Parents' Guide to

My Side of the Mountain

By Barbara Schultz, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Gripping, inspiring wilderness-survival adventure.

Book Jean Craighead George Adventure 1959
My Side of the Mountain Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

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age 7+

Based on 4 parent reviews

Raising Readers
Raising Readers Parent of 7 and 9-year-old
August 9, 2017
age 6+

Have Read Multiple Times

I read this book myself around the age of 8 and loved it. When my son hit second grade and was reading voraciously, I thought he might enjoy it. We read it the first time together sometimes and with him on his own sometimes and he LOVED it. It's one he keeps handy and now going into grade 4 will still pull it out to read it again.
1 person found this helpful.
T J.
T J. Adult
December 10, 2019
age 9+
See all 4 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Teen Sam Gribley dislikes living in his large family's overcrowded New York apartment, so he decides to leave town and live on the land his grandfather used to farm in the Catskills. Once he's arrived at the wilderness that used to be Gribley's Farm, Sam applies all of his powers of memory and observation -- and everything he can learn in the nearby Delhi public library -- to survive on his own. Sam learns how to hollow out a tree for shelter, build a fire, and forage, fish, and set traps for food. He even trains a falcon, which he names Frightful, to hunt for him. However, after some months, many suspenseful and amusing adventures, and a few visits from passersby, word gets out about the \"wild boy\" living in the Catskill Mountains, and Sam begins to wonder if he can keep civilization at bay.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (4):
Kids say (16):

Since it was first published in 1959, the award-winning MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN has inspired scores of kids to want to test their own survival skills. Sam's adventures are timelessly exciting, and the details of his wilderness life are truly fascinating; readers can't help but admire his independence and wonder what his life would be like. In addition, descriptions of the foods Sam eats (cattails taste like potato if you chew them long enough), the suit of clothes he makes from animal skins (even underwear), and the antics of animals he befriends provide loads of amusement to today's readers. In some ways, this novel is both simple and strange, but the premise is a winner and Sam's adventures continue to entertain readers year after year.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can discuss the notion of spending a year living alone in the wilderness. Would you like to do it? Why, or why not?

  • Try keeping a journal like Sam, and write down the things you learn.

  • Learn more about Sam's survival skills by reading Jean Craighead George's spinoff book Pocket Guide to the Outdoors: Based on My Side of the Mountain.

Book Details

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