Synopses & Reviews
The only thing youand#8217;ll find on the summit of Mount Everest is a divine view. The things that really matter lie far below. and#8211; Peak Marcello
After fourteen-year-old 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.
Roland Smith has created an action-packed adventure about friendship, sacrifice, family, and the drive to take on Everest, despite the incredible risk. The story of Peakand#8217;s dangerous ascentand#8212;told in his own wordsand#8212;is suspenseful, immediate, and impossible to put down.
Review
"Benoit’s handling of cultural diversity, adolescent religious awareness, and everyday technology in teen lives makes for satisfying, thought-provoking reading."
—Booklist
"Bullying, blackmail, and bad choices are interwoven through this cautionary tale in a manner that's relatable and engaging."
—VOYA
"With a quick pace, this psychological thriller takes readers for a ride, providing clues to the secrets the characters are trying to hide but without disclosing all of the information until later chapters. The coldness of the caller in relation to the damage he/she is doing to the bullying victims as well as the blackmail victims is particularly chilling."
—School Library Journal
Review
and#8220;Hereand#8217;s the perfect antidote for a kid who thinks books are boring. . . . The nifty plotting, gripping story line and Peakand#8217;s assured delivery give those who join this expedition much to savor.and#8221;Publishers Weekly (starred)
Review
"Extreme sports meets ruthless killers in a survival-of-the-fittest chase."
—School Library Journal
Synopsis
* “A winner at every level.” —Booklist, starred review of Peak The International Peace Ascent is the brainchild of billionaire Sebastian Plank: Recruit a global team of young climbers and film an inspiring, world-uniting documentary. The adventure begins when fifteen-year-old Peak Marcello and his mountaineer mother are helicoptered to a remote base camp in the Hindu Kush Mountains on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. When the camp is attacked and his mother taken, Peak has no choice but to track down the perpetrators to try to save her. Fans of the bestselling Peak will be thrilled with this gripping, high-stakes sequel.
Synopsis
* "A winner at every level." --Booklist, starred review of Peak The International Peace Ascent is the brainchild of billionaire Sebastian Plank: Recruit a global team of young climbers and film an inspiring, world-uniting documentary. The adventure begins when fifteen-year-old Peak Marcello and his mountaineer mother are helicoptered to a remote base camp in the Hindu Kush Mountains on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. When the camp is attacked and his mother taken, Peak has no choice but to track down the perpetrators to try to save her. Fans of the bestselling Peak will be thrilled with this gripping, high-stakes sequel.
Synopsis
Fans of the bestselling Peak will be thrilled with this gripping, high-stakes climbing adventure.
The International Peace Ascent is the brainchild of billionaire Sebastian Plank: Recruit a global team of young climbers and film an inspiring, world-uniting documentary.
The adventure begins when fifteen-year-old Peak Marcello and his mountaineer mother are helicoptered to a remote base camp in the Hindu Kush Mountains on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. When the camp is attacked and his mother taken, Peak has no choice but to track down the perpetrators to try to save her.
This thrilling teen climbing adventure is the perfect antidote for kids who think books are boring (Publishers Weekly starred review for Peak).
Roland Smith's Peak Marcello's Adventures are:
PeakThe EdgeAscentDescent
Synopsis
Born the runt of his litter and gambled away to a rusty old riverman, the Newfoundland pup Seaman doesnt imagine his life will be marked by any kind of glory--beyond chasing down rats. But when he meets Captain Meriwether Lewis, Seaman finds himself on a path that will make history. Lewis is just setting off on his landmark search for the Northwest Passage, and he takes Seaman along. Sharing the curiosity and strength of spirit of his new master, Seaman proves himself a valuable companion at every turn. Part history, part science--and adventure through and through--
The Captains Dog is the carefully researched, thrilling tale of Americas greatest journey of discovery, as seen through the keen, compassionate eyes of a remarkable dog.
Synopsis
In the vein of the teen suspense classics I Know What You Did Last Summer and The Face on the Milk Carton, Cold Calls is a chilling thriller, an unsettling mystery, and a provocative exploration of bullying, culpability, and the cost of keeping secrets.
Synopsis
Three high school students—Eric, Shelly, and Fatima—have one thing in common:
“I know your secret.
” Each one is blackmailed into bullying specifically targeted schoolmates by a mysterious caller who whispers from their cell phones and holds carefully guarded secrets over their heads. But how could anyone have obtained that photo, read those hidden pages, uncovered this buried past? Thrown together, the three teens join forces to find the stranger who threatens them—before time runs out and their shattering secrets are revealed . . .
This suspenseful, pitch-perfect mystery-thriller raises timely questions about privacy, bullying, and culpability.
Synopsis
Theand#160;emotional, tension-filledand#160;story of aand#160;fourteen-year-old boy's attempt to be the youngest person to reach the top of Mount Everest.
About the Author
Charles Benoits teen novels include Fall from Grace and You, an American Library Association Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adu