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Serpent on the Mountain
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Overview
Two starred reviews From acclaimed author J. Kasper Kramer comes an "intricate, emotional" (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) coming-of-age middle grade story that captures the wild beauty of 1970s Appalachia and the tender, fragile ties that bind us to family, faith, and magic. Delilah knows a rattlesnake when she hears one. After all, she was born and raised in Blackberry Holler, so when she hears that telltale rattle, she doesn't panic. She knows her pet racoon, Freddy, will come catch the snake for his breakfast. But Freddy doesn't come, and disaster almost strikes--until Delilah is rescued by a traveling preacher. Turns out, Brother Jones is setting up a revival church on their rural Appalachian mountain. At first this seems like a godsend to Delilah. Her older sister, Eve, used to be her best friend, but now Eve is acting all grown up. Church might bring them back together. Their wild little sister, Jezzie, sure could use some religion too. But when the churchgoers start to speak strange words and handle venomous snakes, Delilah isn't so certain--especially after Brother Jones condemns her hill magic as witchcraft. Worse yet, an old, frightening folktale seems to be coming true. Now worried for herself and her sisters, Delilah must figure out what she believes--and fast.
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Details
- ISBN-13: 9781665944175
- ISBN-10: 166594417X
- Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
- Publish Date: June 2026
- Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1.3 inches
- Shipping Weight: 0.85 pounds
- Page Count: 320
- Reading Level: Ages 8-12
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- 1
J. Kasper Kramer has a knack for catapulting middle grade readers into intriguing worlds. She’s written about Roswell, New Mexico, and flying saucers (Eyes on the Sky), Typhoid Mary (The List of Unspeakable Fears), and the fall of the Communist regime in 1989 Romania (The Story That Cannot Be Told). Now, in Serpent on the Mountain, she takes readers to 1970s Appalachia, where the arrival of a snake-handling traveling preacher confounds 11-year-old Delilah Fowler.
Our narrator Delilah is thoughtful, bold and feisty, and she feels most at home in the natural world. Her pet raccoon, Freddy, is her best friend, and she knows her way around snakes, including rattlesnakes and copperheads. Delilah practices “hill magic” to try to help the people she loves—although her family also believes in Western medicine. She is deeply disturbed when newcomer Brother Jones accuses her of witchcraft. To further complicate matters, Delilah’s older sister, Eve, has a crush on Brother Jones’ son and is immersing herself in the revival, where Brother Jones’ followers put themselves in harm’s way to try to prove their faith.
Serpent on the Mountain is a sensitive coming-of-age novel that adeptly explores family bonds and spiritual values. Delilah feels as though she is losing Eve, who is suddenly doing unthinkable things. At the same time, she’s no longer sure of her own beliefs, which are repeatedly challenged. Her relationship with a boy she previously felt was her nemesis is changing in confusing ways. And, to make matters worse, Freddy goes missing.
Kramer does an excellent job of letting Delilah wrestle with these many challenges, while seamlessly integrating a number of issues into the narrative, including the Vietnam War and poverty. Along the way, Delilah is surrounded by helpful adults, including her parents, who have opposing views on religion, and a local doctor who comes to the rescue in a dire moment.
While focusing on a very specific time and place, Serpent on the Mountain speaks to middle grade readers of varied faiths and cultures. It’s a universal tale of wrestling with the barrage of perplexing changes of adolescence while trying to stay true to one’s emerging values.
J. Kasper Kramer has a knack for catapulting middle grade readers into intriguing worlds. She’s written about Roswell, New Mexico, and flying saucers (Eyes on the Sky), Typhoid Mary (The List of Unspeakable Fears), and the fall of the Communist regime in 1989 Romania (The Story That Cannot Be Told). Now, in Serpent on the Mountain, she takes readers to 1970s Appalachia, where the arrival of a snake-handling traveling preacher confounds 11-year-old Delilah Fowler.
Our narrator Delilah is thoughtful, bold and feisty, and she feels most at home in the natural world. Her pet raccoon, Freddy, is her best friend, and she knows her way around snakes, including rattlesnakes and copperheads. Delilah practices “hill magic” to try to help the people she loves—although her family also believes in Western medicine. She is deeply disturbed when newcomer Brother Jones accuses her of witchcraft. To further complicate matters, Delilah’s older sister, Eve, has a crush on Brother Jones’ son and is immersing herself in the revival, where Brother Jones’ followers put themselves in harm’s way to try to prove their faith.
Serpent on the Mountain is a sensitive coming-of-age novel that adeptly explores family bonds and spiritual values. Delilah feels as though she is losing Eve, who is suddenly doing unthinkable things. At the same time, she’s no longer sure of her own beliefs, which are repeatedly challenged. Her relationship with a boy she previously felt was her nemesis is changing in confusing ways. And, to make matters worse, Freddy goes missing.
Kramer does an excellent job of letting Delilah wrestle with these many challenges, while seamlessly integrating a number of issues into the narrative, including the Vietnam War and poverty. Along the way, Delilah is surrounded by helpful adults, including her parents, who have opposing views on religion, and a local doctor who comes to the rescue in a dire moment.
While focusing on a very specific time and place, Serpent on the Mountain speaks to middle grade readers of varied faiths and cultures. It’s a universal tale of wrestling with the barrage of perplexing changes of adolescence while trying to stay true to one’s emerging values.