Product Description
BACKSTAGE IDITAROD is for the fan who wants more than to just watch a team take off from the start line. A collection of stories both new and old, it's a guide for those who yearn to know what it's really like on 4th Avenue; what they would see, hear and touch. It's for those who want to volunteer at Race Headquarters or maybe bid to be an Idita-Rider.It's for the dreamers who wonder what goes on at the musher banquets, both in Anchorage and in Nome. It's for arm chair mushers who simply want to immerse themselves in everything Iditarod."All (Iditarod books) are interesting, but none focus on an overall view of the activities that go on before, during and after the race to make it happen. None break down the cost of running this race for you.None take you to Iditarod HQ to watch organized chaos as race preparations evolve.None follow the logistics involved in preparing checkpoint drop bags. None agonize over vet checks and deciding a final team. And none put you in the middle of the action at the start line in Anchorage and the restart, wherever it may be." Donna Quante, producer of video "Pretty Sled Dogs""You're in for a real treat with this book! I thoroughly enjoyed it, and by the time I was finished proofing the pages I had a lump in my throat and was practically wishing for snow on the ground! I'll be going into the '08 race with a whole new understanding of how things work, because June's book truly is the equivalent of a backstage pass to the whole awesome show!" --Helen Hegener, author/publisher/editor and present at some of the initial organizational meetings for theIditarod when it was still known as "Joe's race". ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Real Alaska
Since I've been a little girl I've enjoyed Jack London's books, with "Mushers" and "sled dogs"! I have recently been in Alaska and had a chance to read June's book and I thoroughly loved it! I think anyone who wants to know "Real Alaska" and the workings of the Iditarod needs to read this book...I'm going to be on my way to 2010 Iditarod!!! Thanks June for such a insightful book.

Backstage Iditarod
What a joy to receive this book (one of the first out of the box) but I didn't even know about the REVIEWS.There were few surprises, but so nice to have on my coffee table for my friends to "read it all."
June writes well, keeps interest high andtells a detailed story of what's backstage.
Being in Anchorage is just a small part of the race and while exciting, all the details between Anchorage and Nome are breathtaking at times.
I applaud June for this wonderful book....a MUST HAVE !

Iditafan-Silver Spring, MD
This was a great background read for the preparations that go into the Iditarod.It's a fun and engaging read--even for long-time fans of the race.There's lots of interesting background info included.Thanks June!

A good glimpse
This is a fun behind the scenes look at staging and preparing for the Iditarod. A nice blend of Who, What, Where, When, How and Why that the level of detail never gets dull. Avid sled dog fans will enjoy this along with those newly discovering the sport.

Just like being there
Reading June's book is just like experiencing all the excitement and activity of being at the Iditarod.I've been at Anchorage for the ceremonial start and then at Skwentna to help the mushers, and reading June's book, I relived my experience. I pictured myself right there again, seeing, hearing and experiencing the Iditarod through June's descriptions.This is a must read for all who would go to Iditarod, and all those who have been, and everyone else, too!Thanks, June! ... Read more

Product Description
An unusual blend of photography as art and documentary journalism, this handsome volume contains more than 225 color photos and many fascinating stories about the race's great heroes and unforgettable moments. Included are the results of every race and names of more than 9,500 people who have served as volunteers in the past quarter of a century. ... Read more

Product Description
In 1985, Libby Riddles made history by becoming the first woman to win the 1,100-mile Iditarod Sled Dog Race. This brand-new edition of Riddles’s timeless adventure story is complete with updated narrative details, sidebars on all aspects of the race, photographs, and all-new illustrations by beloved illustrator Shannon Cartwright. An inspiration to children and adults everywhere, this is a compelling first-hand account of the arctic storms, freezing temperatures, loyal sled dogs, and utter determination that defined Riddles’s Iditarod victory. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Wonderful teaching tool for all ages
My grandchildren and my ESL students are collecting state quarters, and the next one to be issued honors Alaska.The final selection was of a grizzly bear catching a salmon at Denali Park.However, among the finalists was a drawing of a musher, mushing along his dog-sled team.My foreign students had never seen this part of Alaskan culture, so I looked for a book on the subject, preferably with pictures, for my hour-long classes fly by quickly.Storm Run" proved to bethe perfect vehicle for my purpose, since I was able to match new vocabulary with beautiful pictures.

