Eilonwy's Reviews > The Farthest-Away Mountain

Dakin and her family live in a tiny village on the far side of the woods from the Farthest-Away Mountain, a peak that changes color regularly and which no one can reach, no matter how hard they try. But one day, the mountain nods at her, and she knows she has to go to it, no matter how impossible the journey may be.

I first read this book when I was around the same age as Dakin (mid teens), and I loved it with all my heart. I then half wanted to reread it sometime, and half feared that no way could it possibly live up to all that love ever again, now that I have an old, cold, cynical adult heart.

I finally decided to reread it anyway. And thank goodness, I really enjoyed it this time, as well.

This is so different from modern YA books, both in the writing style and in its potential age range, as this could absolutely be read and enjoyed by both young kids and teens. On the one hand, it's mature-ish, as Dakin is of an age to be considering marriage and giving up kid stuff. On the other hand, it's an age-group-less, pragmatic, sunny story about a young girl who gets where she wants to go via a combination of her own problem-solving skills and some help from her friends, since she has the sense to treat everyone she meets on her journey with respect and kindness, which they then reciprocate. It doesn't quite fit into a modern literary category.

I loved the sheer creativity of this story. It's got unusual characters and surprising solutions to the obstacles Dakin confronts as she tackles her quest with determination, cleverness, and resilience despite some setbacks.

There are also great illustrations, which capture both the charm of the story and the menace Dakin faces (some of those obstacles are a bit scary).

I might give this book four stars, because I'm just a sourpuss these years. But Teen Eilonwy would have given this five stars, and she's who this book was written for. So her rating stands.