Subtitled How I Fell For The Wrong Guys, this light-hearted
tale shows us Mercedes Bennion seeking summer work in Utah,
aged seventeen, and answering the only ad which doesn't
require certifications. The Youth Conservation Corps wants
young people willing to camp. She'd be living at a Brighton
ski resort, which makes her more interested, and there's a
possible biology credit, enough to allow her to graduate.
Her best friend Conor Perry gets the same job, so they're
all set... despite the snow.
MY LIFE AS A LUMBERJACK involves wearing steel-toed hiking
boots, hard hats and jeans, and toting a sleeping-bag. The
other young people applied for the job ages ago. All of the
girls have a crush on the team leader, a Forest Service
man, so maybe it's not just the extra three thousand feet
of altitude which makes Mercedes feel dizzy. On their first
day, they have to cross steep shale mountainsides, looking
for unexploded shells which have been fired during winter
for avalanche control. By the end of the day, her blisters
have blisters. The food is plentiful, and the chatter is
lively, and they go home for the weekend, to rest in
Mercedes's case. Away camp is a change of scene - seeding
bare grasslands in the foothills. The Forest Service men
are even better looking, and clearly the outdoor life has a
lot going for it. Mercedes gets to fire a rifle, among
other outdoor skills, and learns about tree felling. All
her lessons are put to the test however when two boys break
the rules and put everyone in serious danger....
The amount of actual lumberjacking is slight compared to
the chatter around tables or on hikes, but all the teens
learn a lot about the outdoors and develop new skills. Our
heroine is not too sure of herself, gets embarrassed easily
and shares her dreams with people who gossip. At that age
we all make mistakes. The long-suffering Forest Service
rangers must be used to teen crushes and cope admirably
with everything from injuries to fear of snakes. The book
doesn't seem to have a direction, except to recount the
summer's adventures, but a lot of wisdom is gently passed
on by author Sara Olds and Mercedes knows herself a lot
better by the end of summer. I enjoyed MY LIFE AS A
LUMBERJACK which shows young people that there is more to
concern themselves with than popularity and fashion, and
outdoors can mean fun and adventure.
Me, Mercedes Bennion? Working for the US Forest Service?
I’ve never thought of myself as the outdoorsy, hard-working
type. But one quick glance at those mouth-watering forest
rangers and oh, baby, sign this seventeen-year-old up for a
whole summer of fresh air, mountains and starry, starry
nights!
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