Banner in the Sky

A timeless outdoor adventure story, winner of a Newbery Honor, that will appeal to fans of Hatchet and Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild and Into Thin Air. Josef Matt, the only man to ever try to conquer this last summit of the Alps, met his end in the pursuit. Now his son, Rudi, dares to complete the same task in memory of his father. Setting off with his father's red shirt, Rudi must courageously pass through the same chasm that took his father's life and finish the challenging climb in order to plant the shirt at the peak. Banner in the Sky works well for both independent and classroom exploration. The author's own mountaineering adventures bring to life the struggles of sixteen-year-old Rudi to overcome his family's objections and conquer the summit that killed his father. As author Allison Tebo put it: "We can feel the rock scrapping our palms, feel our toes grasping for footholds. The thin rope cutting into our waist is the only thing that makes the difference between balance—and an e