My Side of the Mountain

Title: My Side of the Mountain
Author: Jean George
Publisher: Puffin Books
Copyright: 1959 by Jean George
Pages: 178
Ages: 9-12
Genre: Fiction

Summary:
Sam Gribley has a very large family, so one day he tells his father that he’s going to go live on the old Gribley farm up in the mountains. His father laughs, but Sam goes anyway. He learns everything he needs to know from books at the library. He buys some flint, and learns how to use it. And takes a few dollars and he’s on his way. He hitchhikes his way to the mountain and asks for directions to the Gribley farm. His first day, he tries to catch fish but soon encounters frost so that he can’t get worms for bait. He finds a grub and catches a fish, but has no fire to cook it. So he goes to bed cold and hungry. The next day he hitchhikes again and goes to the library where he meets Miss Turner. She helps him find the farm on some old maps and gives him directions. He manages to find it and catches a big catfish and huddles around his fire. While wondering where he is going to live, he searches what is left of the farm. He comes upon a large tree and decides to hollow it and live inside it. He burns the inside and hollows it.
He learns to make and set traps for animals. One day he runs into an old woman picking strawberries (I thought she was irritating) and he walks her home. While in town he goes to the library to read books on falcons and talk to Miss Turner. She gives him a haircut and he heads home. He watches a mother falcon and decides to get one for himself. He climbs a cliff and retrieves a falcon. The mother attacks him, but he gets his falcon. He names her frightful. Soon after there is a forester that comes through looking for Sam. Sam avoids him. He finds out that his fire had been spotted so he vows to be more careful. The Warden leaves and Sam learns to season his food with a salt like substance. He makes himself a bed and learns to dig pits for deer and even makes friends with a weasel. Someone is poaching and he hides the deer and begins to clean it and prepare it. Sam begins training Frightful and she catches her first prey. Several days later, Sam hears sirens. When he investigates, he finds a man he believes to be a criminal on the run. Sam feeds him, and takes care of him for awhile. They become friends and instead of sharing names, they make them up for one another. Sam calls the man Bando and Bando calls Sam, Thoreau. Sam has assumed that Bando was a criminal but it turns out he is a school teacher and got lost during the break. He decides to stay with Sam until he needs to go back to school. Bando teaches Sam some things, like how to use clay and make fire hotter. But soon Bando has to leave but promises to come back for Christmas. Sam becomes lonely. Sam begins storing food for winter, and making a winter suit. He makes a stove to warm his tree house. Around Halloween Sam throws a party for the animals, but it is cut short when his tree is overrun. After Halloween the hunting season starts. Sam discovers how he’ll make his winter suit. There are many deer that the hunters shoot, but then never find. He takes them and begins his suit. Once made, he heads back into town. He runs into a young man with lots of questions (understandable considering he’s wearing nothing but deerskin.) Sam invites him to the farm if the boy can find it.
Once home again, he starts on a wood pile. He continues to prepare for winter and before he knows it. It’s Christmas. Bando arrives and Sam learns that there are stories in the newspaper about a boy living in the mountains. He also gets a surprise visit. His father arrives! After a wonderful Christmas Sam’s father and Bando leave and Sam is once again left to his own devices. Winter became serious very fast. He plays the flute and makes snow shoes. He goes sledding in a turtle shell sled. Sam also learns to pay attention to the animals so he’ll know when a storm is coming. This works really well and he’s able to get to his house before any really bad storms occur.
One day he gets frozen into his tree. He has to light a fire in his stove and kick the door open. As everything freezes, the trees themselves begin to split and break and almost explode because of the heavy ice. Sam began to worry about his tree house. As winter progresses he becomes very tired and sluggish. He begins to crave liver. And realizes his body is lacking nutrients. He gets the nutrients he needs and winter starts to come to an end. But soon a reporter appears and blackmails Sam. Telling him that he’d tell on Sam if he didn’t let him stay with him for awhile. Sam of course has to agree.
By April Sam was no longer living on his food stores. He begins nothing in the spring again and sings several songs. He teaches some of his songs to a man named Aaron who was passing through. They spend the day together and share songs.
The day comes when Sam meets with Math the young reporter who blackmails him. Sam blindfolds him and leads him to his home. They talk and Matt asks a lot of questions and ends up staying about a week. Sam teaches him the way that he lives and Matt learns a lot. Sam begins getting quite a few visitors. Bando comes again and the make a guest tree. Sam is visited by Mr. Jacket (Tom) and he visits about every weekend. Sam realizes that it won’t be long before more people come poking around.
In June, reporters come and ask lots of questions, Sam answers just hoping they’ll go away. Four days later, Sam’s entire family comes. His mother read the reports about Sam a decided she would not have people thinking she was a bad mother. So she brought the family to the mountain and they began building a home. Sam is most displeased but respects his mother’s wishes. That is, until he turns 18.

Who I would recommend this to:
I would recommend this book to anyone who loves the mountains or has ever dreamed of living on their own in the mountains or wilderness. I’d recommend it to about 8-12 year olds, boys and girls. I actually recommended this to my best friend who wants to do something similar.

Potential Problems:
It could encourage children to go off on their own therefore risking their safety. It should be brought to their attention that this shouldn’t be attempted without parental permission.

My Reaction:
I really like this book. I’ve always liked the idea of going into the mountains (or some such place) and living off the land. It’s an exciting prospect and is only more encouraging after reading Sam’s story (even though it is fiction) it’s a nice book and I learned a lot, whether or not the plant information is true. It’s an excellent book and I will read it again and again.