Into the Clouds: The Race to Climb the World’s Most Dangerous Mountain (Scholastic Focus)

About this book

This fast-paced, three-part narrative takes readers on three expeditions over 15 years to K2, one of the deadliest mountains on Earth. Roped together, these teams of men face perilously high altitudes and battering storms in hopes of reaching the summit. As each expedition sets out, they carve new paths along icy slopes and unforgiving rock, creating camps on ledges so narrow they fear turning over in their sleep.

But disaster strikes -- in 1939, four men never make it down the mountain. Fourteen years later, a man develops blood clots in his legs at 25,000 feet, leaving his team with no safe path off the mountain. Filled with displays of incredible strength and heart-stopping danger, Into the Clouds tells the incredible stories of the men whose quest to conquer a mountain became a battle to survive the descent.

Reviews

* "An absolute must-have for all readers looking for well-researched and gripping adventure nonfiction." -- School Library Journal, starred review

"Olson writes with assurance and empathy. . . . Gripping, well-researched, superb entertainment." -- Kirkus Reviews

"Olson's meticulously documented research and creative writing make this an unforgettable story of courage and determination." -- Booklist

"This non-stop action adventure is narrative nonfiction at its best." -- School LIbrary Connection

"Tod Olson turns this true story into a tale more thrilling and suspenseful than any work of fiction." -- Lauren Tarshis, New York Times bestselling author of the I Survived series

"This harrowing adventure story practically puts you on the slopes of K2 with the climbers. You'll feel yourself gasping for oxygen, stamping your feet to fight off frostbite, and wrestling with the ultimate decision: Do you turn back while you still can, or make one last try for the summit?" -- Steve Sheinkin, award-winning author of Bomb and Undefeated

Praise for Lost in the Pacific, 1942: Not a Drop to Drink:

* "A riveting, completely engrossing true survival story. " -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review