Peak by Roland Smith

**** out of ****

        PEAK, by Roland Smith, is one of my personal favorites. It's not particularly famous and almost virtually unheard of, but that one of the reasons I like it. It's not overdone to death, there aren't fan girls screaming over the movie, and it's realistic (In other words, it's not like Twilight) PEAK is unique. 

       The title is appropriately named after the main character, 14 year old Peak Marcello. Peak, like his name suggests, is an avid climber. Bored with microscopic rock climbing walls in New York City, he pushes the boundaries and illegally scales a few skyscrapers, resulting in legal troubles when he is caught. However, his famous climbing father, who had disappeared from Peak's life to pursue climbing further, steps in and offers to whisk him away to every climber's paradise: Mount Everest. And to top it all off (haha, top, get it? Please laugh.), Peak will become the youngest person ever to summit Everest. Unsurprisingly, he accepts, and from there, the wonderful telling of his journey to the top of the world begins. 

       Honestly. I couldn't find anything I didn't like about this novel. It seized me and pulled me in. And I'm still in there. The novel is told from Peak's point of view, which not only paints the reader a picture of the setting, but puts the reader in the protagonist's shoes. Roland Smith is able to use the first person effectively, really placing the reader in Peak's shoes. (Or should I say boots with crampons?) Another reason I like it is because IT IS REALISTIC in terms of the characters! (Not that I don't like the occasional mystical creature every now and then) They aren't perfect, which allows the reader to connect to the book even more. The plot is well thought out with the occasional bumps of suspense. Do I recommend PEAK? DUH! 

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

*** and a 1/2 out of ****

        Ella Enchanted, by Gail Carson Levine, proudly displays a Newbery Honor medal on the cover. The book has been pretty successful, considering there's a movie based on it starring Anne Hathaway! (Who doesn't love Anne Hathaway?) Ella Enchanted takes place in the typical Medieval setting, with kingdoms and princes and princesses. But like most of Gail Carson Levine's books, there's magic involved, so your typical ogres, fairies, giants, and so on. 


        The plot centres around Ella, a girl who had been cursed with a fairy's gift of obedience. The curse forces her to obey every command given to her. No one but her mother and her fairy godmother/cook Mandy knows of the curse. When she is almost 15, her mother dies, and Ella is left heartbroken.  To pay for his mounting debts, her father marries a rich dame. She and her two nasty daughters, jealous of the special friendship she shares with Prince Charmont, move in with Ella and her father. Ella's curse is soon discovered by her step mother and step sisters and used against her. Ella is determined to break the curse, and goes through twists and turns to get to the fairy who put the curse on her.


        The unique and intricately weaved plot earned Ella Enchanted its well deserved *** and a 1/2. The reason it lost is 1/2* was because of the predictability. It's pretty obvious that Ella Enchanted was based on Cinderella. Maybe not for some people, but I think for a majority of us, we know what happens in Cinderella. So there wasn't as much suspense as I had hoped for, but recommended nonetheless because of the additional details and the intricate writing style of Gail Carson Levine.