More than anything else, Dominic Alexis wants to qualify for SummitQuest. His brother, Christian, qualified automatically – after all, he is the number two-rated ‘under sixteen’ mountain climber in the country. But Dominic’s only chance to get in is to snag one of the wild card slots offered by Summit – if he doesn’t make it, all of his dreams to conquer Everest are so much dust.Miraculously, Dominic makes it into camp. But he isn’t the only one hoping, wishing – even praying – to qualify for the Everest team. Can Dominic, surrounded as he is by experienced climbers, ever hope to make it to Everest?Discussion.Of course, Dominic does make it onto the Everest team. But it isn’t an easy job – there are over a dozen other teenagers at the camp with him, and all of them are vying for the top four places. Amongst that number are a variety of different personalities – kids who are hardworking and likeable, sone who are pressure-driven and stressed, and some who are outright brats. As more climbers get cut and the camp narrows down to the best of the best, tempers flare and fights break out. In the end, interesting choices are made concerning who will and will not be on the Everest Quest.This story wasn’t quite a “survival story” – that’s coming in book two. It was more like a “training-to-survive” story. And to tell the truth, I really enjoyed it. It read a bit like fan fiction – like the author wished he could have run away on this kind of wild adventure himself as a kid and was writing the story as a tribute to that desire – but other than that, it was an interesting story. The kids have to exhibit real skills and learn a lot as they struggle to balance their immature emotions with the very adult amount of responsibility that is placed on each of them.When vandalism is detected, the instructors sarcastically say that unless it was done by a poltergeist, the students are responsible. Christian brings about a vial of Dead Sea sand for good luck.One of the students refers to her boyfriend back at home. There are quite a few references to the rear end – getting up off it, kicking it, etc.“God’s sake” is used twice as an exclamation.Conclusion. A modern feeling story, but also an interesting one.Visit The Blithering Bookster to read more reviews!www.blitheringbookster.com
I always like to read the true stories of mountain expeditions and I'm a bit annoyed that there aren't more novels about climbing mountains. When I saw this series, I was a bit unsure about reading it because of the plot. A group of young kids competing for a Willy Wonka style magic ticket chance to go to a climbing boot camp and maybe get chosen to climb Everest was a bit crazy and would never happen in reality. Being fiction though, I figured I'd give it a chance but I wasn't impressed. The storytelling style of the author was good enough for the YA audience it is aimed at. The characters were quite well developed and written. I can't comment on how good the author was at describing the equipment and climbing itself as I have never taken part in the sport but it sounded pretty accurate. It had the usual YA cliche of the bully in the group being obnoxious and having no redeeming qualities. It also had seriously farfetched plot elements that left me shaking my head. Firstly, the two girls are competing for a spot on the team and one finds out that the other sleepwalks. If you put aside her 'not wanting to win that way' she MUST report that! For safety reasons you can't have a team member possibly walking off the side of a mountain to her death and maybe taking one of you with her! Duh! A 13 year old leaps off a mountain yet manages to grab onto the helicopter as he falls? Get real! Even stuntmen could die doing that! There is no suspense about who the traitor in the team is. It is so obvious from the start who it is going to be so there is no tension for the reader, trying to guess who it is. And then we get one of my pet hates-a prologue that gives away the fact that one of them dies on the trek. Oh great, spoil it for everyone why don't you. I really do hate it when an author does that.I did quickly flick through to see who died and it wasn't a great surprise to be proved right. Not for me I'm afraid.
What do You think about The Contest (2002)?
It's been a very long time since I read this series, but I still look at them on my shelf with affection. I remember reading the entire series in one day, and that's saying something for an elementary school student. I've also read Korman's Dive and Island series. I think it is wonderful that Korman writes such compelling, interesting, and most importantly, relatable characters for his readers to enjoy. The life and death struggles he tackles in his works certainly are tough and serious issues for his readers, but he writes in such a way that they are manageable. In short I really commend Korman for his works for children and young adults and think he should continue providing new and exciting works to his readers for as long as he is able.
—Hannah Linebaugh
This is a children's series that doesn't try to talk down to kids. Instead, these books introduce new terms and techniques from the sport of climbing that even many adults have not come in contact with. This series does not try to make reading easy. It focuses more on the story and the adventure. I do have complaints about the series, like the fact that it is a series. The beginning of books two and three both have to recap what has occurred to that point in the story. Just make it one book so that you can have the flow of the story continue with out forcing the reader to reread. It also seems questionable that anytime the team of boys goes anywhere they are faced with a major problem. Yet, I understand that these were written for kids. Together this series cannot be as powerful as Harry Potter, but will help kids know the fun of reading. I can't wait to go climbing in the snow.
—William
Dominic Alexis could become the youngest person to climb Mount Everest; however, first he must compete with the best youth mountaineers in the United States for a coveted spot on Summit Athletics’ Everest expedition team. The tension rises and tempers flare as the expedition hopefuls are pushed to their physical and mental limits. Dominic is disadvantaged by his small stature and age, but day after day his perseverance and pure enjoyment of climbing keeps him in the running. This is the first book in Korman’s Everest trilogy which entices readers with its modern references and swift pace. The characters in this story strive to not only prove their physical endurance, but the ability to rely on one another despite tough competition. Recommended for ages 8 to 12.
—Marta-Kate
