Review: Fun, fast read for middle elementary students
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 22, 2012
[This review also appears on Andi's Chapter Books.]Andy Thompson decides to disobey his mother and to actually venture into the old abandoned house that is about to be demolished. His curiosity has gotten the best of him and he just can't help himself. When inside, he comes across a shiny box that has a glowing stick lying inside it. As soon as he takes it out of the box, he is joined by Jason Crew and his little brother Danny. The two are new to town and Jason already has the reputation of being a big bully. The two boys are quite rich and their father is taking over the failing lumberyard in town.Jason starts picking on Andy, demanding to see the stick that Andy is hiding behind his back. Andy tries to scare off the boys by talking about the legend that the house used to belong to a witch who now lives up on the mountain and still keeps watch over what goes on inside. When the boys start to wrestle over the stick, Andy calls Jason a toad and suddenly he turns into one! No matter what they try, they can't turn Jason back into a boy. Danny decides they need to go seek out the witch who lives up on the mountain, and their crazy adventure really begins.Hike Up Devil's Mountain by Penny Estelle is cute and full of adventure for elementary-aged readers. The boys encounter all kinds of obstacles as they climb the mountain, sometimes seeming to barely escape with their lives. When they finally find their way to the witch, the boys are faced with a big surprise and Andy learns something new about himself. There is enough action to keep the pages moving quickly. It would work well both as a read-aloud and for independent reading by middle elementary students.It's an adventure in fantasy and magic and has a small lesson for bullies. It felt a little short, but perhaps could lead to a whole series about Andy and his adventures. I read it on my lunch break and look forward to sharing it with the elementary students in my life.I received a complimentary copy of this book from BookRooster in exchange for my honest review.