Lassie: Adventure in Alaska
George S Elrick
Hardcover
(Whitman Pub. Co, March 15, 1967)
Lassie and her master Corey travel to the Alaskan wilderness to explore the natural wonders of the region. Unfortunately, they are trapped in the midst of a violent earthquake (this was written only four years after the 9.9 earthquake that all but destroyed Anchorage). Corey is badly injured. Lassie must go for help. Corey must survive until she returns. In LASSIE: ADVENTURE IN ALASKA, the young reader is introduced to the Tlingit Indians and their traditional way of life, and to the fact that Native American cultures and the natural world are worth preserving. For 1968, those ideas were revolutionary. This book made me interested in the culture of the Tlingit and sympathetic to them. The storyline is very mature. The earthquake causes Corey to have a truly life-threatening injury. A perfectly preserved giant woolly mammoth is unearthed by the quake. A consuming forest fire breaks out in the aftermath of the quake, threatening the area, the prehistoric find, and doubling the threat to Corey's life. I learned of the importance of Air Rescue in remote areas. This book can help a child develop a strong sense of ethics and an understanding of other cultures and regions.