My Side of the Mountain

My Side of the Mountain
Author(s)	Jean Craighead George
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre(s)	Children's literature
Publisher	Puffin Books
Publication date	1959
Pages	177
ISBN	ISBN 0140348107
OCLC Number	24997264
Followed by	On the Far Side of the Mountain

My Side of the Mountain is a 1959 children's novel by Jean Craighead George about a boy who learns about nature and himself. The book won the Newbery Honor Award^[1] in 1960 and was loosely adapted into a movie in 1969.

Set in the Catskill Mountains near Delhi, New York, My Side of the Mountain is an account of how Sam Gribley survives in the wilderness of upstate New York. George's descriptions of the flora and fauna and how Sam uses them, not only to survive but to live quite comfortably, are detailed.

Plot summary

The book follows Sam Gribley, a 13 year old boy from New York City, who chooses to reject urban life, and runs away to his great grandfather's old abandoned farmland in the Catskill mountains to live off the wilderness. He brings with him a penknife, a ball of cord, some flint and steel, 40 dollars he earned from selling newspapers in the busy streets of New York, and the knowledge he gathered reading books about survival.

When he finally gets to the Catskill Mountains, he slowly begins learning the practical aspects of wilderness life, applying the things he read while preparing. He perfects the best ways to fish, starts to orient himself, and learns to forage. He burns and chops out a hollow in a huge hemlock tree to serve as a shelter. He hunts, lays traps, and manages to capture and tame a baby peregrine falcon, whom he names Frightful, who helps him catch small animals.

As summer passes, he gets used to living off the land. He makes new clothing out of hide, builds a bed, and prepares for winter by laying in preserved food, firewood, and building himself a clay stove to keep warm. He becomes accustomed to the wilderness and befriends several of its animals, including a weasel which he names The Baron Weasel, and a raccoon whom he calls Jessie Coon James (Jessie C. James). He sometimes walks to the nearby town to do research at the library.

Time passes and people start to notice the living presence in the forest. Sam has a series of visitors, including Bando, a professor who got lost while hiking in the forest. Bando and Sam become fast friends, and teach each other things about the forest and about life. After Bando leaves to go back to his university for the fall, Sam encounters a young reporter who wants to find out about the rumors of a mysterious wild boy living in the forest. When Sam lies and pretends to be someone else, the reporter quickly figures out that Sam, clothed all in hand-stitched deerskin, is the "wild boy." Sam agrees to let the reporter come back the following spring and learn from him in exchange for not telling the world about where Sam is.

At the end of the book, Sam's family comes to find him, having been worried since he left. His father has decided that since he can't stop Sam from running away to the woods, the entire family will move there, build a house, and try to farm the land. Sam is disappointed at the idea of giving up his tree-home and living a more normal life, but his parents tell him that that's the way it has to be until he's 18.

Characters: Sam Gribley – A young boy who runs away from home to live in the wilderness . The Baron – A weasel who befriends Sam. Frightful – Sam's falcon. Bando – A man who spends several days with Sam in the forest. Tom Sidler – At first called "Mr. Jacket" by Sam, a young man in Delhi who becomes a friend. Matt Spell – A young boy who wishes to report on Sam for a newspaper. Nina – The youngest of Sam's eight siblings. Mary – Sam's sister. Alice – Sam's sister. Joan – Sam's sister.

Sequels

Decades after the original novel was published, George wrote four sequels: On the Far Side of the Mountain (1991), Frightful's Mountain (1999), Frightful's Daughter (2002) and Frightful's Daughter Meets the Baron Weasel (2007). A film of the same title was produced in 1969 My Side of the Mountain (film).

References

1. ^ Newbery Medal and Honor Books, 1922-Present. American Library Association.