What do you think?
Rate this book
Winter Road
Sixteen-year-old Kat and her mom haven't seen much of each other since Kat's father died last year. Her mom has taken over the family trucking business and has been away a lot. She promised that Kat could join her on her next run, a journey across the frozen Manitoba lake known as the "winter road." But at the last minute she changes her mind. Kat, who has recently been diagnosed with diabetes, stows away in the back of the semi instead. By the time her mother discovers her, it's too late to turn back.
- GenresYoung Adult
128 pages, Paperback
Published January 16, 2018
31 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 5, 2018
I have shelved these Orca Currents on the library shelves for years thinking, they are important. Sadly, they get few checkouts. I wonder if it's the size of them? Anyway, this one came in and I loved the cover. A story about a mother and daughter driving the ice roads? I'm in. This was a high interest, super fast read. It would be perfect for kids who "do not like to read" and the best part is that it's mature enough to not feel childish. I'd actually like to see this expanded into a full blown YA novel. The writing was tight and the pages could not turn fast enough. I think I learned more about ice roads in 40 pages then I have in 40 years. Totally interesting.
October 1, 2019
2.5 stars
I have to preface this review with the following: I go more by what Goodreads says the numbers of stars symbolize than I do by the number of stars. Two might not look like much, but it means "it was okay"--and that "okayness" either includes liking it or not liking it. What about this book? I did like it.
It makes sense to break my review into questions for some reason--so I'll do that. :)
Uniqueness: No, I don't recall reading about any representation of truck drivers and their families in a work. And I can't think of seeing insulin pens in other works either. Books with diabetic characters seem to tend towards injections (general/nonspecific) or insulin pumps.
I enjoyed having Butcher's afterward acknowledging the research she put into learning more about truck driving and Type 1 Diabetes.
I question whether Kat had to follow such a scheduled diet, but that doesn't seem far off from managing numbers as someone who was newly diagnosed. Before I had an insulin pump, I had less flexibility with meal times. Now, I'm much more flexible. If I'm low between meals, I'll just eat some sugar tablets (if I'm out and about) or drink grape/cranberry/~30 grams of carbs per serving juice or eat some raisins. Granola bars (referred to at one point) aren't fast enough acting carbs...
Anyway...
I was also interested in the one blood sugar number given. On page 106: 2.6. Two POINT!!!??? Six!!!!
The decimal threw me off. I've never fainted from a low, but I have been pretty low.
When I studied abroad, I woke up in the middle of the night when my continuous glucose monitor was calibrating (meaning: not yet able to give automatic readings and alarms) because I could tell I was low. (I am so lucky that I wake up in the night when I'm low.) And at that time, I was around 34. And that didn't make me freak out. I just listened to the sounds of England and chomped on sugar tablets (and, of course, rinsed out my mouth to fight tooth decay...haha...) before returning to my bed.
But the decimal is what I got stuck on in the novel. But I just assumed there's a decimal because it is Canada. And Google confirmed that.
2.6 mmol/L = 46.85 mg/dL
(https://www.disabled-world.com/calcul...)
But with a blood sugar of 46, you should not pass out. I have been 46 many times. 46 is almost 50--that's my thought. That's when I decide to suspend disbelief and just enjoy the story.
Several pieces of the work were predictable--and yet, I wanted to stay with the characters more. They didn't develop enough and I wanted more of the grandmother and, especially, more of Finn. And what more do Kat and Finn talk about? What other conversations do Kat and her mother have? What is Kat like in school?
Overall: It was a comfortable read and enjoyable in a peaceful sort of way. There were a few editing errors in the text, but it read smoothly otherwise. If you're looking for a quick read, consider this.
I have to preface this review with the following: I go more by what Goodreads says the numbers of stars symbolize than I do by the number of stars. Two might not look like much, but it means "it was okay"--and that "okayness" either includes liking it or not liking it. What about this book? I did like it.
It makes sense to break my review into questions for some reason--so I'll do that. :)
Uniqueness: No, I don't recall reading about any representation of truck drivers and their families in a work. And I can't think of seeing insulin pens in other works either. Books with diabetic characters seem to tend towards injections (general/nonspecific) or insulin pumps.
I enjoyed having Butcher's afterward acknowledging the research she put into learning more about truck driving and Type 1 Diabetes.
I question whether Kat had to follow such a scheduled diet, but that doesn't seem far off from managing numbers as someone who was newly diagnosed. Before I had an insulin pump, I had less flexibility with meal times. Now, I'm much more flexible. If I'm low between meals, I'll just eat some sugar tablets (if I'm out and about) or drink grape/cranberry/~30 grams of carbs per serving juice or eat some raisins. Granola bars (referred to at one point) aren't fast enough acting carbs...
Anyway...
I was also interested in the one blood sugar number given. On page 106: 2.6. Two POINT!!!??? Six!!!!
The decimal threw me off. I've never fainted from a low, but I have been pretty low.
When I studied abroad, I woke up in the middle of the night when my continuous glucose monitor was calibrating (meaning: not yet able to give automatic readings and alarms) because I could tell I was low. (I am so lucky that I wake up in the night when I'm low.) And at that time, I was around 34. And that didn't make me freak out. I just listened to the sounds of England and chomped on sugar tablets (and, of course, rinsed out my mouth to fight tooth decay...haha...) before returning to my bed.
But the decimal is what I got stuck on in the novel. But I just assumed there's a decimal because it is Canada. And Google confirmed that.
2.6 mmol/L = 46.85 mg/dL
(https://www.disabled-world.com/calcul...)
But with a blood sugar of 46, you should not pass out. I have been 46 many times. 46 is almost 50--that's my thought. That's when I decide to suspend disbelief and just enjoy the story.
Several pieces of the work were predictable--and yet, I wanted to stay with the characters more. They didn't develop enough and I wanted more of the grandmother and, especially, more of Finn. And what more do Kat and Finn talk about? What other conversations do Kat and her mother have? What is Kat like in school?
Overall: It was a comfortable read and enjoyable in a peaceful sort of way. There were a few editing errors in the text, but it read smoothly otherwise. If you're looking for a quick read, consider this.
Read
February 13, 2018A quick and compelling read with a great voice and an interesting and uncommon setting. Loved it!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews