Imagine being on top of the world, well a young boy has a chance to experience this. The Peak had a suspenseful book about a young boy who gets into trouble and goes off to live with his dad instead of his mom and step dad. His dad owns a climbing expedition and wants to get his son to the top of Mt. Everest before his birthday, so he would make history by being the youngest person on top of the mountain. Except, he has to do so without a Chinese soldier finding out that he is going to the top of Mt. Everest. He climbs with a boy who is just a little bit older than him who is in China illegally. They need to sneak around the mountain and lie to get to the top.

Climbing Mt. Everest being a 14 year old male is tough. Peak, the main character, did. He got his name because both his mom and dad are mountain climbers. He is incredibly adventurous, smart, and kind. “Your mother told me you were smart” (Smith 77). said by his dad when Peak found out his dad is using him. He lived with his mom and step mom until he got into trouble. He was also brave and caring.

Trying to sneak a boy over the largest mountain in the world is hard as it is, but trying to do it in a given amount of time makes it even harder. Peak had to get to the top of the mountain before his fifteenth birthday and get his friend over the mountain into Nepal so he could be free. They had to do this without getting caught by the Chinese. In order to attempt it, they had lie and sneak around camp. ‘“How did you get back into Tibet?’ Josh asked Zopa.
‘Forged documents”’ Zopa replied (Smith 131). All of this needs to be accomplished in a hard climate which included freezing temperatures, low oxygen level, with harsh winds and blizzards.

Peak is an action packed, page turning book that I recommend to read, even if you don’t like to read you will like this book. The author makes the reader feel like they are actually on Mt. Everest. Though, there were a couple of parts that dragged out a little, it still was very suspenseful. The book had excellent characters and an amazing plot with twists that you will never see combing. Once you start reading the book, you can’t stop.