Gold

And how great is this cover?! 

Another one of my travel books was David Meissner and Kim Richardson's  Call of the Klondike.  As you can probably guess from the title this is the true story of two young prospectors who travel to the Klondike during the first year of the gold rush.

This is the best type of non-fiction book.  It reads just like a narrative but it is supplemented with period pictures and other primary sources such as letters and diary entries.  Readers of this blog will know I am not the biggest non-fiction fan; however, books like this are changing my mind.  It was the perfect length, I didn't feel bogged down with information and I was engaged in the story.

Books like these will inspire students to read more non-fiction and learn more about history.  I think the best cross-curricular exercises involve books like this.  I must admit I knew virtually nothing about the Klondike gold rush before reading this book and I walked away with the satisfied feeling of having learned something I never knew before. I also felt very grateful for modern amenities and to live in a climate where peoples toes don't freeze off on a regular basis.

Learning new things...that's kids stuff.