Kindle Edition Download to your Nook (eBook) Download from Smashwords (eBook) Amazon briankindall.com Category:  Children Publisher: Diving Boy Books ISBN-10:  0990932818 Type: Fiction Pages: 169 Copyright: November 7, 2014 ISBN-13: 9780990932819 Price: $3.99 (eBook) Blue Sky can climb like an ibex. Raised in the highest peaks of the Alps by the herd, and named for the color of her eyes, she thinks she's where she belongs. Until the day she rescues a young climber from a stormy peak and learns of the world of humans. Blue Sky can climb like an ibex. She was raised in the highest peaks of the Alps by the herd and named for the color of her eyes. They say her father was a fallen alpinist and her mother his beautiful dying dream… and so, as you may guess, she’s somewhat magical – strong and sure-footed on the peaks, and natural as an ibex in this harsh environment of wind, rock, and ice. Until the day she rescues a young alpinist from a stormy peak. The boy looks like her, and he tells her of the mysterious world beyond the crags. Sky longs to follow him. Can a girl raised by ibex in the mountains ever join the world of humans? Blue Sky must first fulfill her destiny with the ibex and find the courage to leave everything she’s ever known. A tale of self-reliance about a girl who finds strength in being who she really is and the courage to follow her dreams.     Excerpt CHAPTER ONE Old Stone was the only one who saw what happened that day. He was up on his favorite ledge, dozing. He liked being there by himself, away from the rest of the herd. He liked how the early morning sunshine felt on his fur. It warmed his aching bones; it soothed his broken horn. But mostly he liked watching the sparkling white glacier bending away down the steep canyon. When he listened closely, he could hear the ice moaning deep down inside of itself. That sound was the closest thing to music that the beast had ever known - the lulling, motherly voice of the mountains. Old Stone was enjoying all of these little pleasures when he spied the tiny figure coming up the moraine. “Hrumph!” he grumbled. “What a nuisance.” Of course, it was not so unusual to see humans in the massif. Over the years, the old buck had seen his share. But he had never seen one moving so swiftly, with such confidence and skill. And to his recollection, he had never seen a man alone. In spite of the annoyance, Old Stone found himself curious. He watched the lone hiker travel through the boulder field, and then scramble over the snowy bergschrund to the base of the tallest spire. The old ibex chuckled to himself. Although many had tried, no human had ever climbed to the top of that looming needle of granite. They always had to back off. Always. It amused Old Stone that here was yet another person to give it a try. But then the man made a gesture that caused Old Stone to take notice. Gently, almost like a prayer, he placed both hands, palms flat, against the rock. And then he bowed his head. Old Stone leaned forward, unsure of what he was seeing. It seemed that maybe - Could it be possible? - the man was listening to the voice of the mountains. He was hearing the music. Old Stone had never thought humans capable of anything but silliness. They were always yodeling and hopping around on the rocks like a bunch of clumsy, two-legged rabbits. They certainly didn’t seem to belong in the high mountains. But this fellow here, he was different somehow. Old Stone felt that it was true. This solitary man seemed to be a natural part of the alpine world. He seemed akin to the noble ibex. Old Stone couldn’t help himself; he suddenly liked this man. Tipping his face to the sky, the man peered all the long way to the top of the spire. He reached up and curled his fingers around a knob of stone. He jammed his boot toe into a crack. And then, with a mighty upward heave, he began to climb. Up and up he moved, a tiny soul scaling that immense granite wall toward the blue heavens. Old Stone never took his eyes off the man all afternoon. The sun crept overhead, raking over the peaks and casting shadows across the glacier. The air grew cold. And still, the man climbed upward, tirelessly upward. After many hours, the ibex thought to himself, My goodness! He’s going to make it! Old Stone was surprised to find himself growing nervous for the man, as if he cared one wit for what humans did with their lives. He thought, I’m going to see the first person climb it all the way to the top. But then the man stopped. Something had blocked his way. Stiffly, Old Stone stood, squinting across the chill space. The alpinist had reached the most difficult part of the route - an overhanging roof of stone. He leaned out from the rock, reaching up and feeling for something secure to hold onto. Then he pressed back tight against the wall, hanging on with one hand, while opening and closing his other hand into a fist. “Come on,” whispered the ibex. “You can do it.” After a short rest, the climber leaned out again, his back arched, an arm stretching out to clutch at the rock above his head. He took hold with one hand - two hands - and then, delicately, he let his boots come away from the wall. Old Stone gulped. The man hung with nothing but the yawning space of air between himself and the boulders far below. He swung back and forth, back and forth, like a rag blowing in a light breeze. For a time, everything stopped. Even the music. The whole world held its breath. “Come on, Friend,” whispered Old Stone. “Find your way.” The man seemed to be thinking. He appeared to be considering all the choices before him. “Find your way.” The old ibex was almost pleading. “Please find your way.” The man laughed once - Ha! - and then said something in a language Old Stone didn’t know. His small, human voice echoed in the vast wilderness. It caused the hairs to rise on Old Stone’s neck. The alpinist held on for a while longer. But then he did the most horrible thing imaginable. He fell.

Kirkus Review
A fairy tale–like story about growing up and claiming one’s place in the wide, mysterious world.

Old Stone, a wise past leader of his ibex clan, is watching the mountains one day when he spots a strong young alpinist scaling the rock face. The worlds of ibex and human have been separate for as long as anyone can remember, yet Old Stone is drawn to this particular human. Although he ascends higher than any other human Old Stone has seen, the alpinist eventually falls, causing Old Stone to rush to his side. As the ibex reaches the man, however, he finds a human baby, who is now, it would seem, an orphan. To the chagrin of the herd’s alpha males, Old Stone and his friend Nan raise the child, whom they name Blue Sky for the color of her eyes. While Blue Sky’s childhood is for the most part as carefree as any other young ibex, her existence eventually forces Old Stone and Nan to retreat from the herd each winter—seasonal banishment for their adopting a human child. As she grows, Blue Sky begins to question her origins and her purpose: is she meant to live her entire life as an ibex? Why, when she spies the occasional human on the mountain, does she feel such a longing to join this other, somewhat alien species? Who were her mother and father, and why can she understand the language of dreams? The answers become even more evasive when Blue Sky rescues a boy, Gaston, from the icy peak, and begins to learn more about the world beyond the mountains. Author Kindall has crafted a dreamy story that will appeal to young readers because the narrative’s straightforward language and simplicity are easy to navigate. Parents may also find that the subject—finding the courage to strike out on your own and discover your life’s path—is fitting for children just beginning to understand the world of adults.

A subject and telling too simple for teenagers, but younger readers will be enchanted.