Libby Riddles, the first woman to win the 1,100-mile race, is also a wonderful role model for young girls.The pictures are inviting."Storm Run" should be included in everyone's birthday or Christmas lists.

A highly recommended story of fulfilling one's dreams.
Libby Riddles' Storm Run is a picturebook of the exciting true story of the first woman to win the Iditarod Sled Dog Race in Alaska. Storm Run is the story of fulfilling one's dream, daring freezing treasures and bonding with loyal sled dogs. Wonderfully illustrated by Shannon Cartwright with soft, full-color artwork, Storm Run is an especially recommended giftbook for young girls nurturing their own dreams. ... Read more

Product Description
A vacation turned Lisa Frederic’s life upside down. She and her husband traveled as tourists to Nome, Alaska to see the end of the Iditarod Sled Dog Race. At an age when her life felt fairly settled, suddenly she found herself obsessed with a whole new world. The Iditarod and sled dogs had been vague concepts before the vacation, but very quickly dog mushing and a dream to run the Big One, became both a goal and a frightening commitment. Never described as graceful, learning to drive a team of huskies at forty years old was sometimes funny, but more often terrifying.

The puppy team she trained went on to become champions – winning the 2006 Iditarod with Jeff King – but they were champions long before they won trophies. A tale of unconditional puppy love, this is also an inspiring story about setting goals, facing fears, and accepting challenges. Lisa's self-effacing account will speak to all those who have ever followed their heart and found that the dream realized is even bigger than the one they imagined. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (17)

Heart-warming tale of the Iditarod.
I really enjoyed reading Lisa Frederic's Running With Champions. I picked the book up in a souvenir shop while in Alaska. I thought: I like huskies, I like Alaska, why not see what the Iditarod is about. I didn't have much knowledge of the race before, but after reading Lisa's tale I can't wait to plan a trip to see the finishers cross the finish line after the race. This book was an easy to read and exciting story about Lisa's journey to becoming a dog-sledder. She covers all the ins and outs of what such an endeavor requires - both mentally and physically - for the humans and the dogs involved. Lisa tells her tale and allows all the emotion to shine through. If you're looking for a serious manual on the trials and tribulations of the trail itself - this may not be the book for you. If you're and animal lover looking for an entertaining story and a wonderful ending, this is a must read.

Hysterical midlife adventure
Lisa is a fun writer and even better tour guide in Denali National Park.After going on one of her wonderful tours, we sought out this book and weren't disappointed.It helped feed my appetite to learn more about mushing.I laughed all the way through, but was very proud of Lisa for hanging in there through some really tough times.BUY THIS BOOK.

Too Sappy For Me
As a new fan to Iditarod sled dog racing, I let my enthusiasm over rule my better judgement in selecting books to read about the subject. This particular book is a woman's diary filled with emotion. Too much emotion for me. I didn't count but she was crying, on the brink of crying, hiding tears or bawling her eyes out about a hundred times.

If you are looking for more of a story of the history and technical side of the Iditarod, then look elsewhere. This book had me subtracting the page number of the page I was reading from the last page number so I'd know how much more of it I had to read before I was finished. I knew the end of her Iditarod was coming but the finish was anticlimactic to say the least.

If you want to read about a middle aged woman's fears, worries, insecurities, and eating disorder, then this might be for you. For Iditarod fans, it will probably leave you searching for another book or two on the subject.

Must read for Iditarod fans
What a wonderful, wonderful book !

This book tells the story of Lisa Frederic who comes to racing relatively late in her life.She volunteers for the Iditarod and gets hooked on the sport.Within 5 years, she is running in the Iditarod herself at the age of 42.Not only is the story inspiring, it is well written and interesting.She spends the first half of the book describing the process she went through to be able to run in the Iditarod (cleaning the dog yard, trainig the dogs, etc.)and the second half of the book talks about the race itself.

