Amazon.com Book Description (ISBN 0525462694, Hardcover)

In 1959, Jean Craighead George published My Side of the Mountain. This coming-of-age story about a boy and his falcon went on to win a Newbery Honor, and for the past forty years has enthralled and entertained generations of would-be Sam Gribleys. The two books that followed--On the Far Side of the Mountain and Frightful's Mountain--were equally extraordinary. Now all three books are available in one deluxe yet affordable volume for veteran devotees and brand-new fans alike.

Amazon.com (ISBN 0525462694, Hardcover)

Asked why the writing of the My Side of the Mountain trilogy took Jean Craighead George more than 40 years, she responds, "My mother disapproved of sequels. 'Those are trashy books,' she told me when I was a child. So I grew up and did not write them.

"But kids are wiser than adults, I learned. Letters kept arriving from schools and homes, saying, 'We want to know more about Sam, Frightful, and the wilderness.' 'Sequels,' they said, 'are important.' They were right."

Now, all three of George's remarkable novels about the wilderness adventures of young Sam Gribley and his falcon, Frightful, are available in one handsome volume. In My Side of the Mountain, a Newbery Honor Book, Sam leaves home to fend for himself in the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York. For a year he lives in a hollowed-out tree, befriending animals and depending on his wits for survival. In the sequel, On the Far Side of the Mountain, Sam's sister has now joined him, and his falcon is confiscated by a conservation officer. Frightful's Mountain is an interesting departure for George. Written from the perspective of Frightful the falcon, the concluding novel in the trilogy follows her efforts to learn to depend on her own instincts in a world crawling with dangers.

Jean Craighead George is the beloved author of more than 80 books, including the Newbery Medal winner, Julie of the Wolves. (Ages 9 and older) --Emilie Coulter

Amazon.com (ISBN 0147744253, Paperback)

Every kid thinks about running away at one point or another; few get farther than the end of the block. Young Sam Gribley gets to the end of the block and keeps going--all the way to the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York. There he sets up house in a huge hollowed-out tree, with a falcon and a weasel as his companions and his wits as his tool for survival. In a spellbinding, touching, funny account, Sam learns to live off the land, and grows up a little in the process. Blizzards, hunters, loneliness, and fear all battle to drive Sam back to city life. But his desire for freedom, independence, and adventure are stronger. No reader will be immune to the compulsion to go right out and start whittling fishhooks and befriending raccoons.

Jean Craighead George, author of many popular books for children, including the Newbery Medal-winning Julie of the Wolves, created another prizewinner with My Side of the Mountain: a Newbery Honor Book, an ALA Notable Book, and a Hans Christian Anderson Award Honor Book. Her rustic natural drawings lend authenticity and interest to the already remarkable story. This gift set includes George's captivating sequel, On the Far Side of the Mountain. (Ages 9 to 12) --Emilie Coulter