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Description
Atlas Wade has been climbing mountains for years, but after being forced to stay behind as his father joins a team of Mount Everest climbers, he sees an avalanche trapping his father's expedition.
Quick Summary
If a kid loves adventure stories where things get really dangerous fast, this one's a solid pick. Atlas has spent his whole life climbing mountains with his dad, so when his father heads to Everest without him and gets caught in a terrifying avalanche, Atlas has to figure out how to help from thousands of miles away. Nielsen knows how to write tension that keeps you turning pages, and while there's definitely some scary moments with the avalanche and the desperate rescue attempts, the story has heart and hope woven through all the action. It's great for kids who love survival stories or are curious about mountain climbing, and the fact that the main character is so capable and determined makes him easy to root for. Parents will appreciate that it's an exciting page-turner without anything too dark or inappropriate for the age group it's more about problem-solving and family than anything else. If you've read Nielsen's "The Scourgers" series and liked those, this has that same fast-paced energy but with a completely different setting and stakes.