Alone Across the Arctic by Ann Dixon (with Pam Flowers)

Photos copyright Pam Flowers and Alaska Northwest Books. Used with permission. All rights reserved. No reproduction or
transmission without written permission of the publisher. Text copyright by Pam Flowers and Ann Dixon. All rights reserved.
Please contact for permission to use.

Alone Across The Arctic:
One Woman's Epic Journey By Dog Team
Written with Pam Flowers
120 pages, Hardbound, $22.95, ISBN 0-88240-547-0
Softbound, $15.95, ISBN 0-88240-539-X
Alaska Northwest Books

Notable Children's Book in the Field of Social Studies

Benjamin Franklin Award for Children's Books 2002

Alone Across The Arctic was selected by the
Alaska Library Association for the 2001-02 Battle of the Books.

I don't remember the first time I met dog musher and Arctic adventurer Pam Flowers, but we're both fairly certain we met at the Willow Public Library, where I worked and she often visited. At that time, Pam lived in Willow, while she was learning to run and train sled dogs.

Over the next ten years, while Pam was out adventuring with sled dogs in the Arctic, I was working at the library, raising babies, and learning how to write books. Some time after she returned from her longest expedition, 2,500 miles across the Arctic, Pam asked me to help her write a book about her experiences on that journey. She wanted it to be something children, as well as adults, could read and enjoy. Using her journal as a foundation, we spent the next several years working on the book, trying out different formats, points of view, lengths, and ideas for telling the story.

Finally, we settled on the book you may read today. Working with Alaska Northwest Books, we researched, wrote and rewrote the story and the factual information in the book until everyone was satisfied.

This book differs from my others in several ways. For one thing, it's pure nonfiction. Everything in the book is true. For another, I didn't originate the idea for the book -- Pam brought it to me. Finally, at 120 pages, it's much longer than my usual 32-page picture book!

return to top of page

"[An] exciting and captivating memoir."
                                                                       --- Publishers Weekly

"This exciting book contains numerous photographs (taken by Flowers), excerpts from the author's trip log, vivid descriptions of close calls and breathtaking adventure, and even some tips on arctic travel... It's an inspiring story, well told."
                                                                       --- Booklist

"An engaging survival story with broad appeal."
                                                                      -- School Library Journal (starred review)

"A superbly written adventure story that makes for a fine armchair read...travelogue packed with ongoing action and true-live adventure."
                                                                      --- The Bookwatch

"Beautiful color photographs greatly enhance this delightful and well-written story of perseverance.
Recommended for public libraries."
                                                                      --- Library Journal

"Forget mystery novels! I couldn't put this book down. Don't pick it up if you have to get up early in the morning---I stayed up all night reading it!…The combination of adventure, personal challenge and the author's lyrical love of her dogs makes this book impossible to put down….A compelling and wonderful book about a brave, adventuresome woman and her devoted dogs. Deserves to be a best seller."
                                                                        --- Patricia McConnell, Ph.D.,
                                                                            Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist and
                                                                            Host of Calling All Pets public radio show

"In 1993-94, Flowers went on the adventure of a lifetime, traveling 2500 miles of the North American arctic coast by dogsled….This chronicle of her trip cuts right to the chase, as it were, describing her day-by-day travails as she dealt with obstacles ranging from wayward dogs to the odd bear, bitter cold to freakishly warm weather…The pace is swift, and the pages are broken up with sidebars and photographs that help make the layout inviting. Fans of outdoor adventure will find this a satisfying armchair jaunt."
                                                               --- The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Awards:

Notable Children's Book in the Field of Social Studies

Benjamin Franklin Award for Children's Books 2002

Alone Across The Arctic was selected by the Alaska Library Association for
the 2001-02 Battle of the Books.

return to top of page

Record the temperature and amount of rain every day for one week or more. Compare your measurements
to the averages listed in your local newspaper.

Keep a journal for at least one week. Include the weather, any adventures or travels you might take, and
your feelings about the things that happen. Write down any problems you encountered and how you handled them. Go back and read your journal. Did you learn anything about yourself? Now try keeping your journal for a month!

Take a day hike, go biking, canoeing or rowing; or use any other method of non-motorized outdoor travel.
Record interesting things you noticed, including any animals, unusual plants, people, or surprises, and
how you felt about them. Write a poem or letter to an imaginary pen pal about the day.

If you could go on an expedition, where would you go? How would you get there? What supplies, gear, and clothing would you need? Draw up a list and figure out your route. How long do you think it would take?

Links:

For more activities, including a downloadable Study Guide, go to http://www.gacpc.com/kids_studyguides.htm.

For information on adventuring in the Arctic, visit Pam Flowers' web site.

For more books about the Arctic, dog mushing, Alaska, and outdoor adventures
see www.gacpc.com. Click on "Alaska Northwest Books."

return to top of page