- US Edition
The Trail
An exciting and deeply moving story of survival, courage, and friendship on the Appalachian Trail for middle grade readers.
Toby has to finish the final thing on The List. It’s a list of brave, daring, totally awesome things that he and his best friend, Lucas, planned to do together, and the only item left is to hike the Appalachian Trail. But now Lucas isn’t there to do it with him. Toby’s determined to hike the trail alone and fulfill their pact, which means dealing with the little things — the blisters, the heat, the hunger — and the big things — the bears, the loneliness, and the memories.When a storm comes, Toby finds himself tangled up in someone else’s mess: Two boys desperately need his help. But does Toby have any help to give?The Trail is a remarkable story of physical survival and true friendship, about a boy who’s determined to forge his own path — and to survive.
Awards and Praise for The Trail:
Maine Student Book Award Masterlist 2018
Great Stone Face Award Winner for 2018-19
Rhode Island Children’s Book Award Masterlist 2019
Tennessee Volunteer State Book Award Masterlist 2019-2020
Indian Paintbrush Winner 2021-2022
“Readers will be drawn into Toby’s exciting journey and empathize with him as he learns an important lesson about forgiving yourself and determining what’s important in life and then fighting for it.” ―Booklist
“Readers will relish experiencing the dangers of living on the wild side. Toby’s trip of self-discovery and adventure matures him into a more confident, less negative person who is finally able to forgive himself and feel happiness. This action-packed tale of a boy fighting the elements and his own negative self-image never falters.” ―School Library Journal
“A must-read for anyone looking for a great adventure novel. I could not put it down.” ―Roland Smith, author of Peak
“The Trail brings Toby’s epic hike fully to life. It’s a journey that’s as much in the heart as on the map, and it’s not one you want to miss.” ―Michael Northrop, New York Times bestselling author of TombQuest: Book of the Dead and Trapped
“In The Trail, Hashimoto has created an honest and tense tale that reminds us that there’s more to survival than just living.” ―Eliot Schrefer, two-time National Book Award nominee for Endangered and Threatened
Rights details
The Author
Meika Hashimoto
Meika Hashimoto is an award-winning picture book, graphic novel, and middle grade novel writer, with books published by Scholastic, Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, and Andrews McMeel. She grew up on a shiitake mushroom farm tucked within the rural mountains of Maine. After getting her degree in English Literature at Swarthmore College, she worked in the White Mountains of New Hampshire before starting her career as a children’s book editor for Random House. After over a decade, she moved back to her beloved home state, where she edits and writes books in her mountain home next to her husband, daughter, and two rescue dogs.
Meika is represented by Chelsea Eberly.