An Rás Chuig an Mol Thuaidh

by Catherine Johnson, Fearghas Mac Lochlainn (Translator)

Scéal cumhachtach Matthew Henson. Agus é óg, theith sé ón mbaile agus ón leasmháthair a chaith go dona leis. Níor chuimhnigh sé riamh go mbeadh sé ar dhuine de na chéad daoine riamh a sheas ag an Mol Thuaidh. Scéal eachtrúil a thaitneoidh go mór le léitheoirí óga.

Genres: Middle Grade, Historical Fiction, Childrens, Novels, School, Adventure, Young Adult

128 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2021

About the author

Catherine Johnson is a British author and screenwriter known for her young adult fiction and work in film, television and radio. Born in London to a Jamaican father and Welsh mother, she studied film at St Martin's School of Art before publishing her debut novel, The Last Welsh Summer (1993). She has since written around 20 novels, including works on Arctic explorer Matthew Henson, and won the 2019 Little Rebels Award for Freedom. Her historical novel Sawbones (2013) earned multiple shortlistings and the Young Quills Award. Johnson co-wrote the screenplay for Bullet Boy (2004) with Saul Dibb, and has served as Royal Literary Fund Fellow, Writer in Residence at Holloway Prison, and judge for the Jhalak Prize. In 2019, she was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

Reviews

[Gavin Hetherington · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dyslexia-friendly book detailing the journey Matthew Henson took to becoming the first person to reach the North Pole. This is biographical fiction, telling Matthew's story in a way that I think will allow a lot of people to relate to the strength and determination of Matthew, as well as sympathise with the oppression he faced due to the colour of his skin.

It was really informative to learn about the trials Matthew had to go through to even get to the North Pole, but also afterwards where his accomplishment was constantly overshadowed by his white peers. It took years before he was seen as equal, and even years after his death for people to give him the hero's burial he deserved.

Really impactful and informative.

[David Hoodless · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably my favourite book to teach! Absolutely heartbreaking and inspirational story - I’ve never seen the children so invested in a person’s life before!

[Mathew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Abused by his step-mother, Matthew runs away with no money to his name but a spark of hope that the nearest city, Washington DC, will provide him with the opportunity for success. As luck would have it, fortune shines on Matt and he ends up working for a kindly woman, Janey Moore, whose Café is much loved by the poorer locals.

Finally able to establish himself, Matthew finds himself inspired by tales of adventure and exploration from one of the café visitors, Baltimore Jack, and decides to take to the high seas. He heads towards the docks of Kennard Wharf and good fortune places him in the path of a fine captain. From here, Matt’s life becomes rich and varied with his adventures eventually taking him to the North Pole. But will his skill, knowledge and courage give him the credit he deserves or, as a black man, will it sink beneath the waves and never surface?

Catherine Johnson is doing an excellent job of breathing life into the lost stories of should-be-famous black people. Matthew Henson’s story was one I had never heard of before as was those of Olaudah Equiano and Shadrack Furman in Freedom. As always, Johnson’s light prose presented in Barrington Stoke’s most-welcome dyslexia-friendly format means that this is an accessible and important story for many readers. Let’s hope she continues writing these.

[Ellie Dunne]

I read this book twice for a book club with high school students, and we all enjoyed it a lot. This book tells the story of Matthew Henson in a very accessible way- if you don't know, Matthew Henson was the first man to reach the North Pole, but his achievements were ignored in the USA due to the fact he was a Black man in 20th Century America. Catherine Johnson did such a good job depicting this mans story in my opinion, it was an easy read yet so impactful and important. I did feel that the narrative was a little rushed in parts with certain aspects brushed over, but this makes sense when considering the target audience and the need to keep them engaged whilst recounting such a long period of time. I'd recommend this book for all ages, but particularly it's target audience of 9-12 year olds!

[Wendy Bamber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Matthew Henson’s was an incredible life that I knew nothing about until now. I love that this story has been made accessible to all, a very readable book which children from junior to teens will be able to enjoy. He is beaten as a child which may make for upsetting reading with some kids, but from there it would be enlightening for that younger age group to understand how people of colour were dismissed for so long. An incredible story of optimism and determination.

