Common Sense Media Review
By Andrea Beach
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Tension and suspense in gripping tale of mountain rescue.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 9+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
Three years after the death of his mother, and still missing her every day, 15-year-old Atlas knows that ONE WRONG STEP on the expedition to summit Mount Everest could be the difference between surviving or not. He really wants to try for the summit with the rest of the team, his father forbids it and leaves Atlas at base camp with Maddie, a teen from Texas, and Chodak Sherpa, whose injured hand means he can't try for the summit either. A few days into the expedition's final push to the summit, Atlas sees an avalanche from base camp. There's no way to be sure whether the team was caught in the avalanche, but when Atlas gets only silence on the other end of the radio, nothing and no one can stop him from going up there to find and rescue his father. Maddie and Chodak have family members up there, too, so against Chodak's better instincts they set out on a rescue mission that may be the last thing they ever do.
Is It Any Good?
This is a gripping and tense coming-of-age adventure that will have readers on the edge of their seats. One Wrong Step creates a nice balance between Atlas's grief over the loss of his mother, excitement over dangers faced along the way, and real-world events on the eve of World War II. Readers will relate to Atlas as he struggles to understand what it means to be always looking in the wrong direction. Secondary and minor characters are colorful and well developed. Historical context about Western attempts to be the first to the top of Mount Everest, and information about what the sport of mountain climbing was like more than 80 years ago come in frequent, small doses that add context but don't stop the pages from turning.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about teamwork in One Wrong Step. Why is it so important for survival or success? What do you think would have happened if the characters weren't able to work together?
What gives Atlas and Maddie the courage to keep going even when their chances of success and survival are slim? What would you have done if you'd been there?
Atlas thinks a lot about when to follow the rules, or when it's OK to break them. What do you think? Does he make the right choices?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Adventure
- Topics : Adventures , History , STEM
- Character Strengths : Courage , Perseverance , Teamwork
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Scholastic Press
- Publication date : March 4, 2025
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 8 - 12
- Number of pages : 336
- Available on : Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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