Ike FitzHugh's mother is Inuit and his father is white. To many of the whites rushing Alaska during the 1898 gold rush, this makes him a 'half-breed' and therefore is not to be trusted. But when Ike helps an injured white boy, he proves to him that being honest has nothing to do with race. From Ike's point of view, readers learn about the people involved in the Klondike Gold Rush, Inuit and white, and the different attitudes of the era regarding nature and race. Each volume in this innovative historical-fiction series is designed to look like a scrapbook created by the story's main character. Each historical period comes vividly to life in events chosen for their curricular relevance. Elementary students will love the activity section, which encourages readers to write their own historical fiction, offers instructions for personal scrapbooking, and provides lessons in compiling oral histories from family and friends. Additional features to aid comprehension include a historical essay on the actual event, a table of contents, a glossary, informative sidebars, sources for further research, and an introduction to the author.
