The challenge by Danielle Steel

This book is set in Fishtail, Montana. Peter Pollock lives with his parents on their ranch. Matt Brown lives on the neighbouring property and Tim Taylor is the third musketeer which makes up a group of inseparable friends. These boys have grown up together.

Juliet Marshall lives in New Yorke with her mother; her father had a midlife crisis and decided to move to Fishtail. When Juliet goes to stay with him for 6 weeks from mid-July to the end of August, she meets Peter and he invites her to spend some time with him and his friends at his ranch. Juliet and Peter's friendship slowly grows and Juliet becomes the fourth member of the group and spends as much time as possible with the boys.

One fateful day the four along with Matt and Tim’s brothers, head up into the mountains on horseback for a picnic and a day of fun, when things take a turn for the worse. The children become trapped on the mountain and have to work together to survive until the adults can get them out.

This book shows the courage and teamwork that the group go through to survive their ordeal.

The adults at the bottom of the mountain waiting for their children to be rescued go through their own struggles, but together they get through it and Beth, Juliet’s mum, realises that destiny is strange, and we meet people for a reason at the right time. Life is like the mountain. Ever challenging, frightening at times, dangerous, exciting, deceptive, alluring, with hidden crevasses and ravines. And then you go home with the memories and the victory that you had survived it.

This is a well written novel that will appeal to a wide range of audiences.

I highly recommend this book.

Themes: Adventure, friendship, Hiking, Montana, Missing children.

Karen Colliver