This young readers' version of the wildly successful book about Greg Mortenson, founder of the nonprofit Central Asia Institute, is good for what it is-a younger adaptation of a successful book for adults. The subject matter-Mortenson's serendipitous discovery of his calling to build schools for children in impoverished, remote areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan-should certainly be of interest, and Thompson does a serviceable job of keeping the story appropriate for upper elementary and middle school students. Thomson addresses potentially disturbing issues like Mortenson's kidnapping and various near-death experiences with sensitivity and clearly depicts the people Mortenson works with and for as fully human, in just a few deft strokes. Overall, though, the narrative here is best characterized as medicinal reading, colored by the occasional inspiring flash, which is the opposite of the style and effect of the book written for adults. By far the most engaging part of the book is the interview with Mortenson's twelve-year-old daughter Amira, whose enthusiastic, earnest, and warmly expressed views on the privilege of education and its power to lift people of every race and creed out of poverty and hopelessness is the clarion call the book as a whole wants but fails to be. Maps, photos, a time line, and the glossary round out this title's usefulness and classroom readiness. Thomson deserves an A+ for effort and a B- for execution and youthful appeal.-Sophie Brookover.

Gr 6-8 Hiking in the mountains of Pakistan in 1993, Mortenson got lost. He found his way to a small village where the locals helped him recover from his ordeal. While there, he noticed that the students had no building and did all of their schooling out of doors. Motivated to repay the kindness he had received, he vowed to return to the village and help build a school. Thus began his real life's journey. Mortenson's story recounts the troubles he faced in the U.S. trying to raise the money and then in Pakistan, trying to get the actual supplies to a remote mountain location. His eventual success led to another, and yet another, until he established a foundation and built a string of schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Mortenson manages to give the story an insider's feel despite being an outsider himself. His love of the region and the people is evident throughout and his dedication to them stalwart. The writing is lively, if simplistic, and for the most part the story moves along at a fairly quick clip. In this specially adapted edition for young people, new photographs and an interview with Mortenson's young daughter, who often travels with him, have been added. Jody Kopple, Shady Hill School, Cambridge, MA

This young reader's edition of the best-selling adult book begins with Mortenson, an American, lost in the mountains of Pakistan. After being rescued by villagers, Mortenson vows to return and help build schools. His remarkable story, told through sometimes overly simple and repetitive language, is enlivened by color photos and an interview with Mortenson's twelve-year-old daughter. Timeline. Glos.

This young-reader's edition of the eponymous New York Times best-seller for adults presents an abbreviated, simplified account of Mortenson's life-saving mountain rescue by Pakistani villagers that inspired his life's work: building schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Most significant in this version is the emphasis on young people, evident in new photographs of youth and in the extended interview with Mortenson's 12-year-old daughter, Amira, who describes her overseas experiences with her parents, and then waiting at home while her father travels the world. Amira's substantive answers show her direct involvement with her father's work: "I got my dad to start a lunch program in some of the schools." And they also reveal the deep, personal impact of global tensions on the family: "My dad's a peacemaker, and some people hate him or are jealous. He has been threatened to be killed." With all the recent buzz about Mortenson's story, this accessible title is sure to draw attention. For the picture-book audience, suggest Mortenson's Listen to the Wind (2009), coauthored and illustrated by Susan L. Roth.

In 1993, while climbing one of the world's most difficult peaks, Mortenson became lost and ill, and eventually found aid in the tiny Pakistani village of Korphe. He vowed to repay his generous hosts by building a school; his efforts have grown into the Central Asia Institute, which has since provided education for 25,000 children. Retold for middle readers, the story remains inspirational and compelling. Solid pacing and the authors' skill at giving very personal identities to people of a different country, religion and culture help Mortenson deliver his message without sounding preachy; he encourages readers to put aside prejudice and politics, and to remember that the majority of people are good. An interview with Mortenson's 12-year-old daughter, who has traveled with her father to Pakistan, offers another accessible window onto this far-away and underlines Mortenson's sacrifice and courage. Illustrated throughout with b&w photos, it also contains two eight-page insets of color photos.The picture book, while close in content to the longer books, is written in the voice of Korphe's children rather than providing Mortenson's view, making it easier for American kids to enter the story. Roth (Leon's Story) pairs the words with her signature mixed-media collage work, this time using scraps of cloth along with a variety of papers. Her work has a welcoming, tactile dimension—readers would want to touch the fabric headscarves, for example. A detailed scrapbook featuring photos from Three Cups of Tea and an artist's note firmly ground the book in fact. A portion of the authors' royalties will benefit the Central Asia Institute. (Jan.)