Do aliens exist? Who knows? Will mankind fall? Who knows? Will all hope lie in the hands of the “Uncapped”? You never know. All I know is that there is one chance, one journey and a whole lot of action on the path to freedom. These were all the unanswered thoughts racing through my head after the first chapter of this exciting book. I welcome you the White Mountains, a sci-fi book by John Christopher. We follow three teenagers, Will, Henry and Beanpole on their life-threatening journey towards their only hope of a life of freedom from the Tripods. Their freedom lies in the White Mountains. This book is set on Earth in the future, but these human-enslaving Tripods make it seem like the past for the humans. So watch out, there are many great moments to come.
This great book had many strengths. One such strength was the author’s creative way of using the setting to intrigue the reader. First, I thought this book was set in the past from all the old buildings, jobs and places but soon after there were grenades, subways and electricity. My mind was searching the book for answers. Isn’t that interesting? Secondly, the author cleverly blended in some loose-ended twists, which always left the reader hanging. You will never know when a twist will jump out at you. Some people might find many books that they enjoyed to be quite long and tiring but the White Mountains’ length was just right, not too long and not too short. Finally, there were some great moments in the book when I had that scene painted in my head. It was like I was just staring mindlessly into a painting. There was always great scenery, description and detail. You may think that this book is a great read and perfect but I’m sorry to tell you that this book did have its weaknesses too.

One of these unfortunate downsides was the boring and pointless ending. There was no BANG!! Or cliffhanger, just some three page summary about how they felt and their thoughts about the obstacles to come. I always want to finish a book with questions in my head and with a smile on my face. The beginning and did suck me in and it was awesome, but the finish just sucked back in the thrills and excitement out of me. That was very poor. Secondly, some of the chapters were almost a bit plain and there was just too much to take in. It was overly descriptive to the point that it started to get boring and repetitive. What a shame!! You have just received my inner thoughts but now it’s time to reveal my true feelings about the book. Read on......

It’s time for the truth. This book was like a rollercoaster. At the start you’re waiting for all the thrills to begin slowly as you’re moving up. Soon, Whoosh!! You speed down, the wind in your face having the time of your life and sadly, you weep as the ride is almost over. You lift up your safety brace and you go dash back into the line to have another go at it. One of my favorite parts from the book supporting this idea was when Will was faced with this dilemma. He had to make a choice between love and luxury and the hope of freedom. I was on my toes at this moment. When I finally knew what he chose I was shocked but at the end of the chapter, the girl he loved told him the ugly truth and he has no choice but to leave. Talk about a great moment!! Now, are you still unsure about whether to read it or not???

I would personally recommend this book for anyone ten years and up. This is because some of the parts in this book had very difficult vocabulary and was a bit confusing. However it wasn’t so mind-boggling that a ten year old couldn’t read it. Secondly, I would recommend it to both boys and girls because this book had lots of action and mystery and at the same time, some love and romantic parts. So don’t be afraid to read it. Now, if you must know, I would definitely recommend this book because it was clear and a great read, it was packed with action and it had tons of nail-biting moments. It made me never stop turning pages and got me into reading. The book overall had great imagery, mystery and action. I would say that this work is a must read. Knock, Knock, Knock, what are you waiting for, the White Mountains is at your door waiting to take you to another world of great adventures!!