Books published by publisher Alaska Northwest Books Jan - 2008

Secondhand Summer begins in Ninilchik, a tiny Alaskan community where the Barger family fishes for salmon. The father's death forces a move from their homestead to an apartment in a poor section of Anchorage. Written in the first person and based on the author’s own experiences, the tale is about Sam, a fourteen-year-old boy who loved the homestead fishing life he left behind. Like most kids his age, his physical abilities and his imagination exceed his judgment and knowledge.The story focuses on the boy’s adventuresome adjustments to the big city, the loss of his father, and becoming a teenager. Sam’s new friends lead him on forays into vandalism, petty theft, and trespassing. An abandoned nightclub, which Sam and his friends take over as their “fort,” absorbs Sam’s attention and energy as an escape from an adult controlled world, but his time runs out when the teenagers take over. By the end of the summer, Sam loses his club, one of his new friends, and his idealism, leaving him feeling forever changed as he enters seventh grade, both wilder and wiser.

A coming-of-age story of loss, adventure, violence, and redemption Fourteen-year-old Sam Barger’s life changes forever when his father dies and his family is forced to move from a remote homestead and fishing camp to the busy city of Anchorage. Life in the big city hits Sam a little differently; suddenly he’s surrounded by cars and girls, poverty and diversity, and new places to explore. One day he and his new friends stumble upon an abandoned nightclub, and it fires up Sam’s imagination and leads him into dangers he never expected. Can he survive the wilds of Anchorage before the end of summer? Secondhand Summer is the gripping debut novel inspired by author Dan Walker’s own life and experiences.

A kid favorite of life in the far north, Recess at 20 Below is now repackaged in a new design with bonus content from the author!Experience from a kid's perspective what it is like playing during recess when it is really cold: how the world sounds outside, how it tastes outside, how it looks, and even how it smells when the thermometer says it's 20 below. Learn about the layer after layer of clothing you have to put on to avoid frostbite before you could hit the playground, the tiny ice crystals you could just see in the air, the loud crunch, crunch, crunch sound your boots make when you walked. Photographs of real kids with words by award-winning teacher Cindy Lou Aillaud have made this book popular all over North America because all the kids want to know what happens at 20 below zero. This revised edition also includes the author's answers to real questions she has received from kids everywhere about what life and school are like in Alaska.

The Whalers are the only football team above the Arctic Circle: 330 north to be exact, a place with no grass, no trees, and plenty of permafrost. Of the 44 Eskimo, Tongan, Samoan, Asian-American, African-American and Caucasian teenagers who signed up for this experiment, only four had ever played organized football before. Seasoned journalist Lew Freedman captures this inspiring story.

Pam Flowers' newest book just published(!), SOJO, MEMOIRS OF A RELUCTANT SLED DOG, chronicles the life of one of Pam's sled dogs and is told from the dog's perspective in a jaunty style sure to delight readers of all ages.NOW a bit more about the extraordinary book - ALONE ACROSS THE ARCTIC - Eight sled dogs and one woman set out from Barrow, Alaska, to mush 2,500 miles. "ALONE ACROSS THE ARCTIC" chronicles this astounding expedition. For an entire year, Pam Flowers and her dogs made this epic journey across North America arctic coast. The first woman to make this trip solo, Pam and her dogs endure and deal with intense blizzards, melting pack ice, and a polar bear. Yet in the midst of such danger, Pam also relishes the time alone with her beloved team. Their survival---her survival---hinges on that mutual trust and love.

With nearly 50 species of berries that grow wild in Alaska, this collection takes the more abundant and popular species and shares 200 tried-and-true berry recipes that have been Alaskan favorites for decades.In this newly updated edition of The Alaska Wild Berry Cookbook, brightened with a fresh design and re-edited and modernized with an all-new foreword and glossary, you’ll find a range of berry recipes that go far beyond the usual limited sampling. Mouth-watering recipes include classic desserts, such as blueberry-lemon pie and strawberry mousse, to more unique ones, such as salmonberry cake, but there are also sections for berry-made breads, salads, meat dishes and marinades, preserves, candies, mincemeats, and even beverages. Also included are easy substitutions for berry lovers everywhere, foragers and grocery store shoppers alike, to customize and enjoy the dishes wherever they may live. From lowbush cranberry marmalade to raspberry cake to crowberry syrup, this classic berry cookbook covers it all.

Follow precious Little Puffin through his first year of life as his parents protect and prepare him for life on his own. From the safety of the little chick’s nest to his clumsy attempts at flight, Van Zyle’s paintings depict Little Puffin’s adventures through a variety of perspectives, from close-up portraits to sweeping action scenes. Jonathan London’s lyrical prose imparts a reverence for wildlife, endearing the puffin chick―Sea Parrot, Underwater Acrobat, Clown of the Ocean―to the reader and creating a suspenseful read-aloud.

Ten ravens set out on a lark. As the pages turn, they steal pretty pearls, picnic in a pickup truck, and pull a predator’s tail. Scenarios are fanciful but rooted in ravenhood: collecting shiny things, testing curious objects, getting into garbage, and showing off. The adventures take their numbers down to 1, and they reunite to play the game all over again.

On a beautiful Arctic morning, Kumak looks out the window of his house at the sun rising over the frozen river. "Ahhh, spring," says Kumak to his family. "The days are long, the nights are short, and the ice is still hard. Good day for fish." Eager to give Uncle Aglu's amazing hooking stick a try, Kumak packs up his family and heads out to go ice fishing. "Good day for fish!" they all agree. Hapless Kumak is the only one in his family without fish until the tug at the other end of his line incites a mighty battle. A clever ending reveals that the whale-sized fish that Kumak imagined was actually a line of small fish in tug o' war position. Kumak reigns, and there's plenty for everybody. Authentic details throughout the playful art and text, as well as endnotes on Inupiat fishing, provide young readers with a fascinating window into another culture in this follow up to KUMAK'S HOUSE a 2003 Children's Book Council Notable Trade Book in Social Studies.

This exciting series of beginning chapter books follows the energetic and curious Sam on his adventures in beautiful Seldovia, Alaska, where he lives with his parents and dog, Neptune. Humor, family relationships, survival, natural history, and geography are all part of Sam's ""misadventures."" A map and author's note portray the real Seldovia while lively illustrations help readers to visualize characters and place. A great choice for avid and reluctant readers! In this new adventure, Sam discovers and reports a wildfire that is dangerously close to the isolated community of Seldovia. When the townspeople gather to be evacuated onto fishing boats, Sam realizes his friend's family hasn't made it to the docks and heads out to find them! Heroic Sam and Neptune escort the family and rescue their litter of kittens. Included is natural history information about the spruce bark beetle life cycle and wildfires-the dangers as well as the benefits to the forest and wildlife.