Lisa conveys both the thrill and heartbreak of running dogs and you come away understanding just how tough this really is to do.For a 46-year-old mom from Indiana, all I can say is "WOW!".While running in the Iditarod is not something I want to do, I love reading about people who have done it.This book is an absolute must read for anyone who is interested in dogs, the Iditarod or taking chances and doing somethind different with your life.

Other good books on this subject:"Winterdance" by Gary Paulson and "Race Across Alaska" by Libby Riddles.

Captivating, well written and inspirational
After a tour through Danali National Park in June, 2008, one of the people told us that our driver, Lisa Frederic, had written a book.As we had been totally captivated by her as our tour driver, we bought the book when we returned home.Having met this charming, lovely woman in person it is totally fascinating to read about this amazing phase of her life.This is a book that totally pulls you in right from the beginning and never lets go.You feel the the love, pain, struggle, and the joy that permeates this book.After reading what Lisa went through to achieve her dream, and feeling as if you were in some way experiencing it with her, you truly have a sense of what it means to not give up and to do whatever is necessary to reach your goal.I hope there are more books in her future and that life is very good to her and her husband, David, who must also be a very special person. ... Read more

Product Description
Blinding blizzards. Freezing wind. Paralyzing cold temperatures. The 1,100-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is a race across the nation's most forbidding, demanding, and dangerous territory. Competitors must be resourceful, rugged, and resilient. Often they must make life and death choices. These are the stories -- in their own words -- of men and women who challenge the elements. Many fans believe this is the best book written about the Iditarod. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A great read
Thanks for the quick delivery. The book arrived well within the time stated. The topics are for an older age group than I had thought, so I have enjoyed it - and put it away for the grandchildren to be more discerning. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (5)

Ain't No Stopping Them Now!It's Time to Mush!
In January of 1925, a diptheria epidemic broke out in Nome, Alaska.One Dr. Welch treated three children who were deathly ill.Since the town was under quarantine and an emergency alert was sent to the governor in Juneau outlining the need for the vaccine.

The necessary serum was in Anchorage, which was over 1,000 miles from Nome.This was during the early days of air travel and at that time no planes flew to Alaska during the winter months due to the lack of closed cockpits and the inclement weather would cost pilots their lives.

Trains were the popular mode of transportation.A train brought the serum from Anchorage to Nenana.In Nenana, the mushers and their teams of malamutes and huskies took the medicine for the rest of its cliff-hanging run to Nome.

I like the way a map of the route is included in this book and the way the dogs are introduced to readers.Balto, the most famous dog was the husky who led the team on the last leg of the journey.He has been credited with getting the medicine through in time to save the stricken children.Togo, a beautiful male husky is also featured.He was one of the huskies on the first run.Sadly, his part is eclipsed by Balto's now famous heroic journey.Still, this is not to discount what this brave curly tailed dog accomplished.Togo's stamina got the first team off to a flying start.

I like the way each musher is credited in this book; the distance of each run to Nome and each participant, musher and husky and malamute alike are listed.Each one of these people and curly tailed dogs are given their due recognition.If it had not been for those teams, the medicine would never have reached its destination before deadline.Truly a treasure for all ages.It makes me think of the 1979 song, "Ain't No Stopping Us Now."

A treasure to own for everyone
The Great Serum Race, Blazing the Iditarod Trail by Debbie S. Miller with illustrations by Jon Van Zyle, the official artist of the dogsled race and a two-time participant in the Iditarod, is a children's book, ages 7 to 10, published in 2002 by Walker & Company. This has become one of my favorite books for introducing children to this amazing race of skill and endurance.

The book is based on the real events of January, 1925, when the population of Nome, Alaska, was in desperate need of diphtheria vaccine. Dr. Welch had not seen a case of diphtheria in twenty years and suddenly he had three young children very ill with the disease. Something had to be done. The community was put under quarantine and an emergency wire went out to the governor in Juneau that the town needed emergency help. This is where the mushers came in. The decision was made to bring serum from Anchorage, over 1,000 miles away, to Nome. In those days, airplanes only flew in Alaska in the summertime because they had open-cockpits and neither plane nor pilot would survive the weather. A steam engine (#66) took the serum from Anchorage to Nenana where the real adventure began. The rest of the story tells of the harrowing experiences of mushers and dogs in their race against time in getting the serum to its destination. At one point, it is believed the serum might be lost.

