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Dog Driven
From the author of Ice Dogs comes a riveting adventure about a musher who sets out to prove her impaired vision won't hold her back from competing in a rigorous sled race through the Canadian wilderness. Perfect for fans of Gary Paulsen.
McKenna Barney is trying to hide her worsening eyesight and has been isolating herself for the last year. But at the request of her little sister, she signs up for a commemorative mail run race in the Canadian wilderness—a race she doesn’t know if she can even see to run.
Winning would mean getting her disease—and her sister’s—national media coverage, but it would also pit McKenna and her team of eight sled dogs against racers from across the globe for three days of shifting lake ice, sudden owl attacks, snow squalls, and bitterly cold nights.
A page-turning adventure about living with disability and surviving the wilderness, Dog Driven is the story of one girl’s self-determination and the courage it takes to trust in others.
McKenna Barney is trying to hide her worsening eyesight and has been isolating herself for the last year. But at the request of her little sister, she signs up for a commemorative mail run race in the Canadian wilderness—a race she doesn’t know if she can even see to run.
Winning would mean getting her disease—and her sister’s—national media coverage, but it would also pit McKenna and her team of eight sled dogs against racers from across the globe for three days of shifting lake ice, sudden owl attacks, snow squalls, and bitterly cold nights.
A page-turning adventure about living with disability and surviving the wilderness, Dog Driven is the story of one girl’s self-determination and the courage it takes to trust in others.
229 pages, Hardcover
First published December 3, 2019
73 people are currently reading
3783 people want to read
About the author
Terry Lynn Johnson
12 books336 followersTerry Lynn Johnson writes outdoor adventures inspired by her own team of eighteen Alaskan huskies. Her passion for adventure has provided her with a rich background to write from.
When she's not writing, Terry enjoys hiking, snowshoeing, and kayaking. She works as a Conservation Officer (Game Warden) in Whitefish Falls, Ontario.
She is represented by Caryn Wiseman of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency.
When she's not writing, Terry enjoys hiking, snowshoeing, and kayaking. She works as a Conservation Officer (Game Warden) in Whitefish Falls, Ontario.
She is represented by Caryn Wiseman of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 178 reviews
November 1, 2019
update #2: STARRED REVIEW FROM BOOKLIST!
★ "In a strong voice . . . Johnson shows the deep bonds and trust between musher and dogs . . . bracingly captures the excitement and trepidation of (the) adventure." —Booklist, STARRED Review
update: STARRED KIRKUS REVIEW!
★ "A densely plotted, fast-moving, thematically rich tale set at the intersection of ability and disability."—Kirkus reviews, STARRED review
Full of glee that I got to write a book set in my backyard - northern Ontario, Canada! Can't wait for these dogs to be released into the world.
★ "In a strong voice . . . Johnson shows the deep bonds and trust between musher and dogs . . . bracingly captures the excitement and trepidation of (the) adventure." —Booklist, STARRED Review
update: STARRED KIRKUS REVIEW!
★ "A densely plotted, fast-moving, thematically rich tale set at the intersection of ability and disability."—Kirkus reviews, STARRED review
Full of glee that I got to write a book set in my backyard - northern Ontario, Canada! Can't wait for these dogs to be released into the world.
December 30, 2019
Winter break bookaday #13. Always enjoy this author’s books, how she draws the reader in with quick paced adventure and obvious love of dogs, you don’t need any prior knowledge of mushing to understand the action. Love the author note with background on actual events for the story. Favorite quote page 216: “Zesty has shown me that seeing is something you can do with your heart, not just her eyes.” Gotta love all things dog!!!
February 8, 2023
A Breathtaking Adventure!
After several months of sitting on the shelf, not even a third of the way in, I'm so glad that I finally prioritized this. I have to question how I had any trouble reading this before.
Likes:
~The cover!!! It grabbed my attention from the bargain book bin at Winco. Even before reading the synopsis, I knew I was going to buy it.
~And when I got to the synopsis...this plot was made for me. Dog sledding in the frozen wilderness is enough of a challenge but giving the driver mild vision loss? YES!! How on earth would one even survive? There were some seriously high-stakes that made me gasp. I was glued to the pages and had a hard time setting it aside.
~Stubborn, independent, and flawed MC!! McKenna had so much to learn along the journey and a lot of lessons, she learned the hard way. At one point, I literally started shouting at the book because of a VERY poor choice she made.
~The descriptions!! This is a book to get lost in, for sure! Some Call of the Wild vibes going on here and there.
~Guy! He was so gosh darn sweet and I admire his character! His enthusiasm for history was awesome!
