Info
- Illustrated by Stevie Lewis
- Age: 4 – 8 years
- Publisher: Yosemite Conservancy (August 05, 2025)
- ISBN-10: 1951179331
- ISBN-13: 978-1951179335
- Discussion & Teaching Guide
New York Times-bestselling author Kate Messner presents a daring game of one-upmanship that pushed the sport of rock climbing to new heights during the Golden Age of Yosemite climbing.
Royal Robbins and Warren Harding were two wildly different men who loved the challenge posed by big walls of granite–some that had never been climbed! They paired up to attempt an epic climb on Half Dome. When they didn’t make it to the top, they went their separate ways and soon became fierce rivals, racking up first ascents around Yosemite Valley.
This suspenseful, true story offers a fast-paced adventure with a dash of sports history and environmental awareness, told by Kate Messner–one of today’s foremost writers of nonfiction for young people–and climber-illustrator Stevie Lewis, whose love of the sport is on dazzling display. Readers will join the journey as the climbers chase their personal passion for thrilling exploits, which in turn showed the world the heights that are possible when there is someone pushing you to achieve.
★ — “The Messner/Lewis team ascends to dizzying, breathtaking heights of text and art…. An edge-of-your-seat story of human dedication and daring, in dramatic circumstances.”
~Kirkus, starred review
“Two athletes with wildly opposing personalities and guiding principles clashed while becoming titans in the field of big wall rock climbing, and Messner charts their fierce rivalry, plus a bit of sports history, through their failed attempts and first ascents…..A solid snapshot of climbing history and a safe addition to collections where athletic rivalries thrive.”
~Booklist