The front of the book includes a map of the dogsled trail from Nenana to Nome. There is also an introduction to Togo, a Siberian husky and one of the true heroes of the 1925 race. Another excellent feature included in this book, is the complete list of mushers who participated in the original race, each one's race segment, and the distance covered. The race's heroic dogs also have a page devoted to them at the end of the book. This book is a real treasure for both adults and children.

Carolyn Rowe Hill

A Must Have Iditarod Book
Debbie Miller�s masterful retelling of the Serum Run, which saved the children of Nome, Alaska from a deadly diphtheria epidemic in 1925, goes well beyond the facts of this heroic team effort.The Great Serum Run: Blazing the Iditarod Trail includes well-researched factual information, reference tables, maps, and photographs. Miller�s narrative comes alive as she skillfully interweaves many little known fascinating details of how the mushers and their dog sled teams endured their individual treks from Nenana to Nome in such deadly weather conditions.The story behind this famous dog sled team relay was inspiration for the world famous �Last Great Race,� the Iditarod.Jon Van Zyle, the official Iditarod artist, complements Miller�s text with vivid, captivating illustrations.Readers of this book will gain a sense of the unbelievable accomplishment of these dog sled teams. People of all ages will treasure this book.The Great Serum Run: Blazing the Iditarod Trail should be included as a first resource for teachers interested in providing thought provoking discussions about the Iditarod, teamwork, and man�s interaction and dependence on animals.

About the Reviewer: Ann Morgan has taught lessons about the Iditarod in grades 2- 6 for the last 18 years, and is currently teaching at Chatham Middle School, Chatham, Massachusetts.In 2000, she was in Alaska at the Iditarod and acquired first hand knowledge of the race by following the mushers and dog sled teams with her own bush pilot from Anchorage to Nome.

A Must Have Iditarod Book
Debbie Miller's masterful retelling of the Serum Run, which saved the children of Nome, Alaska from a deadly diphtheria epidemic in 1925, goes well beyond the facts of this heroic team effort.The Great Serum Run: Blazing the Iditarod Trail includes well-researched factual information, reference tables, maps, and photographs. Miller's narrative comes alive as she skillfully interweaves many little known fascinating details of how the mushers and their dog sled teams endured their individual treks from Nenana to Nome in such deadly weather conditions.The story behind this famous dog sled team relay was inspiration for the world famous "Last Great Race," the Iditarod.Jon Van Zyle, the official Iditarod artist, complements Miller's text with vivid, captivating illustrations.Readers of this book will gain a sense of the unbelievable accomplishment of these dog sled teams. People of all ages will treasure this book.The Great Serum Run: Blazing the Iditarod Trail should be included as a first resource for teachers interested in providing thought provoking discussions about the Iditarod, teamwork, and man's interaction and dependence on animals.

About the Reviewer: Ann Morgan has taught lessons about the Iditarod in grades 2- 6 for the last 18 years, and is currently teaching at Chatham Middle School, Chatham, Massachusetts.In 2000, she was in Alaska at the Iditarod and acquired first hand knowledge of the race by following the mushers and dog sled teams with her own bush pilot from Anchorage to Nome.

A book worth reading for children & adults
Debbie Miller did a great deal of research before writing this book, so though it is written for children, it is a great account for all to read. I would highly recommend it to readers of all ages who are interested in dog teams and their important role in Alaska. This is the best and most acurate telling of the story of the serum run to Nome in 1925 which I have ever seen.It is a children's book in that it explains what happened from the viewpoint of children. Beyond the story, there are facts presented in the back of the book. Jon Van Zyle is a popular artist, but I did not feel that his oil paintings for this book were all that great. ... Read more