~That ending!! Eeeeee!!!!
Dislikes:
....Crickets.....
~I did struggle when I first started reading. Chapter 1 starts during the race and I was lost as to what was happening. Then there are the old letters in between most chapters. They were cool but a bit confusing at first. By the end, I loved them.
~McKenna's mom and dad, realistic as they may be, were frustrating. Their treatment of Emma ate at me.
~I need more!! So much more!! The ending came and I was so let down that it was over.
Overall:
~5 stars!!!! I loved everything about this! I will most certainly read more by this author.
~Strongly recommended if you like dogsledding, history of dog team mail runs, The Call of the Wild, the Northern Lights, strong friendships, flawed characters you love to cheer on and shout at, and high-stakes.
After several months of sitting on the shelf, not even a third of the way in, I'm so glad that I finally prioritized this. I have to question how I had any trouble reading this before.
Likes:
~The cover!!! It grabbed my attention from the bargain book bin at Winco. Even before reading the synopsis, I knew I was going to buy it.
~And when I got to the synopsis...this plot was made for me. Dog sledding in the frozen wilderness is enough of a challenge but giving the driver mild vision loss? YES!! How on earth would one even survive? There were some seriously high-stakes that made me gasp. I was glued to the pages and had a hard time setting it aside.
~Stubborn, independent, and flawed MC!! McKenna had so much to learn along the journey and a lot of lessons, she learned the hard way. At one point, I literally started shouting at the book because of a VERY poor choice she made.
~The descriptions!! This is a book to get lost in, for sure! Some Call of the Wild vibes going on here and there.
~Guy! He was so gosh darn sweet and I admire his character! His enthusiasm for history was awesome!
~That ending!! Eeeeee!!!!
Dislikes:
....Crickets.....
~I did struggle when I first started reading. Chapter 1 starts during the race and I was lost as to what was happening. Then there are the old letters in between most chapters. They were cool but a bit confusing at first. By the end, I loved them.
~McKenna's mom and dad, realistic as they may be, were frustrating. Their treatment of Emma ate at me.
~I need more!! So much more!! The ending came and I was so let down that it was over.
Overall:
~5 stars!!!! I loved everything about this! I will most certainly read more by this author.
~Strongly recommended if you like dogsledding, history of dog team mail runs, The Call of the Wild, the Northern Lights, strong friendships, flawed characters you love to cheer on and shout at, and high-stakes.
January 8, 2021
From the author of Ice Dogs comes a riveting adventure about a musher who sets out to prove her impaired vision won’t hold her back from competing in a rigorous sled race through the Canadian wilderness. Perfect for fans of Gary Paulsen.
McKenna Barney is trying to hide her worsening eyesight and has been isolating herself for the last year. But at the request of her little sister, she signs up for a commemorative mail run race in the Canadian wilderness—a race she doesn’t know if she can even see to run.
Winning would mean getting her disease—and her sister’s—national media coverage, but it would also pit McKenna and her team of eight sled dogs against racers from across the globe for three days of shifting lake ice, sudden owl attacks, snow squalls, and bitterly cold nights.
A page-turning adventure about living with disability and surviving the wilderness, Dog Driven is the story of one girl’s self-determination and the courage it takes to trust in others.
Out December 2019
240 Pages
MY THOUGHTS:
I received this book in exchange for my honest review.
Wow. The setting of this story is set in the Canadian wilderness and what a great story it is. McKenna is keeping a secret from everyone, a secret that could take her life. Just in time for winter, this fast-paced, great adventure and challenging journey for the character in the story is chalked-full of mishaps and mayhem to keep those pages turning. Lots of information about mushing, an eye condition called, Stargardt Disease, and a huge love of dogs carries this story through plot twists and turns, plenty of action and friendships old and new.
The character development is perfect, resulting is flawed, struggling, strong-willed protagonist and antagonist, secondary characters and of course, the dogs. The character experience challenges intensified by a secret. Each challenge builds the tension until a huge climax brings it all together in a fulfilling ending and plot resolutions.
I highly recommend this book!
McKenna Barney is trying to hide her worsening eyesight and has been isolating herself for the last year. But at the request of her little sister, she signs up for a commemorative mail run race in the Canadian wilderness—a race she doesn’t know if she can even see to run.
Winning would mean getting her disease—and her sister’s—national media coverage, but it would also pit McKenna and her team of eight sled dogs against racers from across the globe for three days of shifting lake ice, sudden owl attacks, snow squalls, and bitterly cold nights.
