Dear Reader,
I have a mad, frothing passion for all things sled dog, and really who doesn't? Especially if you've ever seen the dogs get hooked up to the line of the sled when their crazed enthusiasm hangs in the air and clings to you. My own dog team and I traveled to places deep in the back country of northern Ontario. Some places we probably never should have gone. These adventures were the inspiration for my novel, Ice Dogs.
If you're interested in learning about dog sledding, visit my website for fun facts, or follow links to dog sled races. Or, if you want to live it, smell it, taste it, feel the cold air cutting your cheeks, but can't travel to Alaska? You can travel with Victoria, the musher in Ice Dogs with the tiny problem of being lost.
Happy trails to you!
Terry Lynn Johnson
Book reviews:
Ice Dogs is a Junior Library Guild Selection
"(A) thoroughly engaging and incredibly suspenseful survival story ... Well-crafted, moving and gripping."
-Kirkus Reviews
"A page-turner full of white-knuckle action ... Readers will be riveted until the end."
-Publishers Weekly
"The story's emotional depth is interwoven with the action. I found it authentic to the North, and read it in one gulp."
-Will Hobbs, author of Far North and Never Say Die
"Terry Lynn Johnson should be ready for comparisons to the best of Gary Paulsen, Farley Mowat, and Jean Craighead George."
-Carole Estby Dagg, author of The Year We Were Famous
Discussion questions:
1. During the dog sled race that opens the story Victoria thinks, "Some mushers wear ski goggles, but I don't like how looking through goggles separates me from my environment. I like to see things clearly." How does this statement offer insight into Victoria's personality and to her relationship with the wild?
2. Victoria's dogs are of paramount importance to her. Beyond the dogs' usefulness in sled races, what do they represent in Victoria's life?
3. Victoria comes across an injured snowmobile rider as she and her team of dogs are on their way to Cook's. How does this adventure story change with the addition of another character?
4. Victoria and Chris face dangerous wildlife as they try to find their way home. What animals do they meet along the way and how does each animal present danger and hope for the two lost teenagers?
Please visit Terry's website, www.terrylynnjohnson.com, for a trailer, excerpt, and more information on sled dogs. Plus, the publisher, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, has selected Ice Dogs as one of its featured titles on its MIDDLE GRADE MANIA website - take a peek for great resources.
AUTHOR CALL-IN INFORMATION: Terry is happy to Skype with your club. She can also meet with your group if you live in northern Ontario, Canada. Email Terry to submit your request.
