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!