• Age: 9 to 12
• Grade: 4 to 7

A gripping adventure of wilderness survival from the author of Nim's Island.

Raven is over the moon when she is the first to get to the mountaintop on a trek with her sister and new stepfather. Reaching the summit is like standing on top of the world: exhilarating and breath-taking. But her triumph is short-lived when the earth starts shaking and she takes a terrible tumble down the side of the mountain. Terrified and injured, she stumbles around looking for her family, only to realize they are alive, but trapped in a cave, impossible to reach.

Raven sets out alone to find help. But with no food, and danger lurking at every turn, how will she find her way back to civilization?

In the tradition of Hatchet, Facing the Mountain is the captivating story of a young girl's incredible journey through unpredictable wilderness. Readers will be left breathless as Raven struggles to keep her wits about her and find the courage it takes to go on.

Award-winning author Wendy Orr was born in Edmonton, Alberta. The daughter of an Air Force pilot, she has since lived around the world, including several years in Colorado, France, and England. She now lives in Melbourne, Australia, but returns to North America yearly to visit her family. Wendy's many books for children have been published in 27 countries and won awards around the world. Prominent among them is Nim's Island, which was made into the 2008 film of the same name; a 2013 sequel, Return to Nim's Island, was loosely based on Orr's book Nim at Sea. Orr's 2017 novel Dragonfly Song is a Junior Library Guild Selection and a Kirkus Best Middle-Grade Books selection, and a finalist for the prestigious TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award, among others. Its 2018 companion Swallow’s Dance earned three starred reviews and was a USBBY Outstanding International Book and a School Library Journal Best Middle Grade Book.

Wendy Orr's profile page

• Short-listed, Diamond Willow Award (Saskatchewan Young Readers' Choice)
• Commended, Best Books for Kids and Teens, Canadian Children's Book Centre

Praise for Facing the Mountain

"[A]n engrossing read, with an authentic first-person narrative...Facing the Mountain is a refreshing read for middle schoolers who want a survival story that has a strong sense of character, not just action, with a protagonist who uses her head as she is guided by her heart to make the right decisions." -CM Magazine

"Author Wendy Orr does a wonderful job of keeping the readers engaged through her gripping novel." -Resource Links, April 2012