Silver

by Gloria Whelan, Stephen Marchesi (Illustrator)

Deep in the Alaskan wilds, 9-year-old Rachel dreams of owning and racing a sled dog one day. When her father, who breeds and races huskies, gives her the runt of the litter, Rachel names the puppy Silver and sets out to prove he's a champion.

Genres: Fiction, Dogs, Animals, Childrens, Realistic Fiction, Sports

64 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Gloria Whelan is the best-selling author of many novels for young readers, including Homeless Bird, winner of the National Book Award; Fruitlands: Louisa May Alcott Made Perfect; Angel on the Square and its companion, The Impossible Journey; Once on This Island, winner of the Great Lakes Book Award; Farewell to the Island; and Return to the Island. She lives with her husband, Joseph, in the woods of northern Michigan.

Reviews

[Lillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yesterday, I was kinda bored so I picked this up and read it haha. It was a nice book to read when I didn't want to sit down for very long and just wanted something short and enjoyable. :)

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most early chapter books, in an effort to keep things simple and easy to read, may feel too condescending to the reluctant or lower-skilled reader. I must applaud Whelan for giving us a story that respects the reader with an interesting tale that won't overtax a growing reader. The story, set in Alaska, is told from the point of view of a young girl whose father runs the Rondy and Iditarod. Silver is the runt of a litter of sled dogs that she raises with dreams of running the Iditarod herself. I was quite impressed with this book and would recommend it to youngsters already reading chapter books, but also as a HI-LO (high interest, low ability) for older kids. Those are not easy to find.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a nice and quick read from my to-read bookshelf while laundry was being done in preparation of our trip and other items that needed to be settled.

Being an actual stepping stone book this is one of those books that bridges the gap from children's literature to young adult. As a result it is a chapter book but very loosely with most of the pages dedicated to illustrations to help provide a visual break to young eyes.

The writing to fit for this type of book formula is very short, easy-to-follow and gives a flowing story. And there are a few names that young readers will need help with as there is no pronunciation guide in this book for those.

Another thing that I loved about the book is the illustrations and I agreed with my hubbie that it was too bad they weren't done in color. Still in black-and-white they were done with an eye to detail, which like the informing text gives the reader a bit more insight into what living is like in Alaska.

The one thing that I didn't like about the book was the way that it slowly took a while to get to the climax that the book implied and then deflated the climax before it could even be reached. Although younger readers may not see anything wrong with the tale since it was still interesting and a good story it did take away from this book's rating for me as an adult.

This would make a great book for a start to learning about Alaska or the Iditarod in school. Interested readers then can be directed to other similar great literary works that would tie in well with the themes such as Balto, Stone Fox or even Jean Craighead George.

[Heather Shembarger · Rating 4 out of 5]

This quick read book for younger readers will have you pulling for the main character Rachel and her new little puppy. Since Rachel lives in Alaska, the reader will also learn bits and pieces of information about Alaska. You will learn a bit about the Iditarod too as her dad is a dog racer (musher).
Rachel is very proud of her dad and would love to be a racer someday herself. When her dad's lead dog Ruff takes a break in order to have puppies, Rachel desires to have one of the puppies for her very own to train and turn into a lead dog. However, due to Ruff's great success as a racer, his puppies are very valuable, and her dad initially says he just can't do that.
In a turn of events, Rachel's dad does end up agreeing to give Rachel the runt of the litter for her birthday as he feels like the pup would not be able to develop into much of a racer. Under Rachel's care, the new puppy begins to thrive. Rachel is determined to make her little husky pup a successful race dog. However, one evening the pup ends up missing, and Rachel is determined to find her pup. You will have to read the book to learn about the dangers involved in Rachel's search, and if she is able to successfully recover her pup.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lizzie gave this a 5-star rating since she quite enjoyed the story, but I'm going to compromise with her and give it a 4. The tag line "Could the runt of the litter grow up to race like the wind?" as well as the blurb on the back lead potential readers to believe that the story is a bit different than it really is. It's a simple and pleasant story of a small family who lives in rural Alaska and their life with the father as a part-time sled dog racer. Cute and enjoyable. Just don't be deceived into thinking you'll be reading a story, as the back of the book implies, of "DANGER IN THE WILD!" Near the end of the book, a wolf steals one of the sled dog pups and the girl has to brave the elements and the dark to retrieve him. The rescue happens fairly quickly, and doesn't leave the reader with a very heightened sense of danger or fear.

