Synopsis
GOLD! GOLD! GOLD! scream the headlines in July 1897, announcing the discovery of gold in the Yukon. Fourteen-year-old James Erickson, alone in the world after his father's death, is mesmerized when he sees the first ship of prospectors enter the San Francisco harbor. Caught up in the gold fever, he books passage on a steamer up to Alaska.
In Alaska, James meets Tip, a skinny boy who turns out to be a girl -- and the only person James trusts to be his partner. Together they embark on a treacherous trek over the mountains and down the river, battling rapids, con men, and the cold. When their survival skills -- and their dedication to each other -- are tested, James and Tip wonder whether their exhausting journey will be worth it. Is their fortune waiting just beyond the next bend? And what are they willing to risk to find out?
Fast-paced and vividly imagined, this is the gripping story of a young man who follows his dreams. Thelma Hatch Wyss richly re-creates the harsh experience of life on the Gold Rush Trail, weaving a tale of adventure, peril, and ultimately, belonging.
Children's Literature
Middle readers may know about the California Gold Rush, but what about the 1897-98 discovery of gold in the Yukon? In this tale of fourteen-year-old orphan James Erickson, who takes off for the Klondike to try his luck with a meager inheritance and a gold nugget, the author manages to include a wealth of information about that stampede, while deftly developing her characters. James survives adventures including sailing on an unseaworthy steamer to Alaska, being robbed by unscrupulous predators, packing supplies over a dangerous pass, shooting rapids and, finally, laboring night and day to strike the elusive gold. Hardships and heartbreak are suffered by vivid minor characters, including the deranged con man known as "Feathers," vicious miners Tall Joe and Short Joe, dance hall girl Pansy, and the sweet, doomed Sam. When James takes on a partner—a skinny young boy who turns out to be a girl—and both of them are taken in by a grizzled miner called Crazy Caribou, relationships emerge and flower. Both James and thirteen-year-old Tip (who gradually discovers her femininity) grow and mature as they grapple with implacable nature and desperate adults—and sometimes even have fun. The well-constructed plot, with its fascinating details of life in the Yukon, will keep readers turning pages to answer irresistible questions: Will James and his partners ever find gold? More important, will they be able to sustain their hard-won trust and affection for each other after they leave the goldfields? Wyss has fashioned a satisfying coming-of-age narrative in a truly unusual setting. Reviewer: Barbara L. Talcroft