PEAK

1
PEAK

• By by Roland Smith
• Interactive Novel
• PowerPoint

2
Synopsis

• After Peak Marcello is arrested for scaling a New
  York City skyscraper, he's left with two choices
  wither away in Juvenile Detention or go live with
  his long-lost father, who runs a climbing
  company in Thailand. But Peak quickly learns that
  his father's renewed interest in him has strings
  attached. Big strings. He wants Peak to be the
  youngest person to reach the Everest summit--and
  his motives are selfish at best. Even so, for a
  climbing addict like Peak, tackling Everest is
  the challenge of a lifetime. But it's also one
  that could cost him his life.
•          
• Roland Smith has created an action-packed
  adventure about friendship, sacrifice, family,
  and the drive to take on Everest, despite the
  incredible risk. Peak is a novel readers won't be
  able to put down.

3
Cover Talk

• Based on the cover of the book, answer the
  following questions
• In what time period does the story take place, in
  your opinion? Why?
• What can you predict about the main character in
  the book? Why?
• What can you predict about the themes in the
  book? Why?
• Why do you think the author used this color
  scheme?
• Why do you think the author used this font for
  the title?

4
Setting

• The story mainly takes place in and around the
  area of Mount Everest.
• It begins in New York City at the Woolworth
  Building.
• Most events of the story take place in and around
  Mount Everest. Other settings include the
  Peaks home, the courtroom, and Kathmandu.
• How does the setting (the when and where of the
  story) effect the main character? Why?

5
Mount Everest Facts
Number of people to attempt to climb Mt. Everest
approximately 10,000. Number of people to
successfully climb Mt. Everest approx. 2,000.
Number of people who have died trying to climb
Mt. Everest 189. Height 29,028 feet, or 5 and
a half miles above sea level. This is equivalent
to the size of almost 20 Empire State
Buildings. Location part of the Himalaya
mountain range straddles border of Nepal and
Tibet. Named for Sir George Everest, a British
surveyor-general of India. Age approximately 60
million years old. Other names called
"Chomolungma" by Tibetans and Sherpas, which
means "Mother Goddess of the Earth. Also called
Sagarmatha. Countries visible from the summit
Tibet, India, and Nepal. First to climb to
summit Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay
(Sherpa) on May 29, 1953.
6
View of Everest from Base Camp
7
Youngest to Ever Climb Everest?

• In May of 2010, a 13-year-old American boy became
  the youngest climber to conquer Mount Everest,
  the world's highest mountain, a climbing website
  said.
• Jordan Romero from Big Bear, California, scaled
  the 8,850 meter (29,035 feet) summit from the
  Tibetan side, on the same day a Nepali man broke
  his own world record for the most number of
  successful Everest attempts.
• "The team has just called in and confirmed that
  they are standing on top of Mt. Everest,"
  Romero's blog said.
• "Their dreams have now come true. Everyone
  sounded unbelievably happy."
• The ascent has put Romero one step closer to
  reaching his goal of climbing the highest
  mountains on all seven continents.
• Do you think children should be allowed to climb
  Everest? Why or why not?
• http//www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE64L0TV201005
  22

8
Initiating Event

• What is it?
• The events or actions that set further events
  in the story in motion.
• The initiating event in the story occurs in the
  beginning few chapters. It is when Peak is
  caught climbing the skyscraper and is punished by
  the court for his actions.
• The rest of the story is focused upon the
  development of this situation and how it impacts
  the characters in the story.
• Why is this such an unusual situation? Do you
  think it could happen? Why or why not?

9
Main Characters

• The main characters are Peak, his father, Sun-jo
  and Zopa.
• Other characters include the other climbers,
  Yash and Yogi, Peaks family, Holly, and Captain
  Shek.
• Choose one character to describe in as much
  detail as possible and draw a sketch of this
  character. Include a border of objects
  associated with this character.

Character Description
Character Sketch
Dont forget to add a border of objects
associated with the character you choose to
describe and sketch!
10
Protagonist and Antagonist

• What is the protagonist?
• The protagonist is the main character of the
  story, everything in the story revolves around
  him/her/it.
• Who is the protagonist of this story? Why?
• What is the antagonist?
• The antagonist is the character (or force) that
  opposes the protagonist.
• Who (or what) is the antagonist of this story?
  Why?
• Some would argue the antagonist of this story is
  a force acting against the characters and not a
  person. Why is this? Which do you think it is?
  Why? Could it be both? Why or why not?

11
Rising Actions

• What is it?
• The series of events that lead to the climax
  of the story, usually the conflicts or struggles
  of the protagonist.
• Rising actions occur between the Initiating Event
  and the Climax.
• Work with a partner and answer the following
  question
• What are at least 4 rising actions that lead us
  toward the climax in this story? Why?

