Additional Resources

Continue the Conversation: after you've finished the book, use these discussion questions to dig deeper into the themes.

• What is the last thing you climbed? What's your favorite thing to climb?

• When Atlas first meets Maddie, he thinks they will never be friends, but he turns out to be wrong. What helps build their friendship? What does this show us about making friends?

• Reaching the summit of Mount Everest would be an amazing accomplishment. What's something challenging you dream of achieving?

• Atlas carries a scarf with him that is important because it was his mom's. Do you have an object that is very important to you? Under what circumstances would you be willing to give it up?

• Atlas has to decide whether to break the rule of saving himself to help the expedition team. When do you think it's okay to disobey a rule? Have you ever had to make that choice?

Creative Writing Prompts: Use these writing prompts to inspire a paragraph or more!

• Jennifer Nielsen describes Mount Everest so well that even someone who has never seen a snowy mountain can clearly imagine it. Write a detailed description of a place you know well: your backyard, a vacation spot, or your favorite nature preserve. Make sure to describe the smells, sounds, and feelings.

• Mr. Blake had a journal with secrets he didn't want everyone to know about. Brainstorm some other secrets someone might hide. Then, write a journal entry as if it's your secret.