Monster in the Mountains

Marie St. Onge-Davidson is president of the Essential English Centre in
Ottawa.

This latest Dylan Maples Adventure continues the escapades of the
12-year-old boy from Toronto. On the heels of his harrowing experience
with the killer “reptile” and a fearsome criminal in Bone Beds of
the Badlands (2001), Dylan travels to the resort town of Harrison Hot
Springs, British Columbia, with his parents, for a well-deserved
holiday. An avid reader, he becomes fascinated with stories about the
province’s legendary creatures: Ogopogo, the sea serpent;
Cadborosaurus, the Pacific Coast seagoing dinosaur; and the terrifying
sasquatch. Then Dylan falls asleep and “dreams up” a new adventure
that involves a new “friend,” Alice Emily Carr, and his weird old
uncle, Walter Middy. Together they survive unbelievably dangerous
situations as they race through the dark and mysterious B.C. forests,
hot on the trail of the dreaded Bigfoot.

Monster in the Mountains is a fast-paced, action-filled page-turner,
laced with a subtle blend of Alice in Wonderland’s dreamlike
adventure. This interesting aspect will make the book an even better
read for the more literate young reader who makes the connection. The
final chapter, “Death of a Dream,” will catch all readers by
surprise. Highly recommended.