My Side of the Mountain
My
Side of the Mountain
by Jean Craighead George was one of my favorite books twenty-some years
ago. Since I'm taking a quick vacation from
Walden, I couldn't
resist rereading this fictional account of a boy who follows in
Thoreau's footsteps and carves a livelihood out of the woods.
With adult eyes, I see
that the author was purposefully referencing Thoreau. In fact,
her book seems to capture many of the best parts of Walden without descending into
long-winded philosophizing. 
And,
unlike most kids books I reread, My
Side of the Mountain seems to have improved with age.
So, if you're one of my
many readers who started Walden and then gave up in disgust, here's a
book I can whole-heartedly recommend to take its place. Wild
edibles, animal snares, hiding from authorities, and much more.
Just as inspiring now as when it was written over fifty years ago.
Plus, I just realized there's now a sequel!
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About us: Anna Hess and Mark Hamilton spent over a decade living self-sufficiently in the mountains of Virginia before moving north to start over from scratch in the foothills of Ohio. They've experimented with permaculture, no-till gardening, trailersteading, home-based microbusinesses and much more, writing about their adventures in both blogs and books.
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Hi--I'm waiting for one with a girl-hero, who does what this boy does! I liked the sequel because of the raptors, if I remember it right. Mainly I wanted to comment on your creek photo--thank you!!
About a girl heroine who survives "in the wild" alone. Has anyone ever heard of Nobody's Girl? She hid out in an isolated cabin on an island. The best part was how she wove sandals out of rushes, I think. This writer, Malot, must have written before WWI.
Charity --- A slight fan, huh?
Mom --- You're right that the book needed a girl hero! And I can't quite figure out why the hero wasn't a girl since the author is a woman?! Mark thinks her publisher might have told her that was too unrealistic since the book was published quite a while ago?
I clearly need to (re)-read Nobody's Girl. I can't actually remember if I read it or not, although I do remember you talking about it.
Oh, I read this book over and over when I was a kid. I still think about it when I see dead trees that might be just big enough to curl up in, or when I make blueberry jam or see a falcon! I don't remember enjoying the sequel as much, but then again, I'm sure I never read it as many times.
PS Thank you again for the walking onion topsets! They arrived safe and sound and will be ready to go in the ground as soon as New England is no longer 100*
My Side of the Mountain was one of my favorite books when I was young. So much so that when my parents wouldn't buy me a copy, I stole one from the library. I've bought a few additional copies over the years, as the one I had became too dog-eared and worn to be useable. I've also read the two sequels, The Far Side of the Mountain and Frightful's Mountain, but they weren't nearly as good.
That entire genre was my favorite growing up. Among my other favorites were Swiss Family Robinson, Hatchet, Island of the Blue Dolphins, and Call it Courage
Irma --- I'm pretty sure I haven't seen the movie, but Mark saw it and (I think) liked it.
John --- Glad to jog your memory.
Zoe --- I just finished the sequel this morning, and I agree --- not quite so good. I'll still probably read book three, though. Glad to hear the onions arrived safely!
Drake --- Tch tch! But I'm not one to speak --- I disliked the epilogue to one favorite book so much when I was a kid that I whipped out my scissors and cut it out. If the pages aren't there, those events didn't happen, right? I remember photocopying another favorite book at the library and taping it together --- it was short enough that the process was cost effective, but I was terrified the whole time that I'd be caught and sent to jail for copyright infringement.
I should probably read Swiss Family Robinson. I feel like I only saw the movie? I did love Hatchet, but not quite as much as My Side of the Mountain. It's more realistic, but less idealistic. (I just reread Hatchet, actually, to compare the two.)
Angela --- Glad to hear you loved it as much as I did!
This is a trilogy so there are two more books to enjoy:
2 On the Far Side of the Mountain
3 Frightful's Mountain
Then there are books about Frightful's descendants - we have not read them but discovered the titles in a search for sequels as my son fell in love with the book last year. They might be more sequels or a new series with familiar characters.
4 Frightful's Daughter
5 Frightful's Daughter Meets the Baron Weasel.
We are just hoping the rest of the books are as engrossing as the first was.