A page-turning adventure about living with disability and surviving the wilderness, Dog Driven is the story of one girl’s self-determination and the courage it takes to trust in others.
Out December 2019
240 Pages
MY THOUGHTS:
I received this book in exchange for my honest review.
Wow. The setting of this story is set in the Canadian wilderness and what a great story it is. McKenna is keeping a secret from everyone, a secret that could take her life. Just in time for winter, this fast-paced, great adventure and challenging journey for the character in the story is chalked-full of mishaps and mayhem to keep those pages turning. Lots of information about mushing, an eye condition called, Stargardt Disease, and a huge love of dogs carries this story through plot twists and turns, plenty of action and friendships old and new.
The character development is perfect, resulting is flawed, struggling, strong-willed protagonist and antagonist, secondary characters and of course, the dogs. The character experience challenges intensified by a secret. Each challenge builds the tension until a huge climax brings it all together in a fulfilling ending and plot resolutions.
I highly recommend this book!
September 20, 2022
The summary of this book says it is 'a riveting adventure about a musher who sets out to prove her impaired vision won't hold her back from competing in a rigorous sled race through the Canadian wilderness.' I think it lives up or comes close to be riveting. A great read for youth or adults that I would highly recommend.
I love Terry Lynn Johnson's writing and stories and have read two of her other books before this one. Dog sledding stories are my favorite and her books hold there own with my favorites. it is obvious from her writing and details that she knows the terrain and all aspects of dogsledding very well to make it feel very real.
If you love fiction based on dog sledding, I would recommend you add this book, 'Dog Driven' as well as her other books I have read, 'Ice Dogs' and 'Sled Dog School.'
I love Terry Lynn Johnson's writing and stories and have read two of her other books before this one. Dog sledding stories are my favorite and her books hold there own with my favorites. it is obvious from her writing and details that she knows the terrain and all aspects of dogsledding very well to make it feel very real.
If you love fiction based on dog sledding, I would recommend you add this book, 'Dog Driven' as well as her other books I have read, 'Ice Dogs' and 'Sled Dog School.'
May 25, 2019
I finished this one with tears in my eyes. So many great messages in this book. I can't wait to share this book with my students!
December 10, 2019
As a mushing enthusiast with a serious addiction to the printed word, I've been reading Terry Lynn Johnson's books since her first sled-dog-themed novel, -Dogsled Dreams- in 2011. When I found out earlier this year that she was working on a new book, I was excited but thought there was no way she could top -Ice Dogs-, with its gripping storyline and well-rounded, realistic characters, both human and canine.
I was wrong, and glad to be so. -Dog Driven- is even better than -Ice Dogs-! Not only does it have the enjoyable hurly-burly of the racing world in all its noisy, messy, wonderfully hectic detail, but it has on-trail adventure (oh, that windstorm!), competition-related challenges (if three mushers NEED to win the race, but of course only one of them CAN win, what happens to the other two's hopes?), and a protagonist who, despite battling the disease that's already stolen most of her sister's sight and all of her independence, is braver than she knows. Add in a competitor whose lead dog provides incidental inspiration, parents who are as loving yet flawed as only parents can be, and an uplifting yet realistic ending (because it's only in the movies that our heroine would have WON the race), and you have a recipe for a book that everyone, young-adult or grownup, will read cover to cover.
Even the letters that preface many of the chapters help to tie the plotline together, as several are from a main character's great-great-grandfather, while others are from people whose letters are being carried by the mushers during the race. While it would be tempting to skip them, doing so would take away some of the book's context.
I deliberately didn't name characters in this review and kept things a bit vague because I don't want to give away any spoilers--so in closing, I'll just say "If you haven't read it already, go get a copy of -Dog Driven-." Well done, Ms Johnson, again.
I was wrong, and glad to be so. -Dog Driven- is even better than -Ice Dogs-! Not only does it have the enjoyable hurly-burly of the racing world in all its noisy, messy, wonderfully hectic detail, but it has on-trail adventure (oh, that windstorm!), competition-related challenges (if three mushers NEED to win the race, but of course only one of them CAN win, what happens to the other two's hopes?), and a protagonist who, despite battling the disease that's already stolen most of her sister's sight and all of her independence, is braver than she knows. Add in a competitor whose lead dog provides incidental inspiration, parents who are as loving yet flawed as only parents can be, and an uplifting yet realistic ending (because it's only in the movies that our heroine would have WON the race), and you have a recipe for a book that everyone, young-adult or grownup, will read cover to cover.