12
Climax

• What is it?
• The climax of the story is when the conflict of
  the plot is resolved. It is often the most
  exciting part of the story. It is sometimes
  referred to as the turning point of the story,
  when the plot changes for better or worse for the
  protagonist, or main character. Often, the
  antagonist is defeated in the climax.
• What is the climax of this story, in your
  opinion? Why?

13
Falling Actions

• What is it?
• Falling action is what results from the climax
  and how the characters deal with it.
• Falling actions occur between the climax and the
  resolution of the story.
• Work with a partner and answer the following
  question
• What are at least 2 falling actions that lead us
  away from the climax in this story? Why?

14
Resolution

• What is it?
• It is the end of the story and it occurs after
  the climax. It is when you learn what happens
  to the characters after the conflict has been
  resolved.
• What happens to Peak and Sun-jo at the end of the
  book? Why?
• Do you think the relationship between Peak and
  his father will remain the same? Why or why not?
• Write a short epilogue for this book explaining
  what you think will happen to Peak and Sun-jo
  after the story ends.

15
Mood

• What is it?
• It refers to the general feeling the reader
  gets when reading the story.
• What is the mood of the story, in your opinion?
  Why?
• What is it?
• The theme of a story is what the author is
  trying to convey in other words, the central
  idea of the story. Short stories often have just
  one theme, whereas novels usually have multiple
  themes. The theme of a story is woven all the
  way through the story, and the characters'
  actions, interactions, and motivations all
  reflect the story's theme.
• What are the themes in this story, in your
  opinion? Why?

Themes
16
Genre

• This book is a work of Realistic Fiction.
• What is Realistic Fiction?
• They are stories which take place in the present
  time.  Often the basic setting is real, or very
  similar to a real setting, but the characters are
  fictional. A book is considered realistic fiction
  if events in the story did not really happen but
  could have. The characters are similar to real
  people and their problems mimic real-life..
• What other books of this genre have you read?

17
Author Information

• I was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. When I
  was five years old my parents gave me an old
  manual typewriter that weighed more than I did!
  It was my favorite possession. I spent hours in
  my room clacking away on that old typewriter. Of
  course, when I was five I didn't know how to
  spell and I barely knew how to read, but I loved
  the sound and the look of the letters on the
  crisp white paper.
• Things haven't changed much since then. I still
  spend several hours a day in my room clacking
  away and I still love the sound of the keyboard
  and the look of the letters and words that
  eventually turn into stories. The only difference
  is that I can read now and I spell a lot better.
• What else would you like to know about this
  author?

18
Cover Analysis

• After reading the book, re-evaluate the cover
  and answer the following questions
• Is this a good cover design, in your opinion?
  Why or why not?
• Why do you think the author chose this particular
  cover design?
• What clues about the story does this cover
  provide?

19
Reviews and Recommendations

• One of the reviews written for this book, is
• "'Here's the perfect antidote for a kid who
  thinks books are boring. In his latest, Smith
  (Cryptid Hunters) introduces 14-year-old Peak
  Marcello (named by his mountaineering parents) as
  he's arrested for scaling Manhattan's Woolworth
  Building, in an attempt to graffiti his tag a
  blue mountain peak high on the side of it. Peak
  is headed for a long stint in juvie when his
  estranged father swoops into the courtroom with a
  solution that will get the media's newest darling
  the papers have dubbed Peak 'Spider Boy'
  immediately and far out of sight. Before the trek
  to China, where Peak's father runs a commercial
  climbing operation on the Tibetan side of Mount
  Everest, Peak's English teacher, Vincent, gives
  him two notebooks to fill, which will complete
  his requirements for the school year. This
  conceit allows Peak to tell his story in his own
  wry voice and to share lots of Vincent's advice.
  'A good writer should draw the reader in by
  starting in the middle of the story with a hook,'
  Peak recalls. 'I guess Vincent thinks readers are
  fish.' The hook here is irresistible Peak will
  try to become the youngest person ever to scale
  Everest overcoming Chinese bureaucrats,
  resentment of his father, rivalry with a Nepalese
  teen who has the same goal, avalanches, icy
  crevasses, howling winds, searing cold and many,
  many frozen corpses to reach the 29,028-foot
  summit. The nifty plotting, gripping story line
  and Peak's assured delivery give those who join
  this expedition much to savor. Ages 12-up.'
  Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
• Write your own recommendation for this book. Who
  do you think should read this book? Why?
• Give a star rating

20
Visit the Website

• If you would like to explore the world of Roland
  Smith and see the other books he has written, you
  can visit the authors website!

There are many areas to explore, including
information about his books, a bio of the author,
and ways to contact him. This is a great
website!
http//www.rolandsmith.com/
Take a good look around. I love to hear from my
readers. You can email me here. Receive my
e-newsletter to learn whenever I have a new book
coming out, or something interesting to report.