Product Description
Once infected with the mushing virus, there is no cure --there is only the trail" Don Bowers learned the truth of thesewords as he lived his dream of running Alaska’s grueling 1,100-mileIditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. With no mushing experience and littlemoney, but with a spirit of adventure and support from friends, hestarted from scratch to put together a team. Over the next two years,he discovered that becoming a serious musher is not to be undertakenby the faint of heart, or by those who cannot learn to laugh atthemselves and keep going in the face of daunting difficulties anddangers. By the time he eventually pulled under the famous burled archat the end of Front Street in Nome, his perspective on life had beenchanged forever by his dogs and by the staggering scope and intensityof the Iditarod. This is Everyman’s Iditarod, a tribute to thededicated dreamers and their dogs who run to Nome in back of the packwith no hope of prize money or glory. This is truly "the rest ofthe story" of the Last Great Race on Earth. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Drama, Humor, Adventure, Surprises
This is an exciting, inspiring, well-written book that I couldn't put down.Written in a logbook style, it tells what happens when the author catches the Iditarod bug.A very satisfying read.

It will touch your heart
Don Bowers wrote it with so much heart, it's amazing! If you love sleddogs, Alaska and the Iditarod - it's a must to read it (especially if you want to run the Iditarod once)! Even if English isn't your mother tongue - you will love it!I laughed but also cried while reading the book. It really touched me very much! Don Bowers was killed by an air-crash in summer 2000 and even if I haven't known him personally - my eyes went wet when I heard about it! I wish I could have meet him once...... (sorry, about my bad english, but even with this english it is easy to read his book)!

Outstanding Biography for a Non-Musher
As a fellow US Air Force Academy Grad, I was thrilled by Don Bowers' adventure!Spending years as an Iditarod pilot, Don finally decides to run the race.He shows the true human effort behind running the race, not as achampion, but as a man willing to give his all to prove his determinationand the love for his dogs.Unfortunately, Don Bowers died this year doingone of the things he truly loved: flying airplanes.This book is a tributeto the man and the sport that took over his soul.I highly recommend thisbook for anyone who loves mushing or for anybody with an adventurous heart. It's a true uplift from the everyday drag of modern life.It will yieldto the wanderlust of even the most rigid of people.It shows that somepeople out there still pursue their dreams, no matter how crazy they mayseem.Farewell, Don Bowers!May your book be a tribute to you and thesport that you loved!

Merely finishing this race is a great adventure
Subtitled, "An Iditarod Rookie Musher's Alaska Pilgrimage to
Nome", the author, Don Bowers, shares his 1994 and 1995
experience in running a team of sled dogs on the 1,100-mile run from
Anchorage to Nome in the race that has been sometimes called the
"Last Great Race on Earth." He was 48 years old, a bachelor,
with no previous experience in dog mushing.However, he was a pilot
who lived Alaska and had worked as a volunteer in previous races.He
knew many people who had run the race before him and they all
encouraged him to do it.

Every March, since 1967, between 50 and 80
dog sled teams set out on the trail, which can take up to three weeks
to complete.Most are not competing for the front-runner prize.
Merely finishing the race is a personal goal for many.The trek is
difficult, requiring stamina, endurance and the ability to make quick
decisions in constantly changing conditions.

The temperature can
vary from 40 degrees above to 65 degrees below zero and there are
storms and flooding, drifting snow and heavy winds.In some places
the trail plunges down 200 feet or more, twisting between trees and at
the edges of steep drops.At other places, there are long empty
stretches over slick icy rivers.The sled often spills, the dogs get
tangled and sometimes they find themselves miles and miles off the
regular trail.

Mostly, they prefer to travel at night when the
weather is cooler and the dogs are more comfortable.The musher wears
a single beam headlight if the night is dark.Other times the moon
and stars reflect off the snow.And, on rare occasions there is a
spectacular display of flashes and colors in the northern sky.

The
mushers stop at about 20 checkpoints over the course of their
travels. These are mandatory rest stops which often are no more than a
tent or a cabin with a place to put a sleeping bag.A few of the
checkpoints are towns with a place to purchase a meal.Mostly though,
the musher must rely on the 50 or more large bags of supplies weighing
2000 pounds or more which he or she personally packed and had shipped
to these checkpoints. This includes huge amounts of food for the 16
hungry dogs who must be tended to and rested at each of these
stops.

