My Side of the Mountain

By Jean Craighead George

Grades 4-7; Genre – Fiction; GRL U; AR pts: 6.0

Fifteen-year-old Sam Gribley has decided to run away from his crowded apartment home, but unlike most kids who rarely get beyond their block, Sam goes from New York City all the way to the ruined farm of Great-grandfather Gribley in the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York. Sam learns to live off the land, and in the course of a year, discovers just how much he values freedom, independence, and adventure when faced with the challenges of blizzards, loneliness and fear.

Vocabulary
Writing Prompts

Comprehension Questions

Chapter 1

1. Describe Sam’s home. It’s in a tree he dug and burned out that’s six feet in diameter; his bed is on the right made of ash slats and deerskin; fireplace on the left made of clay and stones; chimney p.3
2. How did Sam know that a blizzard was coming? The animals were silent and in hiding; his hawk was nervous; it was darker than usual during the daytime p.7
3. Tell me about Sam’s family. He has a mom and dad, four sisters and four brothers p.8
4. Tell me the story of Great Grandpa Gribley and how it effects Sam?  He owned the land in the Catskill Mountains and built a home and plowed the land; the farm failed and he went to be a sailor; Sam found the land with the tree that had Gribley carved into it and lives 300 feet from it; he wanted to live on his great grandfather’s land p.9

Chapter 2

1. What did the truck driver say to Sam as he dropped him off in the forest? He was surprised and told him how he ran away as a child as well; Said he’d be back in the morning if Sam wanted a ride home p.10
2. Describe Sam’s first night in the woods? He was able to catch fish, but couldn’t start a fire to cook them; he made a shelter, but was so cold with the winds and he couldn’t sleep because of a whippoorwill calling p.17
3. How would you have felt in this situation? Listen to your child’s answers p.17

Chapter 3

1. How did Miss Turner respond to Sam when he told her he wanted to live on his great grandfather’s farm? She believed him and supported him; told him to come back if he needed any books to learn about plants, trees and animals p.22
2. How did Sam find his great grandfather’s property? From Miss Turner’s hand drawn maps p.22
3. How did having a fire during the night compare to not having a fire? It made the woods friendly and warm; filled the woods with brightness when the first night was dark and frightful p.24

Chapter 4

1. What did Sam find as he explored his great grandpa’s farm? Hickory trees; a small stream; the foundation of the house; apple trees; walnut trees; a marsh; giant trees p.26

Chapter 5

1. Why was Sam so careful and deliberate on where his home was? He didn't want it to be seen by people as they came through the mountains p.29
2. Why did Sam feel like he didn’t plan his time very well in those first few days of his adventure? He had started a home, but didn’t have any food; he would work himself so hard he hardly had energy to find any food; he’d get hungrier p.29
3. How did Sam put out the fire as he burned out his tree house? he’d smother it with dirt p.35

Chapter 6

1. What was the story the old woman told Sam? The mountain was haunted; little men play ninepin in the gorge at twilight p.38
2. Give me three characteristics the old woman has. Explain why you chose those. She was determined; strong; fierce; forceful; bossy; talked a lot; listen to your child's answer p.38
3. How did Sam get away from the old woman? He walked her to her home and then headed to the library in town p.40

Chapter 7

1. What did Sam do while he waited to see a peregrine falcon? Ate apples, went fishing and cooked his fish p.42
2. How did Sam escape the mother falcon as he stole her chick? He used his shoe to protect himself from her dive, jumped to a ledge below, sat down and slid to the next ledge; she saw her other chicks and left him alone p.44

Chapter 8

1. Who was the man at Sam’s camp and why was he there? A fire warden come to check the area since they saw smoke from Sam’s fire; they were worried about forest fires p.48

Chapter 9

1. Who is The Baron and how did Sam meet him? A weasel and Sam caught him in a trap p.51
2. Why did Sam want to catch a deer? To make a door for his home; make tethers for Frightful and a blanket for Sam p.52
3. How was Sam careful so the warden wouldn’t come back? Put pine needles in bare areas; cleaned up front yard; used dry firewood so it wouldn’t smoke much p.52

Chapter 10

1. How did Sam get his door? Someone shot a deer but left it; he got to the meadow and dragged it to the woods and covered it to look like a bush; then he cleaned his camp and hid in his tree p.56
2. How did Sam know the poacher had left his camp and probably wouldn’t return? He heard a gunshot far down the mountain p.57
3. How long did it take Sam to get the deer ready for smoking and the hide ready for tanning? Many, many days p.57

Chapter 11

1. What did Sam do to get the deer hide ready to be a door? Soaked it in water and wood chips in a stump for 5 days; chewed, rubbed and jumped on it to make it soft; he had to cut it down to fit the door opening p.59
2. How did Sam train Frightful to fly to his hand? He’d hold food in his hand and whistle p.62
3. Why did hikers come to the area during the summer? To hike through the meadow to the gorge p.64
4. When the two hikers were just about to have lunch on The Baron’s boulder, they left. What made them leave? The Baron running all over and around them p.64
5. Why didn’t Sam want Frightful to eat what she catches? Because she’ll go wild p.68

