76 pages • 2 hours read
Roland SmithPeak
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2007A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Chapters 16-21Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 16 Summary: “ABC (Advanced Based Camp)”
The next morning, they climb for several hours before making camp. They are halfway to the ABC camp. Holly is still having trouble acclimating, and the climb was difficult for her even though Zopa carried her backpack. A line of yaks interrupts their progress, and Peak is furious when some of the other climbers start complaining about the filthy animals, and then about the Sherpas, whom they seem to view as barely better than the animals. Peak tells them that Sherpas are the only reason any of them have a chance at making the climb. When they stop, Zopa tells Peak and Sun-jo to drink more water. He can tell they are dehydrated.
The next day, J.R., a producer, wants to record an interview with Peak. He asks him to repeat what he said about the sherpas. Peak is getting a sore throat and it’s difficult for him to talk, so J.R. interviews Sun-jo instead. Sun-jo is smooth and confident on camera, and Peak is jealous. His throat is getting worse, and he is worried that he will not be able to make the climb if he gets sick. The next day, they make it to the ABC camp and spend a day letting their blood oxygen levels adapt. Then they climb back down to base camp, having accomplished their most difficult test yet.
Chapter 17 Summary: “Letters From Home”
Peak sleeps for 15 hours the first night back at base camp. There is a packet of letters from home when he wakes up, from Rolf, his mom, and the twins. He is happy but also annoyed. If these letters can reach him, it means all the letters he sent to Josh—unanswered—also reached Josh.
Over breakfast, a cook tells him that Sun-jo is very sick. He visits Sun-jo, who looks terrible. The doctor tells Peak that he will live, however. Peak opens the letters from home in his own tent. Rolf has sent him $300 and a note that says, “I want you home” (123). Peak realizes that with those words, his stepfather has done more for him than his own father ever has. He ends Notebook #1 and sends it to his mother.
Chapter 18 Summary: “Secrets”
Josh, Sun-jo, Holly, Peak, and a few others have a secret meeting. Peak’s throat infection has been halted by the antibiotics, and Zopa thinks that Peak will be able to make the climb to the summit. He and Sun-jo then reveal that Sun-jo is Zopa’s grandson. Zopa believes that he should get a chance to make the summit attempt, as well. They also reveal that Sun-jo has forged papers and is not allowed to be on the mountain. If General Shek finds out, he could shut down the expedition and send Sun-jo to prison. Peak is annoyed that Sun-jo and Zopa never told him about their relationship, but he decides that he is willing to share the glory. He is six days younger than Sun-jo—according to Sun-jo’s birth certificate—so he will still be the youngest climber ever to make the summit. But if they are going to do it, they have to move fast.
Chapter 19 Summary: “Bear and Bull”
There are three groups. In order to get Peak to the summit in time for his birthday, they have to make sure that they are the first group to ascend. Josh decides that Sun-jo must dress like a Sherpa: It will be the only hope for hiding him if General Shek visits one of the camps between ABC and the summit. Peak realizes that if Sun-jo has forged papers, his birth certificate could be forged as well. He could be younger than Peak, and if that is the case, Peak wonders if Josh has realized it too. By taking Sun-jo, even if only one of the two boys makes it, Josh would still be able to claim he had brought the youngest climber ever to the summit.
Zopa tells Peak that Sun-jo did not know Josh’s plan, and he is not doing it for glory. If Sun-jo can make the climb, the notoriety will give him enough money that he will be able to go back to school. He will never have to become a Sherpa.
J.R. gives Peak a video camera and says that if they don’t all reach the top, he will have to film the story as best he can.
Chapter 20 Summary: “Camp Four”
Peak wakes up and is immediately questioned by Captain Shek, who has suddenly arrived. He asks questions about Sun-jo, but Peak pretends not to know anything about the other boy. He is surprised when Sun-jo appears from another tent. Sun-jo says he rode up beneath a pile of hay that a yak was carrying.
That day, they carry out a hellish climb to Camp Four. Peak cannot believe how difficult it is, or that it will get even harder. Holly tells him that she thinks she will go home after they reach Camp Four, but she still hopes that he will give her the story when he is done. When they finally reach camp, Zopa tells him that he thinks he has a chance to reach the summit. This revives Peak’s energy, and he is more determined than ever. Zopa says it will snow that night.
Chapter 21 Summary: “Arrest”
Two German climbers died in the night at a camp above them. The remainder of that team limps in and makes preparations to descend. Captain Shek returns and begins asking about Sun-jo again. When they claim to know nothing, he arrests Zopa and says he must leave the mountain immediately. They leave in a helicopter and take some of the German climbers, who are in the worst condition. After they leave, Peak radios Josh and tells him what has happened.
Chapters 16-21 Analysis
Chapters 16-21 set the stage for Peak’s final sacrifice and build on the theme of Friendship and Competition. When he first learns of Sun-jo’s age and the possibility of Josh using him to hedge his bets, Peak is enraged: So far, nearly everyone involved in the climb has deceived him in some way. Now, Sun-jo has done it as well. Trust is important on a dangerous climb, and now Peak has no idea if he can trust anyone.
Sun-jo emerges as a key character in these chapters. When Peak gets a sore throat, he resents Sun-jo for stealing the spotlight during the interview with the reporter. Even though Peak was not happy to learn about Josh’s plan, Peak still wants the title of the youngest person to climb Everest. Revealing his ego, he assumed all the media attention would focus on him, and when that proves untrue, it jeopardizes his sense of self. This is compounded when he learns that Josh knew about Sun-jo’s age and has him there as a backup in case Peak can’t make the climb. This diminishes Peak’s feeling of importance and takes away the only thing that made him necessary to his father.
Another revelation in these chapters further shakes Peak’s sense of self: The letters from home show him that his relationship with Josh may be a lost cause. His father could have been in contact with him for the entire seven years he was away, but he just didn’t bother. This is juxtaposed with Rolf’s concern for Peak’s safety and the money he sends for Peak’s ticket home. The theme of Fatherhood’s Meaning is highlighted here, as Peak has two male role models who both have qualities he admires. It is an emotional blow when he realizes that Rolf cares more about his well-being than Josh does, but Peak still identifies with Josh and wants to follow in his footsteps. At this point in the novel, he still believes that completing the climb may finally win him Josh’s love.
The tension increases as the mountain becomes a more aggressive enemy. After the German climbers die, the situation is grim. Peak is more determined than ever, but he is finally aware that the stakes are life and death. This foreshadows the important decision he will have to make as the plot progresses.
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