(3) K-3 Cheerful watercolor and colored-pencil illustrations help introduce young readers to Emma Gatewood, who in 1955 at age sixty-seven became the first woman to "thru-hike" the Appalachian Trail solo. Chronicling what was actually Emma's second attempt, Thermes balances her subject's hardships with moments of beauty, exhilaration, and kindness from strangers. An extensive author's note and map/timeline endpapers fill in more details.

Reviewer: Renée Wheeler

(3) 4-6 Toby runs off to hike a rugged portion of the Appalachian Trail, a plan made with his friend Lucas, who has recently died. Overcome with guilt and unprepared for the weather and dangers, twelve-year-old Toby (accompanied by a stray dog) encounters numerous perilous situations. Toby shows considerable growth as the backstory behind Lucas's death unfolds. This dramatic survival story should keep adventure-seeking readers turning the pages.

Reviewer: Renée Wheeler

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Erica Magnus. The true story of Emma Gatewood, who in 1955, at sixty-seven years old, became the first woman to hike the Appalachian Trail alone in one continuous trip. Her inspiring story, told in clear, descriptive text, is accompanied by colorful (but often blurry) drawings depicting both Emma's struggles and her triumphs. A biographical note with a photo and source notes are appended.

Reviewer: Renée Wheeler

(3) YA When her friend backs out of their planned hiking trip, seventeen-year-old McKenna decides to tackle the entire Appalachian Trail solo. On the way south to Georgia, she meets and falls for enigmatic Sam. What starts out as an entertaining wilderness romance abruptly becomes a tense survival story--but McKenna's fierce determination in the face of very real danger stays constant.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(2) 4-6 Both outsiders in their mid-1940s Maine prep school, Jack and Early are each mourning someone: Jack's mother has died; Early has lost his beloved older brother to the war. While the writing is as minutely observant as it was in the author's Newbery-winning Moon over Manifest, this book has a stronger trajectory, developed when Vanderpool sends the boys on a life-changing quest.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2013

(4) 4-6 Eleven-year-old Megan (self-proclaimed city slicker) storms off from her family's Vermont summer home and gets lost on the Appalachian Trail with her fluffball dog. Tired of being a quitter, she decides to hike to Massachusetts to visit her best friend. Initially, Megan's bratty attitude is off-putting, but her woodland journey transforms her into a likable character and a true "Nature Girl."

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(3) 4-6 After her brother dies of muscular dystrophy and her parents break up, twelve-year-old Katahdin runs away to hike the Appalachian Trail. Her mother soon catches up with her but agrees to keep hiking for what turns into two months. Bradley delivers an engrossing tale of mother-daughter reconciliation, grieving, and life on the Trail.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam