Name Your Mountain
Name Your Mountain continues the story of a Choctaw teenager and his tight-knit basketball team; they help each other through tough games and tougher issues, including parents with alcohol problems and vengeful criminals. Full of action and easy to read, this novel reveals the power of friendships and of careful observations.
Bobby has endured a lot: his father is a recovering alcoholic, and Bobby drove himself into a lake. But both he and his father are now stronger, sober, and together. Basketball played no small part in that.
Now, the summer before his junior year, Bobby plays for the Achukmas, a team of Native American all-stars. His best friend Johnny is on the team. But the rhythm of Bobby’s summer is interrupted when it becomes clear that the accident that put Johnny’s father in the hospital was no accident at all. When Johnny’s family has to go into hiding, Bobby is terrified that he may lose his best friend for good.
Choctaw author Tim Tingle writes in short, clear sentences that keep the action moving, and the friendships between the boys and the adults in the book are full of physical affection and words of affirmation. Neither parents nor friends are afraid to reach out and offer hugs or comfort—a refreshing norm within a cast of young men. Tingle’s enticing chapter titles will keep reluctant readers engaged, while the overarching metaphor of the mountain helps to ground larger concepts of struggle and perseverance.
Name Your Mountain is an action-packed sports novel whose earnest, hard-working, smart, and loyal lead character helps his friends, speaking to the intensity of teenage friendships.
Reviewed by
Camille-Yvette Welsch
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
