Alive in the Death Zone

by Lincoln Hall


Random House Australia. Junior Nonfiction, Australian. Hardback rrp $29.95

Every boy loves an adventure and this is a gigantic one – a real Australian story. Many primary school readers will already be familiar with the name of Lincoln Hall who in 2006 almost died on Mount Everest. His miraculous survival was headline news around the world.

In Alive in the Death Zone, Hall discusses why people climb mountains and how he first developed a passion for climbing when he was fifteen and the new Physical Education teacher took the class rock-climbing. He then takes the reader on some of his early experiences.

There is an interesting section on the history of climbing and stories of great feats such as the first successful ascent of Everest by Sir Edmund Hilary and Tenzing. The highlight is Hall’s own story – his fateful climb, subsequent rescue and long road to recovery.

Information is organised into chapters, sidebars and boxes – a technique sure to keep the interest of the reader. Lists of mountain heights and what Lincoln Hall carries in his climbing pack are effectively used to break up more concentrated information.

This book will appeal to anyone with a love of adventure or a fascination for mountain climbing. Boys especially will love it.

http://www.lincolnhall.net/

Review by Sandy Fussell reprinted courtesy of CoastKids Illawarra http://www.coastkidsillawarra.com/