The Trail - by Meika Hashimoto (Paperback)

About the Book

Toby and his friend Lucas made a list of things to do the summer before they entered middle school, but now Lucas is gone, and Toby sets out to fulfill the promise he made to his friend: to finish the list by hiking the Appalachian Trail.

Book Synopsis

An exciting and deeply moving story of survival, courage, and friendship on the Appalachian Trail.

Toby has to finish the final thing on The List.

It's a list of brave, daring, totally awesome things that he and his best friend, Lucas, planned to do together, and the only item left is to hike the Appalachian Trail. But now Lucas isn't there to do it with him.

Toby's determined to hike the trail alone and fulfill their pact, which means dealing with the little things -- the blisters, the heat, the hunger -- and the big things -- the bears, the loneliness, and the memories.

When a storm comes, Toby finds himself tangled up in someone else's mess: Two boys desperately need his help. But does Toby have any help to give?

The Trail is a remarkable story of physical survival and true friendship, about a boy who's determined to forge his own path -- and to survive.

Review Quotes

"A must-read for anyone looking for a great adventure novel. I could not put it down." -- Roland Smith, author of Peak

"The Trail brings Toby's epic hike fully to life. It's a journey that's as much in the heart as on the map, and it's not one you want to miss." -- Michael Northrop, New York Times bestselling author of TombQuest: Book of the Dead

"In The Trail, Hashimoto has created an honest and tense tale that reminds us that there's more to survival than just living." -- Eliot Schrefer, two-time National Book Award nominee for Endangered and Threatened

"Action-packed." -- School Library Journal

About the Author

Meika Hashimoto is the author of The Trail and Bound for Home. She grew up on a mountain in Maine. She has traveled the world in search of calm forests and beautiful peaks, and found them a'plenty. When she is not hiking and climbing, she is a children's book editor in New York.