Tyler’s Magic Mountain by: Malcolm Ater

 

This book is based on the true story of a teenage boy from Harpers Ferry with cystic fibrosis and the most magical sports ride in West Virginia public school history. “No one at Harpers Ferry Junior High knew why Tyler wanted to wrestle when he had cystic fibrosis. Maybe he wanted to do something with his life while he still had time. We just knew that he loved wrestling and being a part of our team. But whenever he went to the hospital, we always expected him to come back home to Blue Ridge Mountain. We also knew that Tyler had a dream. He always said that if we all stuck together, something would happen to our team that people would never forget. He was right about that. It was funny, because Tyler wasn’t a very good wrestler, at least not in the beginning, but neither were most of us. But for three years we stuck together. It was Tyler who helped us overcome the curse of John Brown and the constant beatings by our hated county rival, Mecklenburg Junior High. He led us through a major cheating scandal that was reported in every newspaper in the state, and all the finger-pointing that divided our county and brought our coaches to the brink of resigning. Tyler was some kind of kid. It was that last year together that we will always remember, both the good and the bad. Certainly we went on the most magical sports ride in West Virginia public school history. But as we battled the brutal winter trying to accomplish something that had never been done before, it took something terrible to bring everyone to their senses. Along the way we learned about friendship and courage and holding on to the important things in life. And more importantly, we did the impossible. We made Tyler’s dream come true.

Tyler’s Mountain Magic is a very moving story that will touch your heart. The fact that it is based on a true story about a teenage boy fighting an incurable disease who is determined to live his life to the fullest and who exceeds the expectations of everyone around him only adds to the specialness of this book. To say that it is a well-written book is to put it lightly. It is in fact a beautifully written account of a beautiful boy. This is one of those rare and special books that come along once in a lifetime and I am thrilled and privileged to have been asked to review it and all the better having read it.

 

 

You won’t see any signs in our little town honoring John Brown and his infamous raid that ignited the Civil War. But you will see a sign at the entrance to Harpers Ferry honoring a teenage boy who had a dream that ended a war in our county that had been going on forever. Call it Tyler’s Mountain Magic. Unfortunately, we learned that everything comes with a price.”