Blue Mountain by Martine Leavitt | Book Review

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Tuk the bighorn sheep is told he will be the one to save his herd, but he is young and would rather play with his bandmates than figure out why the herd needs saving. As humans encroach further and further into their territory, there is less room for the sheep to wander, food becomes scarce, and the herd's very survival is in danger. Tuk and his friends set out to find Blue Mountain, a place that Tuk sometimes sees far in the distance and thinks might be a better home. The journey is treacherous, filled with threatening pumas and bears and dangerous lands, leading Tuk down a path that goes against every one of his instincts. Still, Tuk perseveres, reaching Blue Mountain and leading his herd into a new, safe place.

If I enjoy a book by an author, there is a chance that I will be ten times more likely to pick up another book by the author, regardless of what it is about. I really loved My Book Of Life By Angel by Martine Leavitt, and I am pretty sure she’s also won awards, therefore, I was super interested in Blue Mountain. Also? I was totally that kid who was into series like Redwall and David Clement-Davies (well, that was um, past being a kid- stop judging me!). So, yeah, I absolutely snatched up Blue Mountain because a large part of people likes animal stories, especially stories that are a little more pleasant than Animal Farm or Watership Down.

Blue Mountain is about big horn sheep. Specifically it is about a big horn ram named Tuk who is not like the other big horn. Tuk has been called to move the rams from the mountain they live to another, because their current mountain situation is dangerous – they are starving and there are predators all around. The move is a huge risk, but Tuk and the other big horn who were pretty much born at the same time as him are willing to take that risk, regardless of the older big horn. In all, not a bad story of migration – although one scene features a baby big horn sheep being carried off by an eagle at one point, and like an awful horrible no good very bad person, I laughed at the absurdity.

I think children will like Tuk. He is very loyal to his friends and refuses to leave them behind, to the point where he almost sacrifices himself to save the slower big horn. He is also brave. The gist is that the other sheep seem to be scaredy cats. Tuk, however, is not. So, there are plenty of moments where they seem frozen in their tracks, and he acts. Also, Tuk is kind of like the chosen one and if I had read this in middle school, I would have eaten this up, no joke.

In all, it is not like Blue Mountain will leave an impact on my life. I still think Leavitt is a great writer. I just was not bowled over by this book. That is fine, I am not the intended audience. It does have a great message about nature and animals and human impact on wild life. I think that this is a book which should work for the elementary school animal fiction loving set.

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April (Books&Wine)

April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.

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