Junko Tabei Masters the Mountains

By Rebel Girls and Nancy Ohlin

From the world of Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls comes the historical novel based on the life of Junko Tabei, the first female climber to summit Mount Everest.



Junko is bad at athletics. Really bad. Other students laugh because they think she is small and weak. Then her teacher takes the class on a trip to a mountain. It's bigger than any Junko's ever seen, but she is determined to make it to the top. Ganbatte, her teacher tells her. Do your best.



After that first trip, Junko becomes a mountaineer in body and spirit. She climbs snowy mountains, rocky mountains, and even faraway mountains outside of her home country of Japan. She joins clubs and befriends fellow climbers who love the mountains as much as she does. Then, Junko does something that's never been done before... she becomes the first woman to climb the tallest mountain in the world.



Junko Tabei Masters the Mountains is the story of the first woman to climb Mount Everest. Even more than that, it's a story about conquering fears, personal growth, and never shying away from a challenge.



This historical fiction chapter book includes additional text on Junko Tabei's lasting legacy, as well as educational activities designed to strengthen physical skills and conquer fears.



About the Rebel Girls Chapter Book Series

Meet extraordinary real-life heroines in the Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls chapter book series! Introducing stories based on the lives of extraordinary women in global history, each stunningly designed chapter book features beautiful illustrations from a female artist as well as bonus activities in the backmatter to encourage kids to explore the various fields in which each of these women thrived. The perfect gift to inspire any young reader!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rebel Girls
• Release date: Feb 25, 2020
• ISBN: 9781734264159

Rebel Girls

Rebel Girls is a global, multi-platform entertainment brand, dedicated to inspiring and instilling confidence in a generation of girls around the world. Rebel Girls started from a 2016 international bestselling children's book, featuring real-life, extraordinary women throughout history, geography and field of excellence, focusing on creators, innovators, leaders and champions. Its community of self-identified Rebel Girls spans more than 100 countries, with six million books sold in 51 languages and 13 million podcast downloads.

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

Who wants to go on a field trip to the mountains? Mr. Watanabe asked his fourth-grade class.

Junko’s hand shot up in the air. She wasn’t sure why, since going to the mountains probably meant lots of hiking and climbing, and she was bad at sports. Really bad. PE was her least favorite subject at school. She couldn’t do the gymnastics other kids could do, and she much preferred reading to running.

This is not a good idea, she thought. She lowered her hand and pretended to sweep her bangs out of her eyes. But she really did want to try. It sounded like fun. She raised her hand again and made herself keep it there. Her heart thumped wildly in her chest.

The teacher nodded and smiled at her. Ms. Ishibashi. Excellent. Anyone else?

Other students raised their hands, too. Two boys sitting in front of Junko smirked and whispered to each other. She could guess what they were saying: There’s no way Junko can climb a mountain. She’s tiny and weak. Plus, she’s a girl.

Gentlemen, do you have something you’d like to share with the class? Mr. Watanabe asked.

No, sir! The two boys sat up straight in their seats.

That’s good to hear! And since it seems like enough of you are interested in doing some mountaineering, I’ll contact your parents and organize the details for our trip this summer.

Junko squirmed. Mountaineering. The word made it sound so serious. She was nervous but also excited.

After school, she walked home with her friend Hideo. They followed a path along the river, like they always did. Colorful petals from flowering fruit trees rained down around them from above.

Just ignore those guys, Hideo said. He must have noticed the whispering in class.

I’ll try, Junko said, still a little nervous about the trip. Have you ever done any mountaineering?

Yeah, on Castle Mountain, Hideo joked. Junko laughed with her friend. Castle Mountain wasn’t really a mountain. It was more like a hill, and it was in the middle of their town, Miharu, in north-central Japan. From the top, you could see the whole town—farms, temples, houses, shops, and even their elementary school.

Junko had hiked up Castle Mountain a bunch of times with Hideo and her other friends. She liked seeing the world from up high.

But Castle Mountain wasn’t that high. It was small, just like Junko herself. The mountain Mr. Watanabe wanted to take them to would surely be much bigger. From the top, you could probably see all of Japan.

---

That night at dinner, Junko told her family about the field trip.

Are you sure you want to go, Jun-chan? her mother, Kiyo, asked. She ladled steaming white rice into a blue earthenware bowl, added a pickled plum, and passed the bowl to Junko. It doesn’t seem like your sort of thing.

"Well, I think it sounds like quite the adventure," her father, Morinobu, said as he lifted a piece of grilled mackerel with his chopsticks. Behind his glasses, his brown eyes were cheerful.

Around the crowded table, everyone began talking at once: Junko’s brothers and sisters, the two housekeepers who lived with them, and some of her father’s employees from his printing company, who also lived with them.

"Will it be Mount Fuji? Or Mount

Reviews for Junko Tabei Masters the Mountains

[jetangen4571 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

nonfiction, biographical-novel, Japan, mountaineering, capable,*****

When she was in primary school she was bookish and not at all atheletic. Then a teacher encouraged her to try mountaineering. Obviously she came to love the challenge.
In 1992, she was the first woman to climb the Seven Summits, the highest peak on each continent – Kilimanjaro (1980), Mt. Aconcagua (1987), Denali (1988), Mt. Elbrus (1989), Mount Vinson (1991), and Puncak Jaya (1992). Tabei took part in 44 all-female mountaineering expeditions by 2005.
The illustrations by Montse Galbany are simple, delightful, imaginative, and colorful.
Well suited for reading WITH someone of any age including ESL, and great for gifting to anyone, but especially to a school or public library!
I requested and received a free temporary e-book on Adobe Digital Editions from Rebel Girls via NetGalley. Thank you!

[g33kgrrl · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a lovely true story about Junko Tabei, the first woman to summit Mt. Everest. It's a story of perseverance and staying true to yourself. It's a story about a dangerous sport, which isn't hidden, and sensitive children might be upset about a death that occurs. It's also a story that models a romantic partnership grounded in respect and equality, which is a detail that might not be as important to children when they are reading it but is a great thing to plant seeds for later in life. The artwork is also delightful. Once again, I love these chapter books.

Thank you to Rebel Girls for the eARC via Netgalley.