Book Review: Lost on a Mountain in Maine

After seeing an enticing trailer for this Angel Studios movie, I wanted to read the book. Although written for kids, it holds interest for adults as well. Lost on a Mountain in Maine tells the true story of Donn Fendler, who, at age 12, got lost for 9 days on Mount Katahdin. I'm sure my love of Gary D. Schmidt's outstanding book, Trouble, which also involves a tween on that mountain, heightened my interest. 

What a harrowing tale! And how heart-wrenching those days must have been for his parents. I listened to the audio book on Hoopla. The primary narrator is a boy who presents the story from Donn's perspective. An adult narrator then provides tiny asides with deeper information and details about the story. Although I would love to see the movie, I'm not interested in getting the Angel app. I'm hoping my library will somehow secure a copy one day.

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Just discovered: My library has this movie available now on Hoopla! Hoping to find time to watch it soon!

2/23/25 - We watched the movie on Hoopla last night. READ the BOOK! Or watch the trailer. They must have taken every action moment and combined it into the trailer. It was heartbreaking, yes! But, oh so slow. As usual, the book is better than the movie. I was also surprised that an Angel Studios film would begin with so much casual cursing. At the outset, they are interviewing an old man about the occurrence and his language is not something you'd want your young children (who may be interested after reading the book) to absorb. Moreover, the book emphasizes Donn's reliance on prayer during his challenging days in the wilderness.