Even the letters that preface many of the chapters help to tie the plotline together, as several are from a main character's great-great-grandfather, while others are from people whose letters are being carried by the mushers during the race. While it would be tempting to skip them, doing so would take away some of the book's context.
I deliberately didn't name characters in this review and kept things a bit vague because I don't want to give away any spoilers--so in closing, I'll just say "If you haven't read it already, go get a copy of -Dog Driven-." Well done, Ms Johnson, again.
November 1, 2019
Thank you to Terry Lynn Johnson & HMH Kids for sharing an ARC with our #bookexpedition group.
McKenna, now 14, has been a dog musher since she was in first grade. Her younger sister Emma begs her to be in the Great Superior Mail race that follows a route previously used by mail carries to deliver letters. Emma hopes McKenna’s run will help bring awareness to an eye condition she has known as Stargardt disease. However, McKenna has a secret she’s been hiding from her family: her vision is deteriorating, too.
Soon McKenna sets out into the Canadian Wilderness for the three day race. She’ll battle owls, rough terrain, intense weather conditions, and most importantly, grapple with the issue of her worsening vision.
I loved how the relationship between dog handlers and their dogs is shown, and I learned quite a bit of information about dog racing. With themes of determination and compassion, this faced-paced MG novel will leave readers on the edge of their seats!
McKenna, now 14, has been a dog musher since she was in first grade. Her younger sister Emma begs her to be in the Great Superior Mail race that follows a route previously used by mail carries to deliver letters. Emma hopes McKenna’s run will help bring awareness to an eye condition she has known as Stargardt disease. However, McKenna has a secret she’s been hiding from her family: her vision is deteriorating, too.
Soon McKenna sets out into the Canadian Wilderness for the three day race. She’ll battle owls, rough terrain, intense weather conditions, and most importantly, grapple with the issue of her worsening vision.
I loved how the relationship between dog handlers and their dogs is shown, and I learned quite a bit of information about dog racing. With themes of determination and compassion, this faced-paced MG novel will leave readers on the edge of their seats!
June 5, 2020
3.75 stars, everybody wins in this story about dog sledding. Three tweens/young teens; three different reasons for competing. This story will leave you feeling hopeful for McKenna, Guy and Harper.
January 25, 2021
McKenna Barney loves dogsled races and enters the Great Superior Mail Race. She faces many obstacles during the race - blizzard, crossing a frozen Lake Superior, melting snow and ice, taking care of her dogs - and many other challenges for someone who is losing her eyesight. She makes a couple friends along the race route and learns many lessons.
July 26, 2024
Dar viena stipri, nuotykių kupina knyga apie šunų kinkinius, atšiaurią, bet įspūdingą gamtos jėgą. Be to, nešanti ir jautrią socialinę žinutę - tarsi laišką su prierašu: pristatyta šunų kinkiniu.
November 14, 2019
Johnson wonderfully balances the adventuring with the interspersing of information on how McKenna's visual difficulties have been affecting her at school, with her friends and in her day to day life. There are even explanations about how the diagnosis is made and real-life classroom situations that highlight the adaptive vision-enhancing equipment that can be used. McKenna experiences her share of hardships, worries, and concerns during the race. Early on she losses her protective eyeglasses and has a startling encounter with an owl losing her mailbag. Yet, McKenna also takes on each of these challenges with a positive outlook and is determined to persevere and to overcome them. During the race, McKenna does receive help from two of the other competitors and I so enjoyed the playful competitiveness that she shares with fellow musher Guy. Although they all are in a race it's nice to see them sharing gear and helping each other out. Most of all I loved McKenna's ingenuity and the strategy she devises to get her through the last leg of the race. Dog Driven was an absolutely riveting story. It makes for a wonderful wintery time read with lots of action, adventure and I highly recommend it.
** I received an E-ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review**
** I received an E-ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review**
July 27, 2022
My grandson and I read this aloud over a couple of weeks this summer-he would read a page and I would read the next. I’m easy to be sentimental so there were times when my eyes would tear up and my voice would be shaky and he would say “do you want me to read this?” We looked at maps of the Great Lakes and the area where the race was happening, we looked up unfamiliar words—muskeg— like a funky smell, he said. Yes! We talked about some of the fundamentals of this book—friendship, sportsmanship, disabilities. My grandson is a tentative reader and I hope as we continue the journey of reading together that this will change for him.
December 15, 2019
I loved reading Terry Lynn Johnson's earlier book Ice Dogs, so I was pretty excited to get a copy of Dog Driven to read. And I wasn't disappointed, in fact, I couldn't put it down.
