Frightful's Mountain (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) [School & Library Binding]

Jean C. George (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. As she grows through the first years of her life in the Catskill Mountains, 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 wit

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Fans of Jean Craighead George's My Side of the Mountain (a Newbery Honor Book) and On the Far Side of the Mountain will be delighted to return to upstate New York's Catskill Mountains for the conclusion of her trilogy, which appears 40 years after the first title's publication in 1959. Written because a young fan asked, "What happened to Frightful?" this volume tells how Sam Gribley's peregrine falcon--that's Frightful--has to make her own way in the world after Sam is forced to release her. Although told in the third person, the story is developed entirely from the bird's point of view. George's narrative follows the falcon through a series of dangerous adventures (involving DDT, electricity lines, and unscrupulous bird traders, to name a few) as she learns to depend on her own instincts. The environmental message is slightly heavy-handed, but it's wrapped in an enjoyable story from a much loved and astoundingly prolific author. You don't need to have read the earlier books to make sense of this one, though it may help. (Ages 9 and older) --Richard Farr --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly

Like the conclusion of George's Julie of the Wolves trilogy (Julie's Wolf Pack), this third book in the cycle that began with My Side of the Mountain is told almost exclusively from the point of view of the wildlife. As the novel opens, Frightful, Sam Gribley's peregrine falcon, is being held captive by poachers. The falcon thinks only of returning to Sam, in a riff that recurs throughout the novel ("She was... searching for the one mountain, the one tree, and Sam"). Once Alice, Sam's sister, frees the falcon, much of the tension in the novel relates to whether or not Frightful can make it on her own. George builds the suspense in a third-person narration that most often takes the falcon's perspective, as Frightful hesitates between returning to Sam (who can no longer harbor her) and following the instincts of her breed as a male attempts to court her. The writing is not as fluid here; the pacing bogs down in occasional asides that fill in subplots or conservation issues (e.g., the spring return of Lady, one of Frightful's "adopted" falcon fledglings, occasions a prolonged discussion of DDT). However, details of peregrine migration, mating and nesting rituals are seamlessly woven into the plot, in which Frightful is threatened both by construction workers and the infamous poachers. Nature lovers will not be disappointed. Age 9-up. (Sept.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• School & Library Binding: 258 pages
• Publisher: Turtleback (May 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0613359488
• ISBN-13: 978-0613359481
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,114,419 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jean Craighead George was born in a family of naturalists. Her father, mother, brothers, aunts and uncles were students of nature. On weekends they camped in the woods near their Washington, D.C. home, climbed trees to study owls, gathered edible plants and made fish hooks from twigs. Her first pet was a turkey vulture. In third grade she began writing and hasn't stopped yet. She has written over 100 books.Her book, Julie of the Wolves won the prestigious Newbery Medal, the American Library Association's award for the most distinguished contribution to literature for children, l973. My Side of the Mountain, the story of a boy and a falcon surviving on a mountain together, was a 1960 Newbery Honor Book. She has also received 20 other awards.She attended Penn State University graduating with a degree in Science and Literature. In the 1940s she was a reporter for The Washington Post and a member of the White House Press Corps. After her children were born she returned to her love of nature and brought owls, robins, mink, sea gulls, tarantulas - 173 wild animals into their home and backyard. These became characters in her books and, although always free to go, they would stay with the family until the sun changed their behavior and they migrated or went off to seek partners of their own kind.When her children, Twig, Craig and Luke, were old enough to carry their own backpacks, they all went to the animals. They climbed mountains, canoed rivers, hiked deserts. Her children learned about nature and Jean came home and to write books. Craig and Luke are now environmental scientists and Twig writes children's books, too.One summer Jean learned that the wolves were friendly, lived in a well-run society and communicated with each other in wolf talk -- sound, sight, posture, scent and coloration. Excited to learn more, she took Luke and went to the Naval Arctic Research Laboratory in Barrow, Alaska, where scientists were studying this remarkable animal. She even talked to the wolves in their own language. With that Julie of the Wolves was born. A little girl walking on the vast lonesome tundra outside Barrow, and a magnificent alpha male wolf, leader of a pack in Denali National Park were the inspiration for the characters in the book. Years later, after many requests from her readers, she wrote the sequels, Julie and Julie's Wolf Pack.She is still traveling and coming home to write. In the last decade she has added two beautiful new dimensions to her words beautiful full-color picture book art by Wendell Minor and others and - music. Jean is collaborating with award-winning composer, Chris Kubie to bring the sounds of nature to her words.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This was a book I could not put down!!!, October 15, 1999

By 

Mandy L. ([e-mail]) (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Frightful's Mountain (Hardcover)

If you have read "My side of the Mountain" or "On the Far Side of the Mountaain" then you will throughly enjoy this book. If you have read the previous books than you may be wondering, "What ever happened to Frightful?" Well this book tells it all. Frightful is a peregrine falcon that was hand raised by Sam Gribley. After being set free by Sam becuase he couldn't keep an endangered speices, Frightful had many adventures. This book tells how it would be if you saw the world through Frightful's eyes. I would highly recomend it to anyone who has read the other books or not. You don't need to read the previous books for this captivating story to make sense!

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Frightful's Mountain: A Great Book, February 15, 2003

By 

R Lin (Cerritos, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Frightful's Mountain (Paperback)

Frightful's Mountain is about a peregrine falcon that is seraching for her previous owner. She must find out the one tree and the one mountain where he lives. She meets everything from dogs to poachers to other peregine falcons that come in her way. She finally gets back to him, but is then set free to live the life of a wild peregrine.
The reason I liked this book is because of its style. It was very much like the first book of the trilogy, except that it was from the falcon's point of view. I love adventure stories, so it is not a surprise that I believe this is exceptional literature, but this one puts you in the situation and sucks you into the text. I coundn't stop reading!
One other reason I believed this was one of the greatest books of all time is because it was so detailed. Descriptions lurked around every corner. I could almost see what was going on when I was reading! It was also very emotional and i wanted to get a tissue amnd cry into it. It was very impactful.
My favorite part was when Sam, Frightful's master, was trying to save two of her chicks that were stolen by poachers. His dog had crawled under the cabin's foundation and was met by a skunk's spray. The smell seeped through the floorboards and the poachers ran out of the building. Sam snuck in through the back door and collected the eyases in his hands. One of the poachers had run back in to get his gun and saw Sam. The conservation officers had come in just in time and had him at gunpoint.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Touching Story, October 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Frightful's Mountain (Hardcover)

Jean Craighead George really put a lot of effort into this book. It seems so realistic, I had to read the Author's Note to know most of the characters were fictional. It is a heartwarming story about Frightful, the peregene falcon that Sam trains. Sam is a very simple person who is very fond of animals like I am. This book is worth reading-most definetly.