Hillary and Tenzing Climb Everest

Hazel Rochman

Part of the new Great 20th Century Expeditions series, this uses a magazine-type format, with color photographs on every page and a clear, readable text with many subheads. Davidson begins with the early expeditions to climb the Himalayas and then builds up tension as the 1953 expedition is planned, funded, and prepared. He describes the route, the reconnaissance, the first attempt, and the final ascent by Edmund Hillary and Norgay Tenzing to reach the "roof of the world." A final section looks at later expeditions, including the climbers who have done it alone. The facts of the adventure are so dramatic that the many exclamation points are superfluous, but the style is direct, the pictures are well reproduced, and there's a good glossary and a brief list for further reading.