Frightful's Mountain ANNOTATION
As she grows through the first years of her life in the Catskill Mountains of New York, a peregrine falcon called Frightful interacts with various humans, including the boy who raised her, a falconer who rescues her, and several unscrupulous poachers, as well as with many animals that are part of the area's ecological balance.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Jean Craighead George returns to the Catskills for the third book in the beloved trilogy about a boy who grows up living off the land, and the peregrine partner who will never be far from his heart.
When Sam Gribley learns that it is illegal to harbor an endangered bird of prey, he makes the hardest decision of his life and lets Frightful, his trained peregrine falcon, fly free. But Frightful is not prepared to be a wild bird. She has never had to feed herself, nor does she know how to mate, brood chicks, or migrate in winter. And pulling on her, almost stronger than her will to be free, is a terrible longing for that one mountain among thousands, that one tree among millions--her home with Sam.
Can Frightful survive the many dangers that await her in the wild--especially such humanmade traps as the fatal electrical wires where she must not perch? Will she be able to raise a family of her own? Thanks to the remarkable insights of Jean Craighead George, an incomparably gifted nature writer, readers will be able to experience Frightful's suspenseful and triumphant coming-of-age through her own keen falcon eyes in a story that is destined to take its place among the classics of our time.
FROM THE CRITICS
Children's Literature - Sharon Salluzzo
When Sam Gribley learns that it is illegal for him to keep a Peregrine falcon, he releases Frightful to the wild. Since she was raised in captivity, she is even more vulnerable to the dangers of the environment. She faces threats from poachers and live wires. Just as her natural instincts for raising a family are beginning to appear, their lives are threatened by humans rebuilding a bridge. Sam is not alone is trying to save the falcons, and Jean Craighead George uses the names of real people who are working to make a safer environment for hawks. The reader will soar with Frightful as she flies around her Catskill Mountain region. George maintains her high standard of nature writing as she deftly weaves the natural and man-made dangers into the storyline. Her characterization of Frightful is so vivid, the reader truly cares for her. This, the third book in the trilogy that began with My Side of the Mountain, can be read independent of the other two.
VOYA
Sam Gribley raised his peregrine falcon, Frightful, from a nestling in My Side of the Mountain (1959) before the bird was stolen and then released into the wild in the sequel, On the Far Side of the Mountain (Dutton, 1990). This third book of the series continues Frightful's story as she makes her way back to Sam and learns to survive in the wild. Although the first two books were told from Sam's point of view, the third is narrated partly from Frightful's perspective in a fresh and interesting approach. When the bird encounters humans, and readers move away from her point of view, the story begins to deteriorate. The author attempts more than just telling the story, preaching against poachers, the perils of DDTstill used in the South where many birds of prey winterand the placement of power lines on utility poles. George also portrays several reallife characters in a way that brings attention to their work and that eulogizes them. Both the preaching and the praising detract from a worthy story. Fans of the earlier books will be delighted to continue Sam's and Frightful's adventures, but the story does not stand alone. George does not include enough background information to explain to readers new to the series who these characters are and how they came to be. VOYA CODES: 2Q 4P M J (Better editing or work by the author might have warranted a 3Q; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 1999, Dutton, Ages 12 to 15, 176p, $15.99. Reviewer: Melissa Thacker
KLIATT
To quote KLIATT's January 2000 review of the hardcover edition: Frightful's Mountain takes up the story of the peregrine falcon that Sam in the original book raised, with Sam and his friends characters in it, but with Frightful the main focus. So many things happen to the young falcon: she is captured by unscrupulous men who plan to sell her to falconers in the Middle East; she is rescued by Sam's sister Alice; she learns to hunt with a stray dog named Mole, who substitutes for Sam in flushing out small game; she is almost electrocuted by a utility wire; she mates and tries to raise her babies on a bridge undergoing repair, threatening all of them; she migrates to the Galapagos Islands one winter and returns in the spring to Sam on his mountain to raise a new nest of young. Craighead George introduces us to the perils raptor birds face, even in the Catskills and other remote areas. She shows, with the use of children in the story who become environmental activists, how her readers could help the endangered birds. She introduces us to "bad guys": poachers, and uncaring bureaucrats. And 40 years later, she tells us more about the boy she created whom we all admire, Sam, who lived in the wilderness and survived in the original story. She shares her knowledge of the natural world with her readers once again, supplementing the story with line drawings that help us envision Frightful's world. This is a wonderful animal story, for readers who are interested in environmental issues, and for those who love learning about other species. (sequel to My Side of the Mountain and On the Far Side of the Mountain) KLIATT Codes: JS—Recommended for junior and senior high schoolstudents. 1999, Penguin Putnam/Puffin, 260p, illus, 20cm, 99-32932, $5.99. Ages 13 to 18. Reviewer: Claire Rosser; May 2001 (Vol. 35 No. 3)
School Library Journal
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 Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.
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