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Pam Flowers, author of six award winning, best
selling books, has retired from tour BUT she
continues to write books!
Her newest book is SOJO:
Memoirs of a Reluctant Sled Dog
 This
story is told from the dog Sojo's own perspective in
a jaunty style sure to delight readers. Sojo, sister
of Big-Enough Anna, is born into a hardworking,
talented family and starts life as a happy,
trusting, and confident puppy. But her confidence
rapidly wanes as she begins to understand how
complicated and challenging it is to be a sled dog.
Overshadowed by her sister, Anna, who is very
confident and gets all the glory, Sojo undergoes
training and much to her surprise makes the dog
team. When explorer Pam Flowers sets out with her
team to travel alone across the arctic, Sojo is
confronted with many challenges. But through an
unexpected encounter with a wise old dog they meet
along the way and Sojo's brave actions during a
crisis involving her sister Anna, Sojo regains her
self-confidence, learns that she does have what it
takes to become a top-notch sled dog, and
successfully completes the journey.
KIRKUS BOOK REVIEW
An Alaskan sled dog
narrates her adventures. Sojo, born in Alaska, is
not sure she wants to be a sled dog. Everyone says
she is beautiful, so she thinks she may want to be a
show dog instead. But Pam, Sojo's white human who
raises sled dogs, has plans to cross the 2,500 miles
of Arctic tundra alone with her dog sled team, and
Sojo is picked. Sojo's narrative voice as she
relates the Arctic adventure—the main thrust of the
book—is jaunty, with just the right amount of
goofiness to appeal to young readers' sensibilities,
while Farnsworth's black-and-white illustrations add
charm. What is notable about the story is its
sterling ring of authenticity. The many details of
what it takes in both planning and, er, doggedness
to mush across frozen tundra during Arctic winters
are fascinating. Since it is Sojo narrating, there
isn't much waxing poetic about natural beauty;
instead there is action, action, action. Lessons
about teamwork and courage are doled out, but they
are strictly in service to the story. Readers will
come to understand the loyalty and camaraderie
between Pam and her dog sled team as well as the
absolute dependence each species has on the other
for survival in the harsh environment. An
action-filled story about dog sledding and teamwork
presented in just the right way for its readership.
SOJO: Memoirs
of a Reluctant Sled Dog
Author: Pam Flowers
Illustrator: Bill Farnsworth
Publisher:Alaska Northwest Books
Pages: 114
Price ( Paperback ): $12.99
ISBN ( Paperback ): 978-1-943328-53-6
Price ( Hardbound): $23.99
ISBN ( Hardbound): 978-1943328550
Publication Date: October 4, 2016
Adventure: ages 8-12, grades 3-7
Available from: Baker & Taylor, Ingram, Todd
Communications, Brodart,
Amazon and all other places where librarians and
everyone else purchases books.
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