Akiak: A Tale From the Iditarod

ANNOTATION

Akiak the sled dog refuses to give up after being injured during the Iditarod sled dog race.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

It is Iditarod day. Fifty-six dog teams will race through 1,151 miles of rugged Alaskan terrain from Anchorage to Nome. Akiak knows these miles well. As lead dog, she has raced the incredible trail before, but never won. She is ten years old: if she is going to win, it must be now.

When snow hurts her paw on the fourth day out, Mick, her musher, must leave her behind and continue the race without her. The rules say once a dog is dropped from the race, it may not rejoin the team. But Akiak doesn't know about rules. She is a lead dog, and her place is with the team. Nothing, not blizzards, not breaking ice, not the people out to catch her, will stop Akiak from catching up to her team. The question is, can the team still win?

Robert J. Blake's majestic snowscapes will lead you through this unforgettable tale of a dog with a hero's heart, a dog who will not give up. Akiak will leave you cheering.

SYNOPSIS

Nothing can stop Akiak as she races to win the Iditarod as lead dog.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

In engrossing prose, this fictional tale chronicles the 10-day Iditarod run for 10-year-old Akiak, a veteran lead dog, who is running her final race. As the dog who knows the trail better than any other, she's run seven races but never come in first: "This was her last chance. Now, they must win now." On the fourth day, the husky is pulled from the race because of a sore paw, and Mick, her team's musher, decides to fly her home. But Akiak flees; she escapes checkpoint officials and heroically pursues her team, which is hours ahead. Her determination in the face of hunger, fatigue and blizzard conditions soon wins the support of mushers and spectators alike (one spread shows a family who has put out food for her watching from a lighted window). In smooth, journalistic style, Blake (Riptide) nimbly plaits Akiak's solitary quest with the team's struggle to win without her. The suspense mounts with Akiak's surprise reappearance, then peaks in sweet victory at the finish line. Blake's thickly brushed oil paintings depict the hardship of the journey, as snow takes on many faces: it's a docile white beard in a dog's fur, a disorienting force in a blinding storm and, in many a landscape spread, a vast expanse of cornflower blue and violet. Here, narrative and artwork pull equal weight to give readers a memorable ride. Ages 5-up. (Sept.)

Children's Literature - Donna Freedman

When lead dog Akiak's paw becomes sore, she is dropped from the Iditarod sled dog race. In an anthropomorphic way, she knows that this is her last chance to win (she's 10 years old,) so she breaks loose and sets out to catch up to her team. Akiak can't legally be put back in the lead, but she does manage to show her team it's headed the wrong way. Since Alaskan sled dogs have been known to figure out things like thin ice or wrong turns, this isn't too far out of the realm of possibility. Blake's story is better than his pictures, which look blotchy from thick applications of oil paint. He does have a nice way with the varying colors of snow, however.

School Library Journal

K-Gr 3Left behind because of an injury, a lead husky sets out on her own to find her team and win the race. An action-packed tale of daring, determination, and dedication. (Sept. 1997)

Kirkus Reviews

From Jack London's Call of the Wild to Gary Paulsen's many tales, the relationship between humans and dogs as they face the harsh northern climes has captivated readers. Recapitulating that theme is Blake's story of the 1,151-mile Iditarod from Anchorage to Nome; Mick's lead dog is Akiak, who pounds through wind and across snow, never getting lost. Then, on Day Four, ice jams up one of Akiak's pawpads and she is taken out of the race and almost flown home. She twists free of her handler before the plane takes off, pushes through blizzards and past checkpoints, sticking to the trail and eventually meeting up with Mick; according to the rules, Akiak cannot be harnessed up again but she does prevent her mistress from taking the wrong trail before climbing aboard the sled for the ride to a first-place finish. Blake's naturalistic icy blue paintings chronicle Akiak's independent race across lone landscapes, burrowing in snowdrifts for shelter and escaping well-meaning trail volunteers. The rugged style translates well from the ocean setting of Spray (1996) to the untamed Alaskan terrain; the textured slathers of oil paint in repeated cold tones are perfect for icy plains, tracks in the snow, and rooftop icicles. Akiak's efforts may not constitute life-and-death drama, but young readers will cheer the heroic dog on in this satisfying outdoor adventure.