THE SUMMER I WAS LOST.

By PhillipViereck '4B. New York: The John DayCo., 1965. 158 pp. $3.75.

Although written primarily for the entertainment and enlightenment of adventurous lads, this account of how to get lost and how to survive should be of interest to many others. Adults familiar with the Pemigewasset Wilderness in the White Mountain National Forest, where most of the book's action occurs, will enjoy the narrative. Camp directors and trip leaders should read it too!

Paul had not "found" himself either at school or in his community. He was fired from a summer job in the fields, but that was his making because a summer camp experience was substituted. On a hiking trip across the Franconia Ridge, Paul strayed from his group in a severe skyline storm.

The consequence is best summarized in the author's own words, "During all that time I was discovering strength I had within myself. I wasn't worrying about a lot of unimportant things the way I did before I went to camp. And so maybe I could say that in finding my way out of the woods I found myself. For that it was worth being lost."

The author's close association with young-sters enables him to write with understanding of their personal problems. Paul was inclined to be an introvert but a mountain storm and his latent resourcefulness changed his whole character.

The authenticity of his experiences will be readily recognized by any who have had somewhat similar experiences in the back-country. The plot, the characters, and the scenes have a welcome ring of veracity.

Would that more children's books might be written with the lesson, the spirit, and the understanding of this excellent description of what it feels like to be on one's own, back in the hinterland of the White Mountains!

Mrs. Viereck's illustrations are singularly appropriate and add much to the appearance of this latest book on outdoor subjects by the Vierecks of North Bennington, Vt.

College Forester