Bound To Stay Bound

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Booklist - 02/15/2018 Climbing-prodigy Peak Marcello has scaled skyscrapers and summited mountains before the age of 16, but crossing the tropical rain forest is deadlier than he bargained for. Fellow young climber Alessia and her bodyguard, Ethan, invite Peak on a mission to measure the height of a remote mountain in Myanmar, but first they must brave the surrounding jungle. Out of their alpine element, Peak and his friends confront vicious wildlife, unforgiving terrain, and foes who will stop at nothing to keep the team from reaching the mountain. Surprising allies new and old join Peak for the trek and the treacherous climb to come. The third book of Peak’s adventures includes the same engaging narration, exotic settings, and plentiful perils that won the series’ debut high praise, but the sequels have fallen short of the first’s originality and sharp storytelling. A rambling plot and flat secondary characters do little to draw in new readers, but fans of Peak’s wilderness exploits and his refreshingly old-school, antitechnology attitude will settle for a series installment shy of the heights of Everest. - Copyright 2018 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 03/01/2018 Gr 6 Up—Mountain climbing is the last thing on Peak Marcello's mind when he travels to Myanmar, Burma, where his girlfriend's mother is a diplomat. His plans for tropical rest and relaxation are quickly dispelled when Alessia and her ex-Marine bodyguard, Ethan, suggest they trek to Hkakabo Razi, a mountain in northern Burma that needs an official GPS height measurement. The adventure-seeking teens last survived a tempestuous climb and kidnapping incident in the Pamir mountains of Afghanistan in The Edge. Navigating through dense rainforest and encountering insects, a tiger, and perilous suspension bridges is daunting enough, but the trio is shaken down by unscrupulous police and stalked by a murderous porter they had fired. Just as Peak decides to call it quits, a climbing and spiritual mentor appears from his first climb in Peak. Smith's reliable attention to the culture, politics, and environmental habitat of his settings is engaging and integral to the action. Characterization of most of the protagonists continue to be layered. Zopa, the Tibetan monk who has appeared in previous volumes with fuller characterization, arrives suddenly and helps lead the way in this outing. The character's mystical attributes in this episode feel underdeveloped and clichéd. Details about Hkakabo Razi, flora and fauna, and climbing techniques will appeal to science and sports buffs alike. VERDICT Purchase where adventure-survival tales and Smith's previous volumes are popular.—Vicki Reutter, State University of New York at Cortland - Copyright 2018 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

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