The Iditarod Trail was actually used as a mail route during
the boom time of Alaska's gold rush.And the dog teams of that day
did not have the advantages of modern technology.There were no
helicopters charting their progress.Or airplanes to fly their food
to various checkpoints.There was little if any shelter.And the
conditions for the dogs were certainly not humane.

I can't help
thinking of Jack London's "The Call of the Wild" and
"White Fang" which depicted the life of a sled dog at the
turn of the century.In those days dogs were whipped, beaten with
clubs, and often starved as the food they were given had to be hunted
for as the mushers went along the trail.They lived and died in their
harnesses and it was a constant fight for survival.

Modern dogs are
never beaten.The dogs are trained to respond to simple verbal
commands and whips are never used.They are well fed and rested and
checked by a vet at every checkpoint. If they are injured they are
flown by helicopter to a place they can be cared for.A musher might
start out with 16 dogs, but is allowed to finish with as little as 7
if necessary.

I enjoyed the book tremendously, even though Don
Bowers is no Jack London. This is his first book and he is not a
professional writer.He's good at descriptions of trail conditions
and details of the race.He's also good at discussing his own
personal challenges.I really did empathize with him when a virus
killed some of his dog pups.And I held my breath during his most
scary outdoor challengers.I also have a lot of admiration for his
adaptability and sheer determination to finish, no matter what.

By
the end of the book I had really accepted his style of writing, which
is probably like his personality, which tends to be introspective. And
sometimes I felt he went on a little too long about some detail.I
must say also that I yearned for deeper characterization of the people
around him.There was a woman named Lisa and a man named Andy who
were also "back-of-the-packers".They met at checkpoints
and helped each other during the long trail.I wanted to know more
about them and wish he would have included a few personal details and
a little characterization.

I did get to know his dogs though.Each
one was a distinct and interesting personality.I'll never forget
"Socks" one of the leaders, who was able to sense the trail
without any markers.Or the time the team refused to move because the
females were in heat.His love for his dogs really came through.

I
thank Mr. Bowers for writing the book and definitely recommend it.It
took me to Alaska, put me right on the sled and made me feel I was
part of it all.Quite a departure for a woman who lives in New York
City.It was a great read and I loved being part of the adventure.

Awsome
I love this book. I am in my 4th year of mushing. I love the sport. This book tells you what it is like to deal with these wonderful creatures that are a special breed. The author had a wonderful insight to share histhoughts, feelings, adventures,failures, and successes. Most of us donttell of things that we did wrong. He not only tells you about what he didwrong, but what he learned from it. I am hoping to run the Iditarodsometime in the future with my daughter, and this is a book that I will forsure have her read before we set of to THE GREATEST RACE. I recommend thisbook for a veteran, or a beginner, or anyone that just has an interest indogs. I have laughed outloud while reading this book and I have cried, andhad every other emotion but anger. This book is the best I have read in along time about this sport. Thank you DON. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (7)

Inspirational and entertaining
Really enjoyed reading this book. I brought it on a vacation to read on the plane. I ended up reading it in two days... only some on the plane and the rest on my first day of vacation.

I would consider it entertaining non-fiction light reading. I knew very little about dog-sledding, or what it is like to be visually impaired. I learned a lot and enjoyed every minute of it.

A story of the conquering human spirit.

Inspiring Story
Rachel Scdoris was my spark to become a fan of the Iditarod sled dog race. This book chronicles Rachel's struggle of growing up legally blind and her dream of competing in and completing the 1100 mile sled dog race from Anchorage to Nome Alaska.

The story begins with her birth and ends with her finish in the "Toughest Race On Earth" Well written with the help of Rick Steber, the book is another story of a person who is disadvantaged in some way who leaves those of us without such a burden no excuses for failing to pursue our own dreams.

Like "Running With Champions" this book is more biography and less detail about the Iditarod, but Rick and Rachel do give a great deal of insight into the Idiatarod Trail Committee and how the race is managed.

If you are looking for a heart warming story about a young woman/girl, this is a book you would enjoy. It could be inspirational to young people and a motivator for those with some sort of impairment. It is not a technical or historical reference for Iditarod sled dog racing.

