Book Review: My Side of the Mountain

1. What was the author's purpose(s) in writing this book, and how can you tell? How well was this purpose achieved?
2. Pick a character that interested you and write about them in depth. You can also analyze a relationship between two different characters.                              

        My Side of the Mountain was a fictional book written by Jean Craighead George. It is about a boy named Sam who goes to live in the forests of the Catskill Mountains because its is too crowded at home. In the woods he, looks for his grandpa's old farm. Sam survives by making his own house, foraging berries, and hunting animals. Along the way he makes many animal friends and human friends. Sam experiences many problems when during his first few days trying to survive. He can't make a fire, and has trouble finding a place to live. Over time he makes a home from a giant old tree and learns how to easily makes a fire. 
       There are many reasons why Jean Craighead George wrote My Side of The Mountain. Two of those reasons include telling about her own life, and educating her audience about wildlife and nature. George talks a lot about her own life when she was young and tried to run away. She also gives instruction on how to make survival tools like a hook and traps.
      In the preface George talked about her life when she was younger and the things she did. I think George wrote this book because she planned to run away only to be back at her house some time later. This is exemplified when she writes, " As I envisioned it, I would live by a waterfall in the woods and catch fish on hooks made from forks of tree limbs" (George, ix). George had already planned to run away, but later it said, "Forty minutes later I was home" (George, ix). I think the adventures of Sam were all the events George imagined when she was planning on running away. George ran away at a very young age, and since she was so young, couldn't handle being alone and caring for herself. After she ran away she probably wrote down everything she was going to do and put them all together to create this book. Over time George probably went did go on some of the adventures Sam went on, thus expanding on what it was really like and giving a sense of realism to the readers.
      Another reason why she might have wrote this book was to educate people of all ages about wildlife and the nature. The things that Sam do in this book are explained in depth with lots of detail. It even incorporates detailed pictures/diagrams. Some of them were about how to make a fishing hook out of tree branches, and how to make dead fall traps to catch animals. It seems that George either went out and did these things herself when she was older, did research, or learned from an expert.. The diagrams in this book are explained in so much detail, that it could be used as an alternative survival guide. George talked about making hooks from tree limbs in the preface, and later Sam explained how to make it. This could be very useful to someone who is lost camping needing a tool to get food. George probably wanted people to know more about survival and how people interact with nature. Overall George's purpose in writing this book was achieved very well.
      One of the most interesting characters in My Side of The Mountain, was Bando. Bando was a stranger found sleeping next to Sam's tree and his store house. He was an English Teacher that happened to get lost in the woods of the Catskills and found Sam's camp. He calls Sam Thoreau.
      Bando is a very friendly person who thinks his life is boring when he meets Sam. Sam has been  living in the woods for quite a long time and has made himself a house, and many other necessities he needs to survive. Bando was from the city, and when he saw the way Sam was living, he thought he had a boring life. This is exemplified when Bando says, "Thoreau, I have led a varied life- dishwasher, sax player, teacher. To me it has been and interesting life. Just now it seems very dull." (George, p81) Bando seems to really love the woods. He makes friends with a stranger and even lives with him whenever he has free time. Bando probably thought that since Sam's way was living was very adventurous with many unpredictable factors, it made his life very dull and boring. Since Bando was an English teacher, his time there was limited and could only visit when he has break. I think that Bando didn't live with his family. He was living with Sam whenever he had free time. Wouldn't he spend at least some time with his family? He was with Sam even during Christmas. It mentioned somewhere in the book that Bando was rather old, so I assume that his family no longer lives with him, and that his wife had died some time earlier.
      Bando was also a very knowledgeable and trustworthy man. All the times he's visited, not once did he tell the news or another person. Bando was like a second dad to Sam. He helped him make jam, played instruments with him, and even brought some newspaper clipping to share and laugh about. An example of this would be when Bando read the newpaper clippings, it read, " Wild boy Suspected Living off Deer and Nuts in Wilderness of Catskills and Old Woman Reports Meeting Wild Boy While Picking Strawberries." (George, p121-122). I think Bando brought the newspapers to show Sam that he needs to be careful of who he talks to. Another reason might be to have a laugh at the people Sam has met. Bando was great company to Sam, and I think part of the reason Sam stayed so long in the woods was because of the thought that Bando was going to come.
      Bando's unique dedication to Sam's life and personality make him one of the most interesting characters in My Side of The Mountain. Bando adds spice to the story, making it more realistic. His talents and personality remind me certain people in my own life, making the character of Bando the best and most interesting character in My Side of The Mountain.