Halfway to the Sky by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
August 25, 2007 — Mary Childs
[This is one of those "don't-judge-a-book-by-its-cover" books!]
What would cause you to run away from home? For 12-year-old Dani (real name: Katahdin) it was the death of her brother (name: Springer) from muscular dystrophy, the divorce of her parents, and the way her life looked after tho
se two tragedies.
And if you were running away from home, where would you go? Dani decided she wanted to hike the Appalachian Trail, one long continuous 2170-MILE trail running from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine. (See map) If those mountain names are familiar, you should know that Dani’s parents met, and were married, while they were hiking the trail.
Now if you’re running away from home, and soon after the start of your escape your mom comes to find you to take you back home, what would you do? Well, I guess you can read Halfway to the Sky to find out what happens from here. Does she achieve her goal of becoming a “thru-hiker” on the Appalachian Trail?
Knowing people who have hiked parts of the Trail “section-hikers”, I liked reading more about what it’s like to hike the trail. Readers who like “problem” books about how people react to challenges in their life will enjoy seeing how Dani hikes her way through her challenges.
[Map image from http://www.appalachiantrail.com/]
October 17, 2007 at 9:22 am
Halfway to the Sky was one of my favorite Maud Hart Lovelace books. I liked it for several reasons. I learned a great deal from this book. I had never heard of the Appalachian Trail, but after reading this book I was able to visualize what the experience was about. I also enjoyed the conflict between Dani and her family. Because my parents divorced when I was 12, I was able to connect to Dani and her feelings. The loss of Dani’s brother was an added twist to the story. We know in the beginning that the brother has died, but more details come out as the pages were turned. One problem that was answered near the end was Dani’s relationship with Beagle. The way that unfolded was a surprise. Halfway to the Sky was a good read. I enjoyed the book and recommend it to anyone who enjoys realistic fiction.
Mr. Olson