[Victoria Zetterström-Sharp · Rating 5 out of 5]

This rarely happens to me but I cried real tears whilst reading this book. I still have goosebumps!! Matthew’s story is just incredible. I think this book has great potential as a resource for teaching older children about white privilege and about the origins of racism.

[Lucy Gotham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Makes me want to go exploring! This will be a good book to recommend to my students.

[Jane Garner · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic historical story about an ignored black US explorer Matthew Henson, who because of his race, didn't get the glory and medals for reaching the North Pole with Robert Peary. Exciting and brilliantly retold. A reflecting realities must read for 9+

[Kath · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read.

[Jessica Sharland]

A really inspiring and uplifting book, of a black man who feels he will get no where in life with the upbringing he was given. Yet discovers the North Pole and finally gets his thanks. A brilliant story.

[Cloe Buswell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really quick and easy read, nonetheless, it is a wonderfully inspiration book. The author has used vivid and emotional vocabulary to connect with the reader. Due to the main character being a black man, it is really fitting with the current world push on BLM movement and celebrating diversity. This book really is a true insight into the unequal treatment and respect upon black people and the time scale within the storyline (60+ years) represents how it has been a struggle and long process to find equality. Though the world is still fighting for equality, the ending provides hopefulness “Slowly, America began to change... Who would have thought it? A coloured man, an orphan beaten and homeless... at last had the honour and thanks of the whole country.” A truly wonderful story, I would definitely read this to my Year 2s and plan a unit for KS2!

[Karen Usher · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a gripping tale of the life and adventures of the American explorer, Matthew Henson, of whom I'd never heard of before. The introduction explains my ignorance: "Why was he forgotten and ignored for so many years? The reason was the colour of his skin ..."
Matthew Henson claimed to be the first American to reach the North Pole and his achievement was particularly remarkable because this took place in 1909 and he was a black orphan who had run away to sea at the age of 12. His extraordinary experiences and widely recognised skills as an explorer made for a riveting read as I was engrossed by his adventures both as a personal struggle combatting racism and as a window into the details of an expedition to the North Pole at the turn of the 20th century.
As a Barrington Stoke "super readable" publication, the book is both visually accessible and told in a style to engage reluctant readers. Nevertheless Catherine Johnson packs a real punch in describing the beauty and danger of the landscape, the culture and friendship of the Inuit people and the hardship experienced by a Black American at this time. It has encouraged me to find out more, starting with Matthew Henson's own autobiography.
The book explores difficult subjects almost dispassionately so for me, the emotional climax of the book is the moment of joy when he realises they have reached their goal: "My legs were so cold and worn out that I couldn't dance for joy but I was grinning and laughing and hugging Ootah."

[The Reading Teachers · Rating 5 out of 5]

“We’re here! The North Pole! We’re on top of the world!”

10 word summary: A truly remarkable story about a race... and race.

This book was simple and short (only 118 pages long) yet extraordinary. Told from the perspective of Matthew Henson, it is a gripping and fascinating story of his truly remarkable life, sharing the challenges that he faced in the late 1800s/early 1900s because of the colour of his skin. When 11-year-old Matthew Henson runs away to the big city from his violent home, he is taken in by the kind Janey, who runs a cafe, and is entranced by tales from the sea. After deciding he wants to see the world, he leaves the safety of Janey in search of adventure but, because of the colour of his skin, he was expected to work harder than anyone else to get half as far. With hard work and a little luck, he travelled the world and carried out numerous expeditions to the Arctic, becoming the first person to reach the North Pole. But, back home in America, his achievements were ignored all because of the colour of his skin.

Year group: Year 3+

In the classroom: Written in a dyslexia friendly format, this easy-to-read book is prefect for any struggling readers. If you teach Topics about the polar regions, you need to read this book. This was a story I didn’t know before reading this book... As a teacher, I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve taught the race to the South Pole... and never the race to the North. This book sheds important light on racism and prejudice and will spark some important and meaningful conversations with children. A MUST read.

[Maria Giraldo-Pérez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Race to the Frozen North is a biographical fiction novel about the life of Matthew Henson, the first person from the USA to reach the North Pole, in 1909.

