Lone Wolves

Gr 8 Up—Sixteen-year old Deneena Yazzie thrives on the ways of life traditional to her village in Alaska's vast interior: hunting for food, speaking the language of her ancestors, and mastering the art of dogsledding, or mushing, alongside her grandfather. When unexpected circumstances make selling the dogs and sled a necessity, Denny enters herself into the Last Great Race on Earth (the Iditarod) in hopes of winning the cash prize and sustaining her way of life. Smelcer confronts some of the darker aspects of Alaskan village life-the struggle of part-Native youth to belong, the sometimes pervasive nature of substance abuse, and the uphill battle of those attempting to preserve Native languages and culture. Some of the key plot elements are a little hard to swallow, particularly the idea of a teenager training a wild animal to be her lead dog only a month before the Iditarod, but on the whole, the author weaves an engaging tale of survival, love, and courage. The book includes a few pencil illustrations and poetry excerpted from Smelcer's Beautiful Words/Kasuundze' Kenaege' (Truman State Univ., 2011).—Sara Saxton, Wasilla Public Library, Wasilla, AK