Nightmare Mountain

I almost want to give this four stars, as I was so surprised by how much I liked it. But really, it is a junior version of a mass-market/ bestseller thriller. Molly is just a bit too smart & level-headed & brave to be believable, and all the interpersonal conflict comes together just as smoothly as the mystery gets solved.

But it only took me a little over an hour to read, and was a worthy read for, for example, a youngster who is either reluctant to read or reads everything they can get their hands on. Recommended if you're interested.

Oh, also recommended if you're interested in alpaca ranching.

Molly Newman is spending her vacation with her Aunt Karen on her llama ranch. Karen has a new husband and Molly has been looking forward to meeting him and his son. She gets along real well with Phil, her new uncle. Glendon, his son, makes it very clear that he doesn’t like Molly. Molly’s Aunt Karen gets sick. Phil has to stay with Karen at the hospital and leave Molly and his son at the ranch alone. While left alone Molly and Glendon realizes someone is stealing the llamas. The two kids come face to face with the dangerous thief who takes them to the top of a mountain and leaves them. This book kept me hanging on to the edge of my seat. Great suspense all the way through. It has kids the age of those I teach and therefore it is a show more book they may be able to relate to in many ways. The book was on my chalk tray for less than 15 minutes after I finished it before one of the students snatched it up. show less

Twelve-year-old Molly's visit to her aunt and uncle's llama ranch in the state of Washington leads her into unexpected danger and suspense.