Rachel is entered in the 2009 Iditarod, so the rest of the story is still being written. "GO Rachel! All the way to Nome!"

seeing eye race dogs
I really love the Iditarod and the team spirit in general, but this book discribes a whole new level of commitment that is purely amazing. Without a lot of self-pity, the blind musher discribes how she got together her dogs, trained and then ran the Iditarod. It goes into a lot more detail than this, obviously, but it doesn't get boring. If you want the ins and outs of sled-dog racing, this is it. If you want a great feel for woman/dog teamwork and devotion, this is it too. I highly recommend it.

Admiration
The Iditarod, let alone any sleddograce, is not something one does "on the side". You have to organize, to train, to plan, be prepared against the elements, love the athletes, become one of them. Simply said: it takes guts and without it there is no glory.
Rachael has set her goal and reaches it, with all the extra handicaps one can think of. It shows the reader that if you have anything you want, anything you really desire, you've got to go for it and cross all the borders you encounter. There is no "but..." I have nothing but the deepest admiration for Rachael!

Not so Heroic
Wow. At first I was really enjoying it, but when she started making remarks about the ignorance of recreational mushers, my level of admiration halted and started to drop. I personally wouldn't have said that she couldn't do it, but just because a recreational musher (along with some racers too) said that she couldn't doesn't mean that she can generalize and say that ALL recreational mushers are ignorant about mushing. As a long-time recreational musher, that really made me not like her. As I started looked at her from a different angle rather than the girl-who-overcomes-the-odds, she turned into an arrogant person who uses her eyesight as an excuse for special treatment. ... Read more

Product Description
This book takes the reader on Alaska's exciting International Iditarod Sled Dog Race, which is considered one of the biggest sporting events in the world. Bibliography, index. Iditarod winners list--1973-1992. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Racing the Iditarod
I follow the Iditarod and live in Alaska. I found the information in this book to be factual. I would recommend this book for older students needing to write a report. It would be a good reference. It is also a good sourceof general information on the Iditarod, that is enhanced with coloredphotographs. One area I especially liked was concerning the role of LeonardSeppala and his dog Togo in the diptheria serum relay to Nome. The WarnerBrothers cartoon movie about Balto, has given children a somewhat erroneousidea of who the real hero was in this serum run and the true details of allthat went on. Someone wanting to write an authoritive research report onthis subject should definitely want to have the correct information thatthis book contains. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Do this way before you go
This is something that I thought we would do before bed everynight -- while in Disney!Crazy!There is soooooo much Disney going on in Disney, the last thing my kids wanted to do was read a book about Disney!The teachers guide isn't necessary or something that you couldn't do on your own if you wish. As a homeschooling mom, I didn't see the need for it.

great series!
Love Caroles Marsh mysteries for kids! Our book club kids also love them- especially the stories set in familiar places,like Disney. Very entertainingand educational! Our book club kids range in age from 7-12 years old and all agree that they enjoy these books!

Iditarod
Great book and the resource book helped our teaching team plan a fun thematic unit for our students!!! ... Read more

Product Description
Picking up where the best-selling IDITAROD CLASSICS left off, MORE IDITAROD CLASSICS introduces readers to more of the men and women who brave the 1,100-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race from Anchorage to Nome. And do they ever have stories to tell! In their own words, champions and lesser knowns share their very best stories--how they came to love the race, train their dogs and themselves, and battle all manner of winter hardships challenging the elements in what some have called the most extreme long-distance competition in the world. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

exciting vignettes from Iditarod veterans
I've read a lot of books about the Iditarod, but this one really stands out. Before I read this book, all of the mushers sort of ran together in my head. Now I have a sense of them as individuals. Susan Butcher, Joe Redington, The Mackey Dynasty, Martin Buser, and others share their thoughts on this "last great race". Their stories are all inspirational, yet all unique. It's amazing to think of all these people dedicated to traveling over 1,000 miles by dog sled, risking their lives for relatively little return. It takes a special type of person to take on the Iditarod. ... Read more

Product Description
While racing her dogs in the Iditarod, Kara proves that the greatest win is something other than having her team come in first. ... Read more