ENCHANTED STORIES: Blood Mountain

Blood Mountain
By James Preller
Feiwel and Friends, 2019. Fiction, pp. 227

Grace, Carter, and their dad were expecting a fun day of hiking with their dog. Unfortunately, things didn't go according to plan, and within just a few short hours the children are lost in the mountains without their dad, and with very few supplies. And if that weren't stressful enough, there also happens to be an escaped mountain lion in the woods, and an unstable man who will do anything to stay off the grid. A park ranger has set out to find the kids and reunite them with their father, and she'll have to use all of her know-how to the pieces of their story together.

Preller uses the present tense effectively in this fast-paced survival novel. New obstacles pop up constantly as the story surges forward, and readers will be holding their breath as the last few chapters play out. This adventure novel is not for the faint of heart, as it describes many harrowing situations in great detail. Older middle school readers who are itching for more mature reads, but aren't quite ready for the YA side of the library might find this to be a good compromise.

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