BARNEY HITS THE TRAIL

A fascinating story of life in Alaska-snow, ice, dogs and Eskimo friends -- plus the striking illustrations by Fred Machetanz, make this an outstanding regional novel. Eleven-year-old Barney goes to Alaska to help run his uncle's trading post. There he makes friends, visits Eskimo homes, hunts, sleds with his dog, Seegoo, and goes to school with the Eskimos. But it is his discovery of gold -- grains of which were found by Barney his first day, in the gizzard of a duck -- and the knowledge that he was a real Sourdough who had lived through an Alaskan winter, seeing a freeze and break-up, that makes the winter memorable.