The story follows both the struggles and achievements of Matthew from his childhood to old age, making this a rather fast-paced book! (Especially considering it is a relatively short work).

Whilst the story depicts scenes of death and hardship, it is not overall an emotionally difficult book to read (probably due to language and pace), and I believe would be suitable for anyone in Y4+. However, racism is a theme throughout and should, as always, be discussed in a sensitive manner with children.

Overall, it is an enjoyable read, though I was a bit disappointed by the omission of Josephine Diebitsch Peary, Peary’s wife, who accompanied Matthew and Peary on their journeys to the north and was considered the First Lady of the Artic. Though the book centres around Matthew, many crew members are mentioned by name, and some play minor roles in the story - thus is seems negligent to completely omit her from the story considering she was with them throughout and even gave birth less than thirteen degrees from the North Pole!

Other than that, it was an inspiring, heartwarming and enlightening story about perseverance and overcoming obstacles, even those presented by injustice and others’ ignorance.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the beginning Matthew, a young boy that lives with his abusive step mom, becomes a runaway and goes to Philadelphia “The big city”. He’s able to find a job as a cleaner in a café and work for this really kind lady that helped him called Janey Moore (The owner of the café). This guy called Baltimore Jack that comes to this café often tells Matthew about his sea adventures and Matthew finally gets inspired and wants to give it a try. He heads towards the docks of Kennard Wharf and good fortune places him in the path of a fine captain. From here Matthew learns many things on his adventure and becomes sort of an expert. After a while, during the trip Matthew loses the captain that he was really close to so he decides to go on another boat/adventure and meets a really nice captain that wants him to help him. The captain finally sets a difficult challenge, it’s to go to the North Pole. It takes them years and years and a huge amount of hard work but in the end Matthew and captain are able to make it and become the first people to reach the North Pole. I would recommend this book to people who want to chase their dreams because it could give them some sort of motivation, I would also recommend it for people who don’t like reading because it’s an interesting story that gets you hooked.

[Amy (Golden Books Girl) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novella is the life story of Matthew Henson, who was the first man to ever reach the North Pole, who did not receive the proper praise or level of recognition he deserved because he was black at the time, and whose story is rarely told now. I had never heard of him before, and it was fascinating to learn so much about his life and the huge obstacles he needed to overcome throughout his life, ranging from an abusive home to being unable to get an interesting job because of his race, other than the exploring opportunities he was offered by Commander Peary. I also really Matthew`s narrative voice and the writing style, as I was rooting for him to succeed even more as a result, even though I already knew the outcome of his story. I was so glad to see that he did eventually receive some recognition for his accomplishment, even though it took an infuriatingly long time. 4/5

[Christina Reid · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thrilling, fast-paced story of Matthew Henson's life, from his early days as an abused child, to being homeless in Washington, becoming ship's boy in Baltimore and traveling the world, learning languages and skills which would later make him an invaluable member of a team attempting to be the first people to reach the North Pole. Catherine Johnson handles his story with aplomb, contrasting his life win America, where he was maltreated due to the colour of his skin, with the lifelong friends he made while overseas. I didn't know anything about Matthew Henson before reading this book and am now eager to find out more about him. This would be the perfect introduction to learning about his life or those of other explorers, as well as highlighting the racism that, until too recently, was an accepted part of society.

[Zenubia Arsalan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Out on the ice among the Inuit people of the Arctic, Matt Henson is an equal. A brother, known for his kindness, his ability to pick up new skills, to hunt, trek across the frozen terrain, and command the Arctic dogs. Here the color of his skin doesn’t matter.

That is why Matt Henson keeps coming back to the Arctic for a period of 19 years, with the ultimate goal of reaching the North Pole. And in 1909, he eventually makes it, only to be told that it doesn’t matter. While the rest of the white members of his team were given medals, Matt Henson wasn’t even acknowledged. He died poor and only his family and few others knew about his feat. Many decades after he passed away, people finally got to know about him.


Written in first person, this is Matt Henson’s story. You feel his struggle, his pain, his disappointment and ultimately his triumph.

