Fact Friday: Into the Clouds: the race to climb the world's most dangerous mountain by Tod Olson

Image: Scholastic

Into the Clouds: the race to climb the world's most dangerous mountain by Tod Olson. 270 p. Scholastic Focus/ Scholastic Inc., April 21, 2020. 9781338207361. (Review of arc courtesy of Blue Slip Media.)

Fact Friday wishes a happy book birthday next Tuesday to Into the Clouds: the race to climb the world's most dangerous mountain by Tod Olson. Olson recounts three U.S. attempts to climb Karakoram, or K2 during the 1930s and later in the 1950s. K2 is the second highest peak after Mount Everest. They are part of the Himalaya mountain chain that includes the highest and most inhospitable peaks in the world. While Everest is the highest, K2 is deemed the most dangerous by mountaineers.

It took me a little while to get the players straight and I would've been helped by a map, which is going to be in the finished book, but wasn't available in the arc. Once I got there, I was transfixed. Olson's writing is lucid and utterly gripping. I was surprised by how invested I had become and totally astonished by the tears that threatened a few times! 

Equally engrossing are the black and white photos that document the climbs. Most of them are clear and almost Ansel Adams-esque, giving the reader a glimpse into the treacherous and starkly beautiful terrain as well as the often precarious positions the climbers found themselves in - such as finding sufficient land flat enough to pitch a tent and be assured they would not fly off the mountain! 

The impeccable research is evident in the twenty-plus pages of back matter that includes a plethora of books, magazine and newspaper articles, blogs, videos, archival sources and interviews. There are also source notes for each chapter. 

As a person who couldn't summit Mt. Democrat, the most easily scaled fourteener in Colorado (it's a day hike!*), I am in a mixture of total awe and bemusement at those who climb extremely high or dangerous peaks. It has been awhile since I've read any books like this and Into the Clouds has reignited my curiosity about mountain climbing and other activity done at extremely cold temperatures. I read Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer long before I joined Goodreads and that sparked a binge of Mount Everest- and then Arctic exploration-reading that confirmed my complete incapacity to climb mountains or explore the Poles. 

I might've read Into the Clouds in one intense sitting were it not for work. As it was, I almost stayed up late to finish the last thirty pages but put it off till I was awake and refreshed the following morning to truly appreciate the bittersweet conclusion. I broke my self-imposed rule to stop giving stars on GR to give it five. I really loved it. And I think kids will too. Our sixth graders read Peak by Roland Smith and they love it so much that they fight over its sequels. Into the Clouds would make a terrific fiction/ nonfiction pairing! 

Tod Olson is the author of the narrative nonfiction series, LOST, and the historical fiction series How to Get Rich. He has written for national magazines on the Columbine school shooting, homeless teens, the murder of Matthew Shepard, and many other stories of interest to children and young adults. Tod holds an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts and lives in Vermont with his family, his mountain bike, and his electric reclining chair. To learn more, and to download free teaching resources, visit his website: todolson.com.


*As my mountain-boy son, who was my guide that day on Mt. Democrat, assured me, I was not yet acclimated to the altitude and would've made it if I had a few more days to do so. He was a counselor at the mountain-climbing camp he had attended from the age of ten; so he was completely at home, hiking easily without any trouble breathing or even breaking a sweat. He scouted paths up the scree at the top and was so encouraging to his old mama as I panted and rested and panted and rested. 

Non-Fiction Monday: The Impossible Voyage of Kon-Tiki by Deborah Kogan Ray

The Impossible Voyage of Kon-Tiki by Deborah Kogan Ray. unpgd. Charlesbridge, October, 2015. 9781580896207. (Finished copy courtesy of publisher for review)

I vividly recall reading Thor Heydahl's Kon-Tiki as a kid as well as seeing the documentary. As a librarian, the book happened to be in my collection, but never circulated. I could never bring myself to weed it. I finally did weed it, though with a heavy heart. I tried hand-selling it but the book was old and unattractive. 

