Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly
Fans of My Side of the Mountain will be delighted to find that Sam Gribley still lives in a hollow tree with Frightful, his faithful falcon. Sam has neighbors now: his sister Alice lives in a nearby treehouse and his old friend Bando has bought a nearby cabin. Sam's summer plans are disrupted when a conservation officer accuses him of harboring an endangered species and confiscates Frightful. Sam is so devastated by the loss of his companion that several days pass before he realizes that Alice has left home. Setting out to track his sister down, Sam crosses paths with a band of falcon smugglers and is given the chance to take back Frightful for his own. Faced with a difficult decision, Sam chooses wisely and the story ends on a satisfying note, full of hope for the future. Since nature has become chic in the years since Sam's first adventures were published, sophisticated readers will enjoy the author's wry references to the new fashion for Adirondack furniture and her description of an eatery that specializes in gourmet wild foods. Filled with accurate details (it is possible to trace Sam's journey on a map), likeable characters and plenty of backwoods lore, this sequel is worthy of its predecessor. Ages 8-12. (Apr.)
School Library Journal
Gr 4-6-- More than 30 years later, the story of Sam Gribley is resumed shortly after it ended in My Side of the Mountain (Dutton, 1988) . When Frightful, the falcon, is confiscated and Sam's sister Alice disappears, Sam and his friend Bando look for her. In their search, they uncover a ring of illegal falcon dealers and come to terms with their limits and responsibilities as individual humans within the larger society of all mountain dwellers. Using a straightforward, first-person narrative and journal entries, George effectively evokes the natural setting with which she is obviously familiar. She also takes great care to describe the devices Sam and Alice construct to make their serene yet rugged life easier. These contraptions are complicated, but are clarified by black-and-white sketches. Sam remains the focus of the novel, but characters are abundant in contrast to his earlier solitary lifestyle. Unfortunately, they play mainly as a catalyst for Sam's actions and development. While their presence injects a note of reality, it also underscores the incredibility of the story, for the more contact Sam has with civilization, the more remarkable his living situation becomes. The plot is considerably more complicated than in the first book, and current issues are raised, but the timelessness of theme and setting is carried over from the original. The contrivance of the black-market bird dealer may serve as a device to engage readers' interest, but the strength of the story lies in Sam's personal observations and growth. This volume can be enjoyed without the background laid in the first book, and it will inspire many readers to investigate the beginning of Sam's story. --Starr LaTronica, North Berkeley Library, CA