Chapter 12

1. How did Sam always know something was wrong in the forest? Frightful would be alerted p.72
2. Describe Bando. A college English teacher who got lost in the forest; friendly smile; kind; blue eyes; likes birds; knows how to swing an ax and build a raft p.80
3. Why does Bando call Sam Thoreau? Thoreau’s an old poet and writer p.77
4. Name five things Bando and Sam did together? Made jam; made the raft; smoked fish; gathering white oak acorns and groundnuts; harvesting the blueberry crop; went fishing; made willow whistles p.81

Chapter 13

1. What did Sam decide to use to keep warm for the winter? A clay fireplace p.89
2. What was Sam looking for as he dug around the old Gribley farmhouse? Anything metal to help him with his fireplace p.90
3. What did Sam find to help with his fireplace? A flat, narrow, long rock p.92

Chapter 14

1. What did Sam do to celebrate Halloween? He had a party by leaving out nuts, crayfish, smoked rabbit and apples for the woodland animals p.96
2. What was the result of the party? Raccoons came in Sam’s tree house and tossed them all over his bed and floor; Sam got sprayed by a skunk; animals found Sam’s camp and food p.99
3. How did Sam get rid of the animals? Made the fire big; yelled; growled and snarled, hissed and snorted p.100

Chapter 15

1. What is this chapter about? Deer hunting season and how Sam gets three deer p.104
2. How does Sam get three deer? Hunters shot the deer, but couldn’t find them after they dropped dead p.104
3. Describe how Sam made his deerskin hide jacket? Cut a rectangle with a hole for his head and sewed on straight sleeves p.105
4. What does Sam compare this jacket to? A Russian military blouse and a carpenter’s apron p.106

Chapter 16

1. When Sam went into town, what made people stare at him? His clothing p.108
2. Who is Mr. Jacket? A young man Sam met in the drugstore p.108
3. What important thing did Sam forget to do to prepare for the winter season? Why did it matter? Stack up a big woodpile; to prevent having to go out into the cold and snow to gather and chop wood p.112

Chapter 17

1. Why did Sam place “x’s” outside his tree house? It was where he wanted to pile the firewood so he could reach it when the snow was deep and then tunnel to other firewood piles p.112
2. How did Sam and Frightful spend their winter days and evenings? Eat breakfast; Go to the gorge; ice fishing; digging up plants to eat; go to the field and Frightful would fly while Sam would kick the grasses and sometimes a rabbit or pheasant would come up and Frightful would dive to get it; experiment with food; watch Frightful; write notes; go to bed p.113
3. Sam thought he would tunnel to get to his firewood, but what did he end up doing instead? Walking on the snow and digging for wood p.115

Chapter 18

1. Who does Sam compare the birds of the forest to? People who lived at his apartment house on Third Avenue home p.117
2. Who was Sam’s first visitor during the Christmas holiday? Bando p.119
3. Bando brought up newspaper articles. What did they report? A young man living in the Catskill Mountains p.120
4. Who also came to visit Sam? His dad p.124

Chapter 19

1. During the winter months what helped Sam know what to expect in the weather? The birds and animals p.134
2. Why did Sam oversleep after the rain had frozen into ice? His home was in a block of ice and he couldn’t hear any morning sounds p.139
3. Find an example of a simile on page 139. ice on a limb like shattering crystal; sky like Indian soup
4. What was the consequence of the ice storm in the forest? broken trees and limbs lay everywhere; birds and animals died of starvation p.141

Chapter 20

1. Why couldn’t Sam let Frightful go? He needed her still; she would have been killed by another female since she didn’t have a territory; he had trained her to have instincts made for man; she was a captive bird, not a wild bird p.149
2. What information did Sam tell Matt Spell? He saw the wild boy wearing a bearskin coat who ran away and lives in a cave. The boy has long matted hair and wears a coon-tail hat. The boy wears newspapers for shoes and does a lot of fishing. He lives off of fish, roots, berries, rabbit and nuts.p.154
3. What was the deal Matt made with Sam? Matt would come stay with Sam during spring break and would print what Sam told him to p.156

Chapter 21

1. What does creating the guesthouse mean to Sam? That he was not a runaway anymore; he wouldn’t be alone anymore and hiding in the wilderness p.166
2. How did Sam know his time on the mountain was coming to an end? Matt said photographers may be on the mountain; more and more newspaper articles were out about him; now that people knew about him, they would move him back to the city p.168

Chapter 22

1. Who came to visit Sam? The entire family p.174
2. Why did Sam’s family come to the mountain? They missed him; wanted to see what he was doing; his mom still wanted to take care of him and be his mom p.176
3. What did Sam’s dad begin to build? A house p.176
4. Summarize your favorite part of this story. Listen to your child's answer