Twelve-year-old Mark has been living with cancer since he was five, and, when faced with the news that his cancer has recurred again, he decides to put a long-held fantasy into action. He runs away to climb Mount Rainer with his dog, Beau. Mark is physically weak and nauseous with blinding headaches, yet he manages to begin his climb just as a dangerous snowstorm starts, while his best friend Jessie, the keeper of his secrets, is left behind wondering what is the right thing to do. Debut author Gemeinhart has pulled off an impressive combination of suspenseful adventure thriller and cancer narrative. Chapters alternate between Mark's and Jessie's perspectives in straightforward language. Mark's journey is born from despair, and the novel doesn't shy away from the implication of his dangerous choice or its impact on the family and friends he is leaving behind. Jessie's struggle, meanwhile, is just as compelling. Touching but unsentimental, this is a deeply moving adventure.

Gr 5-8 Twelve-year-old Mark wants to climb a mountain before his imminent death from cancer, so he runs away to Mt. Rainier with only his faithful dog, Beau, to accompany him. In alternating chapters, Mark's best friend Jessie, at home, narrates her moral dilemma: should she honor his last request or reveal his location to the worried adults who would deny him his wish? As each event befalls Mark along his journey, Beau increasingly proves himself, while Jessie vacillates. Gemeinhart, a first-time author, keeps the pace with short, active chapters leading to a satisfying, if somewhat predictable, ending. Descriptions of place and character are good, the Northwest Washington setting palpable, and Mark's continuous descriptions of headaches and nausea, if a bit repetitive, can be chalked up to realism. The actions of the adult characters along the way are slightly less believable but suspension of disbelief is possible with such a compelling premise and Mark's ringing sense of confidence. Recommended for general purchase and for classroom structured reading. This will be especially interesting to capable but reluctant readers, particularly dog lovers. Rhona Campbell, Georgetown Day School, Washington, DC