McKenna Barney, 14, knows there is something wrong with her eyesight, but she's worked hard to hid it from everyone, even at the cost of dropping out of favorite activities and alienating her best friend. But McKenna still has some sight, especially peripheral vision, though she knows she will have to give up her beloved dog sledding at some point. However, after seeing how overprotective her mother is with her young sister Emma, 8, doing everything for her and not allowing her to gain any independence, McKenna isn't ready to lose her freedom, too.
For now, though, there's one more race and Emma, who has been dealing with Stargardt disease, which is juvenile macular degeneration, for most of her short life, manages to talk McKenna into entering. The Great Superior Mail Race is important to Emma, because the mushers will follow the route of the long ago Canadian mail couriers, delivering mail that will be stamped Delivered by Dog Team on them and it is open to mushers age 14 and up. Emma's plan is to write a letter to the Foundation for Fighting Blindness, asking for more research to be done on Stargardt disease. And she figures, if sister McKenna wins the race, surely her letter will be read aloud on TV. But when Emma figures out that McKenna also has Stargardt's, the sisters make a deal - if McKenna doesn't deliver Emma's letter, they will tell their parents about her loss of vision.
McKenna is an experienced musher and knows her dogs well, but even so, it is a dangerous race through the Canadian wilderness. Luckily, she meets two other young mushers who help her along the way. Harper doesn't like sled dog racing but her father wanted her to do this race, convinced it would change her mind about it. There have been mushers in her family for generations, the family is well off and her dogs are top notch. Guy, pronounced Gee, also comes from a long line of dog sledders, but now his mother has passed away, and his father wants to give up the dogs to save money as his delivery service flounders. Guy is hoping to win the race and perhaps get his father's a contract with Amazon, which would mean keeping the dogs to make deliveries with.
McKenna, Harper, and Guy are the only teens in the race, and I guess I was a little surprised they didn't know each other already, but that aside, they did develop a nice friendship, often helping each other when needed. But it is still a race they all have a reason to want to win and McKenna's eye condition is becoming more obvious. Will either new friend take advantage of McKenna's condition to win.
Dog Driven is, to say the least, an action packed nail baiter. The story is narrated by McKenna so the reader knows exactly what is going on in her head as she struggles with the fact of losing her sight. At the same time, the reader also sees everything happening through her eyes, which realistically includes the difficulty she has seeing most of the time. Loss of vision under normal circumstances is difficult, but under the circumstances of dog sledding in the Canadian wilderness is downright perilous. But McKenna has a wonderful relationship with her dogs, and knows and trusts them to do what a good sled dog would.
I really liked McKenna's and her sister's relationship, too, and I could completely understand why McKenna didn't want her parents to know about her deteriorating eyesight. She sees how her mother does everything for her sister, and won't let her develop the skills she needs to be more independent.
The race is a competition and McKenna, Guy, and Harper each have their own personal reasons for entering it, but it was nice to see how they were still able to become friends and even help each other out when needed. And the details of what the weather and terrain conditions are like for a race like this are amazingly real, probably because Johnson was at one time a dog sledder herself. I have to admit, the idea of being out on part of a frozen Lake Superior is not my idea of fun, but it certainly made for exciting reading. There is a map at the beginning of the book that shows the route the mushers took, so that you can see exactly where McKenna throughout the race. I found myself referring to it frequently
One other thing: throughout the story are letters that take the reader back to when the mail was being delivered by dog sled only, as well as some modern letters the racers are carrying for the competition. I could have enjoyed this book thoroughly without them, but they are at least brief.
Dog Driven is a book that completely took me out of my life as a NYC girl, and put me into a totally different world. It was a wonderful experience, and I can't recommend reading it highly enough.
You can find out more about Stargardt Disease HERE
This book is recommended for readers age 10+
This book was a ARC gratefully received from Blue Slip Media
McKenna Barney, 14, knows there is something wrong with her eyesight, but she's worked hard to hid it from everyone, even at the cost of dropping out of favorite activities and alienating her best friend. But McKenna still has some sight, especially peripheral vision, though she knows she will have to give up her beloved dog sledding at some point. However, after seeing how overprotective her mother is with her young sister Emma, 8, doing everything for her and not allowing her to gain any independence, McKenna isn't ready to lose her freedom, too.
