readingthroughtheages's review against another edition
5.0
Non-stop action, loads of adventure and fantastic characters. A book that will reach many readers. Give to your readers that loved Hatchet, Some Kind of Courage, or Masterminds.
yapha's review against another edition
4.0
Things have been hard since Jasper's mother died. His father has taken to drinking and is angry all of the time. When word comes that gold has been discovered in the Yukon, Jasper's older brother Melvin sets off in search of it without him. Jasper is both hurt and angry, since they had promised to escape their father together. Jasper takes his few belongings and follows his brother, including stowing away on the steamship. Once they get to Alaska, however, nothing is as they expected. It will take all of their wits and working together to survive, let alone strike it rich.
First Nations people are mentioned in passing, in neither a positive or negative way during the story. There is a reference to the "Tlinglit Packers" being hired to help the Stampeders carry gear. There is a longer paragraph about the effects of the miners on the native populations in the author's note at the end.
Recommended for grades 4 & up.
First Nations people are mentioned in passing, in neither a positive or negative way during the story. There is a reference to the "Tlinglit Packers" being hired to help the Stampeders carry gear. There is a longer paragraph about the effects of the miners on the native populations in the author's note at the end.
Recommended for grades 4 & up.
jennybeastie's review against another edition
3.0
I liked it -- as a gold rush kid's adventure goes, there's a lot of really solid history in here. I thought the level of disinterest most people displayed to the two boys was pretty accurate, and I appreciated the subliminal messaging that you make more from laundry than you do from panning for gold in gold rush times. I'm not sure I believe that the boys would have made it so far without dying from exposure, and I didn't really understand Frank Hazard's interest in Jasper, so the final plot points didn't do much for me. Still, it's a good kids adventure, with bonus points for being well rooted in particular places and time. Oh, and I liked that they started out from Kirkland, too.
hsquared's review against another edition
4.0
Rose's historical novel of the Klondike gold rush features a plucky hero and is full of details from this short but intense episode in North American history.
bookworm_baggins's review against another edition
3.0
This was a so-so adventure story, but pretty hard to find believable at times on the heels of the long winter. I probably wouldn’t recommend, just because so many of the events seemed implausible, it felt like it detracted from the plot.
notesonbookmarks's review
4.0
this was great fun. adventure and intrigue and two young boys looking to strike it rich in the Klondike gold rush of the late 19th century. CSR does meticulous research to really bring her stories to life, and, even though they are middle grade novels, they are and intelligent, not dumbed down at all.
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