Whether or not you have read the mountain survival series books, MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN and ON THE FAR SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN, you will still be able to enjoy FRIGHTFUL'S MOUNTAIN. Frightful, the peregrine falcon who is "faster and more agile than any other bird or beast the world around," tells this story from her own point of view.

Teenager Sam Gribley became Frightful's parent when she was two-weeks-old. He took her from the nest and she matured into a fully trained hunting falcon. Both their worlds crumble when a man claiming to be a government official confiscates Frightful because it is illegal to own a falcon --- an endangered species in the United States --- without an adult falconer's license.

In this story, readers will find out what happens to Frightful, Sam and the evolution of life in the Catskill Mountains after she is taken away.

Can she survive in the wild after being an imprinted or domesticated bird of prey? Will Frightful mate and raise young eyases, baby falcons of her own? And will she ever find, "that one mountain among thousands, that one tree among millions, and that one boy who called himself Sam Gribley?"

These and other questions are answered in a story skillfully conceived by master nature writer and environmental protector, Jean Craighead George. Look for some new characters and get reacquainted with old friends: Alice --- Sam's sister, Bando, Jessie Coon James, Baron Weasel, Mrs. Strawberry and more. This is a warm story of love and letting go, for both boy and bird.

   --- Reviewed by Neysa Hess