Cheechako: An Alaska Adventure

Cheechako Series #1

by Jonathan Thomas Stratman

Will Rollins, a greenhorn––cheechako––(chee-chock-oh) is miserable in his new Alaska life. In addition to the bully hassling him, he can’t seem to make any friends in school and doesn’t know a thing about dogsleds, riverboats, hunting, or survival at 40 degrees below zero. Even though he doesn’t feel very brave, Will darts out alone onto rampaging-river ice to rescue a stranded dog. His bravery wins him a valuable, trained sled dog, Blackie, and a new human friend as well, a Native American boy named Elias. It’s Elias who challenges and inspires the cheechako to become a rugged outdoorsman and a real Alaskan. Will starts out by feeding, harnessing and then driving a sled dog team. He learns to throw a hatchet–and hit what he aims at! He learns to snowshoe and stay alive in the cold, to challenge his fears and to keep moving when everything he wants to do is quit. Best of all, he learns to be a good friend.But when a fierce, Siberian blizzard rampages across central Alaska, stranding Will's family, nearly burying their log cabin in wind-blown snow drifts,it will be up to Will and Blackie to try to make it out alive. With Elias injured and Will's family in danger of freezing, can a cheechako save them? Can he save himself? A thrilling read for boys or girls who love adventure.

144 pages, Paperback

First published December 28, 2011

Reviews

[Camellia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book as well as an excellent series!! Very much an enjoyable read.

[Sharon L · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book by Jonathan Stratman

Having been a Cheechako once myself, I really enjoyed reading about life in the Alaskan Bush. This book was hard to put down and I'm anxious to start on the next book in the series. This is a great series for adults and teens alike.

[Greg Sales · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book in a series and I love a series. Once I have become vested in characters having additional books in which I can follow their growth is great fun.

Cheechako follows the experiences of a young boy who moves to rural Alaska. Not surprisingly, he faces all the emotions of leaving "home" and trying to become accepting in a new place. His life is further complicated by the unique challenges of life in the remote wilderness of Alaska. There are lots of adventure and challenges that help him to grow and become a confident young man.

The author, who spent much of his youth in rural Alaska, is a great story teller.

The book has been around for a few years, but I think the story is timeless.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! Highly recommend!

[Billie Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes a book comes along that you cannot forget. Jonathan Stratman's novel, "Cheechako," is such a book. As a longtime fan of stories set in the land of the midnight sun, I absolutely adored this fast-paced, well-written book for young adults! The strong story line reminded me of "White Fang," "The Call of the Wild," Gary Paulsen's "Hatchet," and "Ballads of a Cheechako," by poet Robert Service, and kept me reading through the night.

Will Rollins--a lonely boy in an isolated Alaskan town--is tormented by a group of bullies who call him "Cheechako" (Native word for greenhorn). Making friends in a strange new home is a familiar theme in books for youngsters, and this novel is a story to make young readers' hearts spin and tender hearts weep. The story starts with excitement and doesn't stop until the end. In the first chapter, Will disregards danger to himself to rescue a dog stranded on the ice. From this point on, there's action on every page as the boy meets one crisis after another to prove to his tormentors he is no greenhorn, and far from it.

This great novel is well worth five stars--I would have given ten if allowed. I'll be watching with my fingers crossed for some enterprising producer to turn this story into a television classic for youngsters and adults alike. If you like Arctic adventures, this one is for you.

[Bcoghill Coghill · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author wrote this book about the remote part of Alaska I called home as a book. I was a white kid in the Athabascan village but I did not have the same adventures. I was a town kid.
The story is was written for youngsters. It does tell of the difficulties of being a stranger in a strange land. It tells it in believable way but not so believable that a youngster will not believe it. There is a dramatic accomplishment at the end that is very remarkable.
Also, my grandmother, or a person that the young author must have precieved my grandmother to be is a very minor character. So how could I help but not enjoy.
I am sure I will enjoy rest of Stratman's books.

[Vernelle J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read only if you plan to stay up all night! You will not put it down!