[Whitney Inlow · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was a cute story for a child to read. One thing I was confused on is the name of the book. Its called Silver but we aren't introduced to Silver until the last few chapters of the book. I thought the main idea of the book did not relate to what the title was.

[Charlotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, little fast read. I enjoyed it. It's about Alaska and dogs.

[Anna Murdock · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just read this to Lydia, we both enjoyed it. it would be a great beginning chapter book.

[Sarah]

i feel like i have read this before? i dunno

[marcymariereads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Daughter & I buddy read. She enjoyed it and the illustrations. Wished it was longer ☺️ Gave 4.5 ⭐️

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet little story for young readers.

[Jessica Foster]

Read this book out loud with my son who likes dogs. ♥️

[Becky Pendleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this chapter book it was a fast read

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars. Cute short story set in fairly modern day Alaska revolving around a dog musher family.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 4 year old saw this book and instantly connected with the cover. We read it with her older sister and for an early reader, I was entertained and so were the girls. It's a perfect read for the winter time, as we get to follow a young girl named Rachel route her father on for the Alaskan dog sled races. I like that my girls were exposed to a state so different from their own, and feel like they learned a little bit without knowing it.

Rachel's family raises sled dogs and her father races them. She asks for a puppy to train and her father gives her the runt of the litter. This is a great short chapter book.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I discovered this book in the Anchorage 5th Avenue Mall's Iditarod Store while shopping for souvenirs from my trip to Alaska. I thought it would be a fun book to read aloud with our girls. I love that it mentions the Fur Rendezvous in the first chapter, since that's the festival that I was able to see during my stay in Anchorage.

It's a short, but dramatic story and while it's not a true tale, it still helps depict the excitement and activities surrounding the Fur Rendezvous and the Iditarod. I love that the story features a plucky and adventurous young girl who dreams of racing the Iditarod someday.

I will note that I had the wonderful opportunity to meet Jodi Bailey, one of the racers in the 2013 Iditarod, along with her lead dog, Orchid, at a book signing/art gallery reception event for the book Born to Run: Athletes of the Iditarod at the Snow City Cafe the night before the ceremonial start of the race. (You can find out more about Jodi and her and her husband Dan at their website Dew Claw Kennel.)

I learned so much about the dogs, the racing and the Iditarod from talking to her. She mentioned that it wasn't very common for sled teams to race in both the Fur Rondy and the Iditarod, since they are practically back-to-back and are completely different types of races.

We really enjoyed reading this book together and our youngest decided to donate this book to her second grade teacher for her in class library.

[Kasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a 4.5 on the AR reading list. I like that it is a short book and that it has so many drawings throughout. I think my daughter would enjoy reading it since the protagonist is a young girl. It is a story set in Alaska winter. My mom spent many winters in Alaska as a girl because that is where her dad (my grandpa) had his business. I enjoy reading about events like the Iditarod that I remember hearing my mom talk about when I was little.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

B., age 9, says it would be a really good book for younger kids. It was kind of predictable to me and pretty short. I finished it in a day. Other than that it was a good book. It would be cool to have the same story made into a longer book for older kids.

[Lol...Naruto Rocks! (Katelyn, Haku.) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun and cute!

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

the cover on my paperback is different.
stephen marchesi's drawings of huskies are beautiful (i'm sure there is a sammy in there someplace)
wonderful story and the dog does not die.

[WSL Library]

x2

[sade eunice · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finished this book in one hour and I absolutely enjoyed it. This book was written with an intent of letting people visualize the content especially with the pictures added. I also got the insight of how Alaska is compared to where I live in Texas. I will totally give this book to my younger brother in elementary.