For now, though, there's one more race and Emma, who has been dealing with Stargardt disease, which is juvenile macular degeneration, for most of her short life, manages to talk McKenna into entering. The Great Superior Mail Race is important to Emma, because the mushers will follow the route of the long ago Canadian mail couriers, delivering mail that will be stamped Delivered by Dog Team on them and it is open to mushers age 14 and up. Emma's plan is to write a letter to the Foundation for Fighting Blindness, asking for more research to be done on Stargardt disease. And she figures, if sister McKenna wins the race, surely her letter will be read aloud on TV. But when Emma figures out that McKenna also has Stargardt's, the sisters make a deal - if McKenna doesn't deliver Emma's letter, they will tell their parents about her loss of vision.
McKenna is an experienced musher and knows her dogs well, but even so, it is a dangerous race through the Canadian wilderness. Luckily, she meets two other young mushers who help her along the way. Harper doesn't like sled dog racing but her father wanted her to do this race, convinced it would change her mind about it. There have been mushers in her family for generations, the family is well off and her dogs are top notch. Guy, pronounced Gee, also comes from a long line of dog sledders, but now his mother has passed away, and his father wants to give up the dogs to save money as his delivery service flounders. Guy is hoping to win the race and perhaps get his father's a contract with Amazon, which would mean keeping the dogs to make deliveries with.
McKenna, Harper, and Guy are the only teens in the race, and I guess I was a little surprised they didn't know each other already, but that aside, they did develop a nice friendship, often helping each other when needed. But it is still a race they all have a reason to want to win and McKenna's eye condition is becoming more obvious. Will either new friend take advantage of McKenna's condition to win.
Dog Driven is, to say the least, an action packed nail baiter. The story is narrated by McKenna so the reader knows exactly what is going on in her head as she struggles with the fact of losing her sight. At the same time, the reader also sees everything happening through her eyes, which realistically includes the difficulty she has seeing most of the time. Loss of vision under normal circumstances is difficult, but under the circumstances of dog sledding in the Canadian wilderness is downright perilous. But McKenna has a wonderful relationship with her dogs, and knows and trusts them to do what a good sled dog would.
I really liked McKenna's and her sister's relationship, too, and I could completely understand why McKenna didn't want her parents to know about her deteriorating eyesight. She sees how her mother does everything for her sister, and won't let her develop the skills she needs to be more independent.
The race is a competition and McKenna, Guy, and Harper each have their own personal reasons for entering it, but it was nice to see how they were still able to become friends and even help each other out when needed. And the details of what the weather and terrain conditions are like for a race like this are amazingly real, probably because Johnson was at one time a dog sledder herself. I have to admit, the idea of being out on part of a frozen Lake Superior is not my idea of fun, but it certainly made for exciting reading. There is a map at the beginning of the book that shows the route the mushers took, so that you can see exactly where McKenna throughout the race. I found myself referring to it frequently
One other thing: throughout the story are letters that take the reader back to when the mail was being delivered by dog sled only, as well as some modern letters the racers are carrying for the competition. I could have enjoyed this book thoroughly without them, but they are at least brief.
Dog Driven is a book that completely took me out of my life as a NYC girl, and put me into a totally different world. It was a wonderful experience, and I can't recommend reading it highly enough.
You can find out more about Stargardt Disease HERE
This book is recommended for readers age 10+
This book was a ARC gratefully received from Blue Slip Media
November 2, 2019
The author of Ice Dogs is back with another book that shows once again how much she knows about dogs, in particular sled dogs in this action-packed novel suitable for middle grade or high school readers. Fourteen-year-old McKenna Barney has watched how her parents treat her little sister, Emma, after she has been diagnosed with Stargardt's disease. While her father seems to be in denial, her mother does almost everything for Emma, denying her the chance for independence. When McKenna realizes that her own vision is deteriorating and she most likely has the disease as well, she withdraws from her friends and most activities in order to hide the truth. To bring attention to the disease and as part of a deal with her sister, McKenna enters a grueling sled race along the shores of Lake Superior with her eight sled dogs. I was impressed with her independence and determination and how much trust she had in her dogs and they had in her, but I was also worried about her during the entire journey. More than once, she risked her life and those of her dogs because she could barely see, and some might have easily regarded her actions as foolhardy. The fact that one of the other competitors, Guy Desjardins, quickly realized that her vision was impaired but still supported her efforts, tells readers that her parents must surely have not been paying attention to her or not admitting what they had been seeing all along. Readers will feel the freezing air and experience those ups and downs as the dog teams head to the finish line, and they will surely be impressed with this young woman's fondness for her dogs and careful tending to their needs. They never let her down as she doggedly refuses to quit, no matter how challenging the obstacles. Anyone looking for something a little bit different but that is fast paced and filled with exciting moments on almost every page will find this book satisfying and root for McKenna to finish that race. The letter excerpts from members of Emma's class and a relative of Guy's were a bit jarring at first, but they added to the race's historical significance and make readers think about how difficult travel and exploration must have been a century or so ago.
