age Eight)
What the book was about: The book was about a boy named Sam Gribley. He ran away from home to the Catskill Mountains. At the beginning of the story, it tells what’s happening right then. He’s in a big snowstorm. But before you get to hear about that, he tells all about how he got into the big snowstorm.
What I liked about this book: I like the idea of living in a tree. I’d like to have a trained falcon.
What I don’t like about this book: I didn’t like the part where everybody keeps on finding him. I wish he’d still get to live in the tree in hammocks.
So there you have it: two reviews by two impartial reviewers. I think Brown Bear Daughter liked it anyway. She’s already reading the sequel, On the Far Side of the Mountain.
