On its face Lily’s Mountain is a story of grief and personal resilience. Lily is a strong character who is, for the most part, likeable. Sophie, as a secondary character also has some nice moments.

Here’s the part I have a hard time with, though. The whole scenario seems a bit far-fetched. I know people deal with grief in different ways, but I can’t imagine a mother sending her two teenagers out into the wild alone. Yes, the girls have had wilderness training. Yes, their mom makes arrangements with the ranger at the campground. But how could she have not seen this coming? For a family as close-knit as they supposedly are, this felt off.

Lily and her sister are supposed to be smart, but they make some really poor, really dangerous decisions. And though there are adults on the periphery, they’re never exactly there.

Author Hannah Moderow does an excellent job transporting readers to the Alaskan wilderness. Lily’s Mountain is a quick-moving survivor’s tale/contemporary fiction hybrid that has some beautiful moments and others that will probably excite the intended audience and make parents squirm (see above).

I actually requested this book without knowing anything about it. Put a mountain on the cover of a book and I am probably going to want to read it. I went in thinking this was going to be just another hiking adventure novel but was pleasantly surprised at how much this book made me feel.

Lily’s dad is an experienced hiker and mountain climber, so when he leaves to climb Denali again, Lily never imagines it will be the last time she sees him. When the news reaches the family that there has been an accident, one that her dad didn’t survive, Lily can’t believe that everyone is so quick to think that her dad is gone. Lily is convinced that her dad managed to survive a fall into a crevasse on the mountain and is just waiting for someone to come rescue him. She convinces her mom to let her and her older sister go to the base of Denali and camp, something the family regularly does, but Lily has more planned than just camping. The two sisters make the trek up the mountain to where the accident occurred.

When I first started reading this, I was convinced that this was going to be a book where Lily ended up being right and helps save her dad. It’s not very realistic but we’ve all read those books. Instead, LILY’S MOUNTAIN delivers a powerful punch and lesson on grieving and acceptance. It’s one of the first books I’ve ever read that has let a child character come to terms with loss in their own way. For Lily, she doesn’t believe her dad couldn’t survive until she sees the crevasse where he fell. Lily isn’t the only one who gets some closure in this book. Her older sister had a fight with their dad right before he left and the last thing she said to him was “I hate you.” Over the course of the book, Sophie gets to come to terms with her own grief and make peace with herself.

While this book handles a pretty heavy subject, I think it’s an amazing book for kids AND adults. Would definitely recommend this one to anyone who likes mountains, family ties, and a realistic ending.

An enjoyable story about perseverance and family. Lily was a very likable character, and I can see middle grade readers enjoying this book!

Apologies, I was unable to access this book. I am only able to access Kindke versions

I LOVED this book. I will likely do a full blog review closer to publication.

3 1/2 stars -
This was quite a touching novel about dealing with one of the worst things that can happen to a child. I thought the author handled it quite well. The writing was good, and the characters well done. I question the actualities a bit - can real kids in our real world do what the sisters did and survive? However, its a thought provoking read. There's not a lot of books done on this subject in a realistic way, so this is a good addition to a needed niche in children's literature.

An excellent book that educators should consider for it's vivid themes.

ARC copy for review....it's very much a coming and age story set int he Alaskan wilderness. For I found the protagonist...she may be young but she is determined, skilled to the point of attempting to climb the mountain herself to find her dad and nothing is going to stop her. However she has her venerable moments like pondering about the fate of her dad's climb on the mountain, and the possible outcome he died on the mountain. The imagery of the Alaskan wilderness very shines and is very much one of the important highlights of the narrative, as the protagonist often admires and wonders while admiring the scenery.

Lily's family lives in Alaska and climbing mountains is an important part of their lives. Although Lily's father is an experienced climber he falls into a crevasse when climbing Denali. After an extensive search he is not found and declared dead. In the absence of his body Lily continues to hope that he is alive and is driven to go to Denali and find him. She and her sister Sophie set off on a journey driven by their devotion to their father.

This is a beautiful story about family, closure and love. I found myself hoping along with Lily even though I knew it was impossible to find the happy ending she longed for. A wonderful book for middle grade readers.