February 8, 2020
Dog Driven is a realistic fiction book that would be great for 4th or 5th graders to read. This story is about a courageous young girl Mckenna Barney, sometimes I forgot how young while reading, and her journey during a dog- sledding race. She makes some new friends along the way, as well as comes to terms about what her future holds.
One of the ways that a teacher can use this book in a lesson is using this as a reading component of a social studies lesson. Dog Driven incorporates letters written during a time where mail couriers used dog sled deliveries and students could use this book to compare how different and/ or similar mail delivery systems are, from "snail mail" to emails to texting, and how some places just in America still use dog-sled deliveries, like some in Alaska.
Another way that teachers can utilize this book in their classroom is during a science lesson about the human body. Teachers can focus on what degenerative conditions are like and how even as students we can raise awareness about them. A teacher can have his/her students research a condition, from a list compiled by the teacher, and have the students campaign for awareness for the condition they researched. This book is an example of how one girl used what she loved, racing dogs, to raise awareness of her and her sister's condition.
This was a WOW! book for me because of the underlying lessons that Johnson weaved into the story. There were components of unity in family, strength, determination, and friendship. I also really enjoy books like this one that strategically put in snippets of the past to gain perspective of what is occurring in the story. The only reason that I put this book down for even a second is because I read it as an eBook so it strained my eyes, ironic given the condition Mckenna has in the book. This book has also driven me to further research Stargardt Disease and I have found out that it only occurs in 1 in 8-10 thousand people, but stem cell research is starting to show promise for a treatment and hopefully a cure in the near future.
One of the ways that a teacher can use this book in a lesson is using this as a reading component of a social studies lesson. Dog Driven incorporates letters written during a time where mail couriers used dog sled deliveries and students could use this book to compare how different and/ or similar mail delivery systems are, from "snail mail" to emails to texting, and how some places just in America still use dog-sled deliveries, like some in Alaska.
Another way that teachers can utilize this book in their classroom is during a science lesson about the human body. Teachers can focus on what degenerative conditions are like and how even as students we can raise awareness about them. A teacher can have his/her students research a condition, from a list compiled by the teacher, and have the students campaign for awareness for the condition they researched. This book is an example of how one girl used what she loved, racing dogs, to raise awareness of her and her sister's condition.
This was a WOW! book for me because of the underlying lessons that Johnson weaved into the story. There were components of unity in family, strength, determination, and friendship. I also really enjoy books like this one that strategically put in snippets of the past to gain perspective of what is occurring in the story. The only reason that I put this book down for even a second is because I read it as an eBook so it strained my eyes, ironic given the condition Mckenna has in the book. This book has also driven me to further research Stargardt Disease and I have found out that it only occurs in 1 in 8-10 thousand people, but stem cell research is starting to show promise for a treatment and hopefully a cure in the near future.
January 15, 2020
High praise for this well crafted novel! The cover of this book is so appealing to me! On it are two of my favorite things...huskies and Northern Lights. As I began reading this book, I was immediately drawn in to an exciting adventure that was at times fun, frightening, dangerous, heart stopping and heartwarming.
The main human characters of the book were young mushers who accepted the challenge of a grueling sled dog competition. They followed an old mail route in Canada, along the coast of Lake Superior. The brave, tenacious and quick-thinking kids encountered and overcame many obstacles and challenges throughout this race.
I loved the friendships that were formed. They were realistic and heartwarming. Trust was earned, genuine fondness grew and there was a strong presence of good character traits and the spirit of cooperation.
I loved the huskies in this book! The author knows, loves and understands the breed. The main dogs were given individual personalities, abilities, strengths, weaknesses and quirks.
While reading this book, I learned about Stargardt Disease, a genetic disease which causes loss of vision in young people. This disease was flawlessly incorporated into the storyline and it enriched my reading experience.
I highly recommend this book to kids and adults alike. It is filled with many excellent life lessons and experiences. Reading this book could open up many wonderful discussions amongst adults and children.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
The main human characters of the book were young mushers who accepted the challenge of a grueling sled dog competition. They followed an old mail route in Canada, along the coast of Lake Superior. The brave, tenacious and quick-thinking kids encountered and overcame many obstacles and challenges throughout this race.
I loved the friendships that were formed. They were realistic and heartwarming. Trust was earned, genuine fondness grew and there was a strong presence of good character traits and the spirit of cooperation.
