LEEPIKE RIDGE
by N. D. Wilson
Yearling/Random House Children's Books
Hardcover: 0375838732
Paperback: 9780375838743
Ages 8-12
256 pages

Eleven-year-old Thomas Hammond is having a rough time. His dad died three years ago, leaving him and his mom alone in their house perched on top of the rock. They scrape by, surviving together, yet his mother begins to feel that Tom needs a father figure. In steps Mr. Jeffrey Veatch. Tom doesn't like him and his mom doesn't seem to either, but he appears to mean well. Then one day, Mr. Veatch proposes marriage.

Tom can't sleep that night, knowing his mom is contemplating Mr. Veatch's proposal and dreading the outcome. So he decides to sneak out his window and go down to the river where he likes to explore. He often finds solace amongst the weeping willows and the wildlife living there.

On this night he also finds the huge chunk of packing foam that had arrived that day with the new refrigerator. The wind had blown it off the porch. Tom decides to hop aboard and float downstream on it like a raft. At first, the trip is awesome, and Tom floats pleasantly along watching the stars and listening to the cicadas. And then he falls asleep.

Tom awakes to find himself caught up in a swift current. Before he can swim for shore, the water throws him up against the rocky mountain and then sucks him into a complex system of underground caves. He fights for air as the river pulls him under and throws him against the rocks. Completely exhausted and battered from head to toe, Tom finally comes to rest on a gravel beach inside the cave. In total darkness, he pulls himself up onto the beach and finds that he's not alone --- he shares the beach with a dead man!

So begins Tom's exciting quest to survive and find a way out of the caves. Along the way he discovers a few other captives of the mountain, including a helpful dog and a veteran survivor, a treasure hunter stuck inside for three long years. But Tom is determined to get back home, and the three of them set out on the adventure of a lifetime.
     
LEEPIKE RIDGE is N. D. Wilson's first book for kids, and he has created an amazing adventure. Wilson has a unique and refreshing writing style that brings his story to life ("After a few mouthfuls of the moon-flavored air…"). And his colorful characters and dry humor add real spice to this action-packed page-turner. Wilson's brilliant story will remind us all to appreciate the real treasures in life, like sunrises and stars, and friends and family.

   --- Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman, author of FINDING MY LIGHT and THE BLACK POND

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