MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN

How wonderful that this 1959 classic is now an audiobook. Narrator Michael Crouch introduces 17-year-old New York City resident Sam Gribley as he relocates to the Catskill Mountains with only a pocketknife, a rope, $40, and a fire starter. Crouch deftly embraces the speech patterns and vocabulary of the day, and warmly describes the atmospheric setting. Since Sam is usually alone, there's little dialogue, but his thoughts and endearing conversations with the wildlife he meets sound genuine. Listeners will particularly enjoy sharing time with Frightful, the young peregrine falcon Sam adopts, and trains to retrieve food. It's inspiring to hear how Sam adapts to nature and uses it to clothe, warm, and feed himself and his menagerie. Vivid descriptions of the seasons, storms, and animals offer a constant "you are there" feel. S.G.B. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2018]