Great Book for Adolescent Girls

Storm Mountain by Tom Birdseye

Adolescent Action/Adventure/Survival

Cat has slowly rebuilt her life after her father's death on nearby Storm Mountain.  She has a healthy respect for the environment and has devoted her time to learning everything she can about mountain climbing.  Her cousin Ty is the exact opposite, although he also lost his father, twin to Cat's, on the same mountain during the same storm.  Ty is a devil-may-care, hang by the seat of his pants kind of person and Cats knows how very dangerous this attitude can be while mountain climbing.  Ty gets the brilliant idea to release their fathers' ashes at the site of their deaths on the anniversary of that date.  Cat says no--she isn't ready to let go of her father yet.  Not to be deterred, Ty steals the ashes--and Cat's dog--in the middle of the night and heads to Storm Mountain and right into a blizzard.  With both their mothers gone and the storm getting worse, Cat has no choice but to swallow her fears, ignore reason, and plunge into the storm to save Ty and her beloved dog.

What I loved about this book was the strong female character.  There are so few action adventure books for adolescent girls.  The adventure story turns into one of survival as Cat struggles to keep them all alive during a blizzard and avalanche.  There are also great messages about grieving, knowing when to say goodbye, making a new start, and the important of family.