Peak, Roland Smith

The emotional, tension-filled story of a 14-year-old boy's attempt to be the youngest person to reach the top of Mount Everest is an action-packed adventure about friendship, sacrifice, family and the drive to take on Everest, despite the incredible risk.

In this unputdownable, spine-tingling adventure of a lifetime called "a winner at every level,"* fourteen-year-old Peak Marcello attempts to be the youngest climber to summit Mt. Everest. (Booklist, starred review)

The only thing you'll find on the summit of Mount Everest is a divine view. The things that really matter lie far below. After Peak Marcello is arrested for scaling a New York City skyscraper, he's left with two choices: wither away in juvenile detention or go live with his long-lost father, who runs a climbing company in Thailand. But Peak quickly learns that his father's renewed interest in him has strings attached. Big strings. As owner of Peak Expeditions, he wants his son to be the youngest person to reach the Everest summit--and his motives are selfish at best. Even so, for a climbing addict like Peak, tackling Everest is the challenge of a lifetime. But it's also one that could cost him his life.