Dogsledding and Extreme Sports: A nonfiction companion to Magic Tree House #54: Balto of the Blue Dawn

Magic Tree House Fact Tracker #34

by Mary Pope Osborne, Natalie Pope Boyce, Carlo Molinari (Illustrations)

Track the facts about the famous sled dog race and other incredible feats—with Jack and Annie!
 
When Jack and Annie came back from their adventure in Magic Tree House #54, they had lots of questions. How do sled dogs race for so long? When was the first Iditarod? What are some other extreme sports? Find out the answers to these questions and more as Jack and Annie track the facts about the Iditarod, open water swimming, the Ironman triathlon, free climbing, the X Games, and other ways people test their limits.
 
Filled with up-to-date information, photographs, illustrations, and fun tidbits from Jack and Annie, the Magic Tree House Fact Trackers are the perfect way for kids to find out more about the topics they discover in their favorite Magic Tree House adventures. And teachers can use the Fact Trackers alongside their Magic Tree House fiction companions to meet Common Core text pairing needs.
 
Have more fun with Jack and Annie on the Magic Tree House website at MagicTreeHouse.com!

Genres: Nonfiction, Sports, Childrens, Animals

128 pages, Library Binding

First published January 5, 2016

About the author

Mary Pope Osborne is an American author of children's books and audiobook narrator. She is best known as the author of the Magic Tree House series, which as of 2017 sold more than 134 million copies worldwide. Both the series and Osborne have won awards, including for Osborne's charitable efforts at promoting children's literacy. One of four children, Osborne moved around in her childhood before attending the University of North Carolina. Following college, Osborne traveled before moving to New York City. She somewhat spontaneously began to write, and her first book was published in 1982. She went on to write a variety of other children's and young adult books before starting the Magic Tree House series in 1992. Osborne's sister Natalie Pope Boyce has written several compendium books to the Magic Tree House series, sometimes with Osborne's husband Will Osborne.

Reviews

[Lauri · Rating 2 out of 5]

The information was good, but the tangents into other extreme sports was very odd.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

In 2016, Mary Pope Osborne and her sister Natalie Pope Boyce published Dog Sledding and Other Extreme Sports. This book is a nonfiction research guide to the book entitled Balto of the Blue Dawn by Mary Pope Osborne which was published in 2016. The book was written with the advice of a soccer consultant and an educational advisor. The book has wonderful black-and-white illustrations. The book has wonderful black-and-white photographs. The illustrator for this book was Carlo Molinari. The book has an index and a bibliography. Similar to the other books in the Magic Tree House Fact Trackers series, the book has a section on how to do more research for young readers about dog sledding and other extreme sports. The book was advised by a “sled dog veterinarian”, a personal trainer, and an educational advisor. Osborne and Boyce write that “extreme sports like the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race are for people who feel good about taking risks.” The book covers dog sledding and the X games. The book also covers other endurance sports besides dog sledding. The last chapter is on why people do extreme sports (Osborne & Boyce 101-107). Osborne’s and Boyce’s book on extreme sports is a good introduction to extreme sports as of 2016.

[Karen Kline · Rating 5 out of 5]

With the Iditarod just a few days away, I was thrilled to find this book on my public library's shelf. I also would be teaching a lesson about extreme sports with a special ed class soon, and the book contains SO much info about famous champions and the history of the games.

I was especially glad that Osborne gave an even hand in dealing with the ugly side of dog mushing, telling readers in a couple of places that many people protest the treatment of dogs in the Iditarod. A great book from start to finish!

[Jenny Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good overview of dogsledding, with the focus on the Iditarod, triathlons and the X Games, as well as some famous athletes in all these sports. Goes with Balto of the Blue Dawn

[Jaden John · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was extreme! And cool!

[Laurel Pate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great review of dogsledding and extreme sports.

[Meg Leffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 3rd grade students loved this book! So many great facts that they all loved learning.

[Colin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Fact Tracker about dogsledding and other extreme sports (with a lot of facts about the X Games). Not really my thing, but whatever; the kids seemed to like it.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Better than I expected

[Penny Evenson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative about dogsledding and Extreme Sports!

[Marya · Rating 2 out of 5]

That's a little random- pairing dog sledding with free climbing, skateboarding and snowboarding. You do learn a little about each of those items, but it feels as patchy as it sounds.

[Lorie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This non-fiction companion to the fiction book Balto of the Blue Dawn explains more facts about dogsledding and other extreme sports like Ironman competitions, extreme swimming, and marathon running. The first 3 chapters are devoted to the main feature of dogsledding and its extreme race, the Iditarod. Readers learn such things as the special breeds of dogs that are bred for this sport, the details of the Iditarod race , and how the special way the treams train for these races. The next three chapters discuss the other types of extreme sports, the X Games which were created for athletes around the world to compete in these types of sports, and why athletes would want to participate in these types of athletic competitions.

The text is presented in short, concise paragraphs meant for children transitioning from early readers to chapter books which makes this a good choice for children wanting more information on their reading level. Black and White photographs and line drawings are used frequently to maintain interest and demonstrate what is being talked about in the text. Book extras include a table of contents, an explanation of how to do more research on the topic, good non-fiction books to try for more information, museums to visit on this topic and how to take notes once you get there, internet sites for more information with an important warning to check with an adult before using the internet, a bibliography, an index, and most recent list (till 2016) of all the Magic Tree House books and their non-fiction companions. Curious children who love the fiction series will enjoy this companion book.

I would recommend this book for purchase to any school or public library.
This book was provided by the publishers for professional review by SWON Libraries.

[Erik This Kid Reviews Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I Thought- Hey! This is just what I asked for! I liked this nonfiction book a lot. It includes basic information about the complex sport of dogsledding, and the conditions and conditioning they go through. I like that it isn’t all about dogsledding though – the book includes other extreme sports, such as the X Games (dirt bikes, motocross, etc.), open water swimming (like swimming through the ocean over a long distance) and much more! The book also chronicles champions in such extreme sports, with portraits. The book includes explanatory illustrations throughout the sports. This is a great companion to Balto of the Blue Dawn. I love that the Magic Tree House books connect fun stories with historical events but then follow up with additional information. This was always one of my favorite series growing up.
*NOTE* I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This title is a non-fiction companion to Balto of the Blue Dawn, which gives more in-depth information about sled dogs, The Great Serum Race of 1925, and the Iditarod. The book also has information on other “extreme endurance” challenges such as free climbing, long distance swimming and Ironman competitions. There is also a chapter on the X Games and some of the famous athletes of the games as well as an explanation of adrenaline. The book includes suggestions for more research that includes books and websites. The illustrations include both black and white photographs as well as line drawings.

[Sarah - All The Book Blog Names Are Taken]

Eleanor says: some of the book was an about sled dogs. But I liked it. One of the people was surfing and then a shark bit her arm off. But that didn’t stop her. That brings a lesson. The lesson is never give up on your dream.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with all these books, the information is presented at just the right level for children. My third grader read it to me. She enjoyed all the factual asides.

[Selah · Rating 3 out of 5]

The history of dogsledding is interesting, but I didn't enjoy reading about other extreme sports. 2.5 stars