Among the better-written in the series. The main character, Mike, is something of a daredevil. He gets in trouble at school for climbing the flagpole. Then a friend’s parent invites him to go rock climbing, and suddenly he has a new focus that provides the thrill and challenge he’s seeking. He starts going to a climbing gym with his friend, and wants to sign up for a competition (of course) even though he’s only just started climbing. A miscalculation during a climb injures his wrist, and then everything seems to start going downhill. The injury isn’t serious though, and he finds out at the very last minute that he can still enter the competition, due to his father’s support, which surprises him. He thought his father hardly ever noticed him before, and had a lot of resentment. This was a nice turning point in the story. Mike’s younger sister had a serious illness and disability, requiring a lot of doctor appointments and care from their parents. So Mike, although he loved his sister, often felt like he wasn’t getting any attention. The whole family shows up to watch the competition, and then things are looking up again in more ways than one.
Borrowed from the public library.
