Down the Yukon

May 1, 2001
Gr 5 Up-In this sequel to Jason's Gold (Morrow, 1999), 16-year-old Jason Hawthorn endures even more hardships in the Yukon. His brother Ethan loses their sawmill business to swindlers in a poker game and the new settlement of Dawson City is devastated by fire. Jamie Dunavant returns, still Jason's girlfriend. When a contest involving a race to Nome is announced, the two of them decide to enter in hopes of winning the $20,000 prize money to buy back the sawmill. The pace of the novel picks up dramatically as the race begins. Accompanied by Ethan's affectionate mutt, Burnt Paw, Jason and Jamie aim to outpaddle over 300 entrants down the Yukon but adventure gives way to survival when the sawmill swindlers sabotage their canoe. It is a suspenseful trek over land and sea as the teens race the bad guys to the finish line, and a few conveniences make for a happy-ever-after ending. Swedish immigrants, Eskimos, and a Russian priest are minor characters who befriend the heroes and give a real flavor of Alaska in the late 1800s. An appended author's note further separates fact from fiction. More exciting than its predecessor, this bookwould make a great read-aloud.-Vicki Reutter, Cazenovia High School, NY

Copyright 2001 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2001
Gr. 5-8. Fans of Hobbs' action-packed historical adventure novels will welcome this sequel to " Jason's Gold" (1999). When fire destroys much of the Canadian gold rush town where the Hawthorne brothers live, a shady character named Donner takes over their mill, and miners leave to find gold in Alaska, Jason decides to compete in a race to the new gold fields. With him in the contest are Jamie, the plucky young lady who appeared in " Jason's Gold," and a mongrel dog, Burnt Paw. As if river travel, grizzly bears, a kayak journey across open sea, and a budding romance aren't enough, Jason and Jamie must also deal with ruthless Donner, their main competition in the race. The ending, though predictable, features an appropriate twist. Hobbs includes an epilogue about Jason and Jamie, notes on the historical basis for some of story's characters and events, and a map. Readers looking for an exciting adventure won't be disappointed.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2001, American Library Association.)