Iditarod Country: Exploring the Route of the Last Great Race [Hardcover]

Tricia Brown (Author), Christine Ummel (Editor), Jeff Schultz (Photographer)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6 Up-A unique glimpse at the people, places, and spirit of the Last Great Race. The full-page, double-page, and "thumbnail" size crisp, full-color photos complement the short, information-packed, readable stories. The text and visuals highlight the remote villages, hundreds of volunteers, tidbits of race history, and humorous Iditarod lore, providing readers with a hint of what it's like to spend time at the checkpoints along the trail. A map shows the route. Unfortunately, no other maps are included so it's necessary to return to this one to follow the sequence of the checkpoints. Brown offers a different perspective on Alaska's history, geography, remoteness, native culture, and bush lifestyle that is usually overlooked in geography books. Bill Sherwonit's Iditarod (Alaska Northwest, 1991), an expanded version of this title in a large format and with more text and photographs, includes more about mushers and the dogs whereas Brown sticks to the checkpoint history and people. Ruth Crisman's Racing the Iditarod Trail (Dillon, 1983) offers more details on the checkpoints, history, and volunteers but lacks the insights into the people along the trail. This is an attractive book, but the very small print may turn off some readers.
Roz Goodman, Bering Strait School District Media Center, Unalakleet, AK
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: Epicenter Press (February 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0945397666
• ISBN-13: 978-0945397663
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 6.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #878,454 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #59 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Outdoor Recreation > Iditarod & Dog-Sledding
  • #87 in Books > Travel > United States > States > Alaska

More About the Author

Tricia Brown fell in love with Alaska in 1978, when she first moved north from the Chicago area. For the next twenty-one years, she wandered the state and wrote for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner and the Anchorage Daily News, and later edited Alaska magazine before entering book publishing in 1998. For five years, she was acquisitions editor for Alaska Northwest Books and WestWinds Press, a job that took her to Portland, Oregon. Tricia has written six children's books: the award-winning "Children of the Midnight Sun," "Groucho's Eyebrows," "The Itchy Little Musk Ox," and "Alaskan Night Before Christmas." Two new kids' books came out in 2011: "Patsy Ann of Alaska," from Sasquatch Books, and "Musher's Night Before Christmas," new from Pelican Publishing.

For the grown-ups, the 4th edition of "The World-Famous Alaska Highway" was released in April 2011 by Fulcrum Publishing. Among her many other nonfiction books for adults are "The Iditarod Fact Book" and "Silent Storytellers," a beautifully illustrated book on the totem poles of Totem Bight State Historical Park near Ketchikan, Alaska. A grandmother of six, Tricia and her husband Perry currently live in Oregon. She travels to Alaska often to speak, research, and write.

Tricia is available for school and library visits anywhere in the country. Bring a taste of Alaska to your community. Check her website at www.triciabrownbooks.com for details on how to arrange a day or half-day visit to your favorite school or library.