Shahan, Sherry. Death Mountain.

SHAHAN, Sherry. Death mountain. Peachtree. 202p. c2005. 1-56145-353-6. $15.95. J

Erin has been living with her grandmother since the day her mother walked out of the family. All had been well until her mother wants Erin to spend some time with her, to hear the reasons for the seeming abandonment of her family. Erin doesn't want to go, and instead she hitchhikes with Mae and her brother Levi. The three stop for a quick swim in a mountain lake and find themselves in the middle of an electrical storm. Mae heads out for safety and Erin quickly follows. When Erin finally catches up to Mae, the two realize they are completely lost in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, with little more than a canteen and a couple of candy bars.

In this survival tale loosely based on a true incident, the two girls must find their own way back to the established trail. They hike up and down and through the wilderness, surviving through their own strength of will. Erin comes to realize how little she knows of her mother and how wrong she was in assigning blame. The end is a bit contrived, but the emotional growth of the girls through their experience rings true. Through her trial in the mountains, Erin develops a hard-earned sense of empathy both for her mother and for her new friend, Mae. Janis Flint-Ferguson, Assoc. Prof., English, Gordon College, Wenham, MA