Blind Mountain by Jane Resh Thomas

Blind Mountain. Written by Jane Resh Thomas. 2006. ISBN: 0-618-64872-0. Children's fiction, Adventure. Ages 12+.

In Blind Mountain, a young boy, Sam and his father go on a day hiking trip. Sam and his father do not get along because Sam thinks that his father is overbearing and not open to what Sam is interested in. Sam is forced to go on this day trip with his dad.

As they are about to head home for the day, Sam lets go of a pine branch that whips back and stikes his father in the eyes. His father, the expert hiker goes blind, and now it is up to Sam to get them home safely. Sam has to rely on his wits and skills that he learned from his dad about hiking from when he was younger. As they make camp for the night, Sam finds a big cat's track nearby and fears that they are being stalked by a cougar. He is right, and throughout the night the cougar gets closer and closer. As dawn breaks they begin to head home and the cougar attacks, and Sam ends up killing the cougar to save their lives.

The story is one of adventure and bonding. It really shows how Sam and his Dad begin to heal the rift between them by reestablishing their trust of one another. This book is an easy read and really is heartwarming. I think that a good activity for this book would be to have the kids then write thier own short story of adventure starring themselves as the main character. It could really tap into their creativeness. It also is a good book to discuss the points of a story, such as plot, scene, climax, etc...