Banner in the Sky by James Ramsey Ullman

Banner in the Sky Reviewby 5042

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September 14, 2009: A 16 year old named Rudi Matt decides to embark on a courageous adventure dealing with the climbing of The Citadel, which is a Swiss mountain. His reasoning for this decision has to do with his father's failed attempt and death by the great mountain. Rudi's mother does not want him to do this for his life will be at stake, but Rudi sneakily climbs the mountain through a few lies and the help of his uncle along with a few others. In the end, Rudi realizes the importance of what a true guide would do when put in certain situations. Therefore, he decides that helping a fellow climber is the correct thing to do rather then finish the mountain.

Rudi is the main character of this novel. He is a courageous 16 year old boy. He feels like it is his duty to finish what his father has started which shows strong ambition. Rudi is also quite pushy. When he has his mind on something, he is going to do it. Another Character goes by the name Teo Zurbriggen and he works as a cook with Rudi in the kitchen of the Beau Site Hotel. Teo is quite old and crippled. The reasoning behind him being crippled is that he was injured when trying to climb The Citadel with Rudi's father. He is noticed as being a kind man who tries to defend Rudi. He often gazes to the mountain wishing that he could have finished it. Captain Winters also plays an important. He helps lead Rudi through a great portion of the mountain. With out Captain Winters, Rudi would have probably gotten lost early on. Captain Winters is found to be a level headed man. In the book Emil Saxo, another climber, becomes frustrated with the thought that Kurtal guides may be stealing the mountain. Captain Winters ends up calming him down a great deal.

"You save my life," said Saxo. " You could have climbed to the top, but instead you save my life."

This was an important passage in Banner in the Sky. Rudi decided to save Saxo's life rather then reach the top of The Citadel. " You could have climbed to the top, but instead you save my life." It shows that Rudi learned where his priorities should really lie.

In James Ramsey Ullman's novel, Banner in the Sky, a great point is given. It deals with what is the right thing to do in a given situation. Rudi shows this when he decides to help Saxo even though it means he has to give something up. There aren't any serious errors in the book and the main unusually thing found is the fact that a 16 year old could do something of this great stature. The book relates to me in the way that there are many things that I want to do to make myself happy, but that doesn't always mean it is the right thing to do.

Banner in the Skyby Anonymous

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September 13, 2009: Rudi Matt, a sixteen year old, from Kurtal, a small town in Switzerland, is determined to climb the Citadel which has yet to have been conquered. His father Josef attempted to climb it fifteen years before and died trying to do it. Rudy wants to follow in his father's footsteps and achieve his father's dream. When Rudi was out climbing on the glacier one day, he met and saved Captain Jon Winter's life, a famous climber who is willing to accompany Rudi on his journey to the top of the Citadel. Against the will of his mother and Uncle Franz, Rudi sneaks out late one night to join Captain Winter and Emil Saxo who is from another rival town in Switzerland. His Uncle Franz later joins them in the climb and gives his nephew, Rudi permission to go with them. Together Rudi, his uncle Franz, Captain Winter, and Emil Saxo achieved the dream of his father, to be the first to conquer the Citadel.