[Sarah Perry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having finally had enough of his abusive mother, Matthew finally summons the courage to run away in search of a better life. Inspired by tales of adventure and exploration from a special customer in a cafe he works in, he begins the tough journey towards the high seas and the magic of the open waters. However, being black, Matthew is not accepted by most he comes into contact with until he finds a Captain aboard a magnificent ship who is about to change his life.

I didn't know anything of Matthew's story before I read this book and neither did I know it was dyslexia friendly! I really loved how inspiring it was and it serves as a reminder of the horrific injustice suffered by black people.

This is a wonderful, quick read which reminds you to never give up, no matter what challenges you face.

[Sarah Seddon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I chose this book to read with my Year 7 Book Club at school. A fascinating true story about a man whose story was largely untold, because of the colour of his skin. Matthew Henson ran away from an unhappy home at the age of 11, and a grandmother who bullied him physically. He was determined to make something of himself; through hard work he was able to earn money and sailed the world through working as a cabin boy. He eventually became the first American to reach the North Pole, although the exact historical records are a little unclear. It is evident that he was unrecognised for his achievements because of racial prejudice. A very approachable biography for upper primary and lower secondary age children.

[UWE Primary English Team · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ann - I enjoyed reading about Matthew Henson and am a little ashamed to say I had never heard of him before. Perhaps in the UK we tend to focus more on Antarctic exploration and Captain Scott? The story is told in a simple, first person narrative and fits well into the Barrington Stoke style of straightforward storytelling to appeal to reluctant readers. It's a very quick read and has some attractive illustrations running across the bottom of every page. A useful book for KS2, with a strong BAME narrator and would fit well into a unit of work on explorers. My only quibble would be that the author appears to have added to Matthew's downtrodden early history as he did attend school for some years and may not have had such an abusive step-mother, instead being sent to live with an uncle.

[Denise Forrest · Rating 3 out of 5]

Matthew Hendon was the first man to travel to the North Pole, but he is not credited with this discovery... because he’s black.

This book charts his life from eleven year old runaway, to polar explorer. It highlights some of the difficulties for black people at the beginning of the 20th century, including the extreme prejudice shown to him by the government, in giving medals to all of the white explorers on the successful expedition.

There is not too much detail (I would have liked a bit more to be honest, so I could get a better feel for Matthew and the way in which he suffered), so this is a very quick read.

[Stella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Superbly written non-fiction about the life of Matthew Henson, the first man to reach the North Pole but ignored due to the colour of his skin.
This super readable book written by acclaimed author Catherine Johnson is well paced, keeping the most reluctant of readers reading to the very end, wanting to discover Matthew Henson's story.
Perfect book for #BlackHistoryMonth #DyslexiaAwarenessWeek
Highly recommended

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this! Fascinating insight to Matthew Henson who was lost in history. Thank you Catherine for bringing his story to life.
My only criticism is the last line of the book where Matthew says Captain Childs would be proud. Although he was a great guy too, I feel the last word should have been Matthew's. He's lost enough to white people already and the last word should have been about him.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring story that all children and adults should be aware of. Highlights the disparity of opportunity due to the colour of your skin but also shows how much you can achieve and overcome if you are determined enough. So sad that even now not enough people are aware that Matthew Henson was the first American to reach the North Pole. This is a powerful book to discuss in classrooms/homes.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of Matthew Henson, who began life as an abused child at the hands of his step mother, but whose hard work and determination took him on many adventures through his life. His accomplishments were largely ignored during his lifetime, due to racism, so this book can go some way to sharing his story.

[Cara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting account of Matthew Henson's life - and how he was actually the first man to reach the North Pole! An orphan with a wicked stepmother, he dreams of a life of adventure...and his story is true.

[Ms Doxey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant book! Would love to read this to children. Probably year 4 at minimum due to the mention of slavery and racism would need to be explained. But could be good for English, history, geography and PSHE lessons.

[Suzanne Bhargava · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story from history makes me so mad every time I hear it, and reading Catherine Johnson’s version for Barrington Stoke was no different. Simply told, and over in a heartbeat, her writing still manages to kick you right in your strong sense of justice.

[Abby Owers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for school - good story for content of adventure/exploration and diversity/racism but very simplistically written with limited descriptive writing of setting or characters and felt like it sped through the life of Matthew very quickly, just skimming the surface.