I loved the huskies in this book! The author knows, loves and understands the breed. The main dogs were given individual personalities, abilities, strengths, weaknesses and quirks.
While reading this book, I learned about Stargardt Disease, a genetic disease which causes loss of vision in young people. This disease was flawlessly incorporated into the storyline and it enriched my reading experience.
I highly recommend this book to kids and adults alike. It is filled with many excellent life lessons and experiences. Reading this book could open up many wonderful discussions amongst adults and children.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
January 5, 2020
I enjoyed this book, even though I think it is more young adult novel. McKenna Barney is 14, a dog sled musher and pretty sure she is losing her sight. Her younger sister has been diagnosed with Stargardt's Disease, a juvenile form of Macular Dystrophy, which developed when she was 6. Now, McKenna is finding herself with the same symptom, a large purple spot in the center of her field of vision, and is determined to hide it from her parents, who are under enormous stress due to her sister's condition. Emma comes up with the idea of McKenna entering the Great Superior Mail Run, a 4 day dog sled race to honor those brave mail carriers of the late 1800's. When McKenna tries to beg off, everyone, including her parents push her to enter "for her sister", not knowing that McKenna is facing her own sight challenges. McKenna agrees, and the race is on.
The bulk of the book follows her race across the treacherous Canadian countryside, but it also focuses on some of the people McKenna meets, her interactions with those people, and her reactions to the challenges she faces. It is a well told story, which drew me in and kept me reading. I actually read the entire book in one sitting, as I was so engrossed in it!
The bulk of the book follows her race across the treacherous Canadian countryside, but it also focuses on some of the people McKenna meets, her interactions with those people, and her reactions to the challenges she faces. It is a well told story, which drew me in and kept me reading. I actually read the entire book in one sitting, as I was so engrossed in it!
March 22, 2022
For anyone who follows sled dog racing, or who loves dogs, or is interested in stories that feature overcoming hardship, you will love this book. McKenna Barney is an experienced dog musher, and at the age of 14, she enters a three-day race across the Canadian wilderness, along the historic mail route on the edge of Lake Superior. Like every musher, she's counting on her eight dogs, but for McKenna, there is an added challenge: she's just come to the realization that, like her younger sister, she is slowly going blind due to Stargardt disease. Her vision loss could be a tragic handicap, but with the help of a new friend and fellow musher, and his blind lead dog's courage setting an example, McKenna bravely faces the race and her future.
February 21, 2020
A little romance mixed with suspense and adventure along with some poignancy makes this story a good one for middle school readers. Although the main character is female, she plays role that that will appeal to both girls, and boys.
March 15, 2020
Wonderful, reminded me of Gary Paulsen. Set in the wilderness of Canada McKenna runs with her dogs along Lake Superior to help bring awareness to her sisters vision disease. On her journey she learns that we see with our heart. Great read aloud!!!
January 30, 2021
love this book it is sooooooooooooooo good
February 6, 2020
Very good book, you can tell it was written with passion. Dog Driven includes a lot of good details, this is a good book if you are exited about dog sledding.
February 13, 2020
Exciting and inspirational. I especially love how well she cared for and loved her dogs. Book talk 6 7 and mention author’s historical research.
February 1, 2020
Everything I wanted in a book about dog sledding!
December 1, 2020
Excellent book with a great lesson! It is not always about winning!
February 2, 2024
We read this as a read aloud during our homeschool day with my 10 and 12 year olds. We all really enjoyed the storyline as we cheered for the mushers.
January 29, 2022
This story of a young girl who races dogs in Canada turned out to be more than just another sled dog race or Iditarod story due to the added component of her impending blindness. McKenna has a sister who has already lost her eye sight to a genetic disease, and McKenna is seeing signs of the disease popping up as she maneuvers through the race trails, unable to see what she needs to see. When she gets a chance to carry and deliver mail in a race, she takes it in order to bring awareness to the disease for her sister. What she doesn't know is that the friendships she makes and trials she endures will bring more to her life than just the hopes of winning the race.
July 10, 2019
Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this book.
Great book!! I really loved this one from the beginning. Faced paced, full of action and suspense. This one will grab even reluctant readers. I had trouble putting this one down. Will be recommending this to students at school as well as teachers as a read aloud.
Great book!! I really loved this one from the beginning. Faced paced, full of action and suspense. This one will grab even reluctant readers. I had trouble putting this one down. Will be recommending this to students at school as well as teachers as a read aloud.
June 20, 2021
Loved sharing this with my dog loving nine year old! Written in a captivating cadence that hooked her older sisters into listening in.
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