Reviews for Frightful's mountain
School Library Journal
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Gr 4-7-The star of this story is Frightful, the peregrine falcon featured in My Side of the Mountain (1988) and On the Far Side of the Mountain (1990, both Dutton). Her life now depends on breaking the imprinting bond she has formed with Sam Gribley and learning to live as a wild bird. Frightful's "human" and "bird" sides clash often at first-especially during the first winter when her pull to Sam overrides the migration instinct and she stays north, surviving only with human intervention. The following spring, she does mate and hatch her own chicks, but only with help from Sam, who keeps her calm during construction work on the bridge she has chosen as a nesting site. Finally, it becomes clear that nature will triumph. However, her bond to Sam will also remain. Readers of the previous books will recognize the characters and scenery, but it is Frightful who is the most fully realized character here. The humans serve more as backdrops and as a sometimes-preachy means of delivering various environmental messages. The writing is lyrical and the author's obvious love and respect for her subject comes through. Frightful's story is filled with excitement and adventure and young nature lovers should be enthralled by it. Fans of the earlier books will be the most likely audience, but it's certainly strong enough to be enjoyed on its own.-Arwen Marshall, New York Public Library (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publishers Weekly
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Like the conclusion of George's Julie of the Wolves trilogy (Julie's Wolf Pack), this third book in the cycle that began with My Side of the Mountain is told almost exclusively from the point of view of the wildlife. As the novel opens, Frightful, Sam Gribley's peregrine falcon, is being held captive by poachers. The falcon thinks only of returning to Sam, in a riff that recurs throughout the novel ("She was... searching for the one mountain, the one tree, and Sam"). Once Alice, Sam's sister, frees the falcon, much of the tension in the novel relates to whether or not Frightful can make it on her own. George builds the suspense in a third-person narration that most often takes the falcon's perspective, as Frightful hesitates between returning to Sam (who can no longer harbor her) and following the instincts of her breed as a male attempts to court her. The writing is not as fluid here; the pacing bogs down in occasional asides that fill in subplots or conservation issues (e.g., the spring return of Lady, one of Frightful's "adopted" falcon fledglings, occasions a prolonged discussion of DDT). However, details of peregrine migration, mating and nesting rituals are seamlessly woven into the plot, in which Frightful is threatened both by construction workers and the infamous poachers. Nature lovers will not be disappointed. Age 9-up. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
School Library Journal
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Gr 4-7-Frightful, the peregrine falcon readers first met through the adventures of Sam Gribley in My Side of the Mountain (Dutton, pap. 1988), takes center stage in Frightful's Mountain (Dutton, 1999), the third book of the series by Jean Craighead George. Frightful is held captive by thieves intent on selling her on the black market. Although she is soon rescued by a familiar presence, her journey to adulthood has only begun. Clearly narrated by actor Jeff Woodman in a warm and passionate voice, listeners are drawn into a compelling and thrilling story. Frightful must adapt not only to living on her own as a wild bird, but also learn to survive her competing instincts: those of a wild peregrine falcon who recognizes the urge to mate and raise young, and those of a falcon who was raised and nurtured by a human and craves human companionship. Frightful faces many perils. Although she remains near Sam's territory and encounters him often, this is Frightful's story, and it is compelling from beginning to end. Sam and his sister Alice continue their parallel story, aided by returning and new characters who share their passionate concern for endangered species. Children will cheer the small group of school children who help engineer one of Frightful's rescues. George's descriptive yet simple eloquence and unsentimental style create a cast of animal characters who are each as endearing as Frightful. Forty years after writing My Side of the Mountain, George has succeeded in completing this trilogy with a seamless transition to the present, losing none of the character or authenticity of the earlier books. She has simply added detailsÄsuch as a cellular phone for Bando, and school children who use the word "cool"Äto update a tale that will become a classic.-Debra Bogart, Springfield Public Library, OR (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.
Gr. 5^-8. Although it follows My Side of the Mountain and On the Far Side of the Mountain (1990), this is the peregrine falcon Frightful's story, not Sam Gribley's. Frightful escapes from some despicable falcon-nappers and searches for Sam, but she is increasingly drawn to her own kind. She serves as a stepmother to a brood of eyases, nearly dies on a utility pole, mates and raises her own nestlings under very difficult conditions, migrates south with other birds, and finally returns to Delhi--but not to Sam. George closely describes a falcon's instinct and inclination, yet skillfully avoids anthropomorphism. The narrative occasionally veers into ecological advocacy, but these digressions are always woven into the plot. Adults are stock good and bad types; however, children are portrayed as effective wildlife defenders. Carefully researched and leisurely paced, this is fine old-fashioned nature writing. It may not have the broad appeal of the earlier books, but it will attract and enchant animal aficionados. --Linda Perkins
Horn Book
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Fans of My Side of the Mountain will be glad to revisit Sam Gribley in this sequel, though its focus is mostly on Frightful, the peregrine falcon. After being returned to the wild, Frightful adopts three motherless falcon chicks, hatches her own nestlings, and migrates south. The book is long, with frequent shifts between human and animal perspectives, but the detailed nature writing is sure handed. Reviewed by: pds (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