Perhaps this attractive, new informational picture book will resuscitate interest in this fascinating experiment. When Thor Heyerdahl was still in college studying anthropology, he spent a year in the Polynesian Islands. While there, he noted carvings that resembled the style uses in South America and thought it might be possible that the islands were populated from South America rather than from Asia as was long theorized. Heyerdahl  was poo-poohed whenever he tried to assert his theory. When one professor jokingly asked if he would be willing to try to make the trip himself on a raft, Heyerdahl set out to do so.

With quotes from Heyerdahl embedded in the text, Deborah Kogan Ray's storytelling engages the reader. Her evocative watercolors vividly depict a variety of scenes from his 101-day voyage. The end-pages are decorated with a map of the sea voyage and currents. There's plenty of back-matter - an author's note, a brief biography, websites and books for further reading and source notes.

All-in-all, a worthy addition to the 910 section of the collection.

Non-Fiction Monday: Discover More: Explorers by Penelope Arlon and Tory Gordon-Harris

Discover More: Explorers by Penelope Arlon and Tory Gordon-Harris. Scholastic Discover More series. 80 p. Scholastic Inc., December, 2014. 9780545791229. (Finished copy courtesy of publisher for review.)

Another excellent entry in the "must purchase" Discover More series. Explorers is sure to ignite the imagination of middle grade readers. Beautifully designed and well-organized, this entry is divided into three sections: Into the Unknown; Voyages of Discovery; and Above and Beyond. And the bonus ebook is not to be missed. That highlights men and women who are 21st century explorers.

Beginning with the essential question, "Why explore?" readers contemplate the challenges and dangers of going where no man has gone before. There's a Hall of Fame and a world map that traces the routes of ten explorers. The section about Voyages of Discovery begins with ancient explorers. Each double-page spread focuses on an individual or group of people who set out for the unknown. Crammed with photos, maps, and artist's renderings, there is plenty to catch the eye.  A glossary and index conclude the volume. A code for the online book is provided at the beginning.

Zoe's Jungle by Bethanie Deeny Murguia

Zoe's Jungle by Bethanie Deeney Murguia. unpged. Arthur A. Levine Books/ Scholastic Inc., May, 2014. 9780545558693. (Finished copy courtesy of publisher for review.)

Oh, the pressures of transitioning! Zoe and her sister, Addie are enjoying their time at the playground when their mother announces that they have five minutes before they need to leave. But wait! Zoe spots a rare spotted Addiebeast (Addie's wearing a polkadot dress) in the foliage and Zoe can't let her get away. The playground becomes a lush jungle when Zoe is caught up in her imagination only to abruptly return to reality when her mother booms the ticking minutes, five, four, three, two, one… But Zoe and Addie don't put up a fuss when it's time to leave because now it's the best time of all - reading time!

The pen and ink and water color illustrations perfectly capture the energy and excitement of imaginary play at its best and most endearing. This would be a fun read-aloud and a charming antidote to video game obsessed kids who are probably suffering from nature deficit disorder. 

Non-Fiction Monday: Alien Deep: Revealing the Mysterious Living World at the Bottom of the Ocean

by Bradley Hague. 48 p. National Geographic, September, 2012. 9781426310676. (Purchased)

What on Earth is left to explore? Why, the world of deep-sea hydrothermal vents. Apparently, the first one was discovered in 1977 and scientists have been searching for and studying them ever since thinking they may answer evolutionary questions. So far, only a few hundred have been located but it is hypothesized that there may be tens of thousands to be discovered.

The picture book format belies the depth and complexity of the text here as the audience is decidedly middle school and above. A variety of full-color photographs, maps and text bubbles, some literally enclosed in water bubbles engage and fascinate, but will require close reading and frequent consultation of the glossary. A page of resources, four web sites and six books, invite readers to learn more.

This week, Non-Fiction Monday is hosted by Playing by the Book.