It's the 1920s, and Bo was headed for an Alaska orphanage when she won the hearts of two tough gold miners who set out to raise her, enthusiastically helped by all the kind people of the nearby Eskimo village. Bo learns Eskimo along with English, helps in the cookshack, learns to polka, and rides along with Big Annie and her dog team. There's always some kind of excitement: Bo sees her first airplane, has a run-in with a bear, and meets a mysterious lost little boy. Bo at Ballard Creek by Kirkpatrick Hill is an unforgettable story of a little girl growing up in the exhilarating time after the big Alaska gold rushes.
I just finished this book, Bo at Ballard Creek, from Kirkpatrick Hill and I adored it. Little Bo and her two Dads made such a neat trio and I loved how the town/village was so interwoven, it was a beautiful community story set in old Alaska during the mining times. The only part I struggled with was that there were so many characters that it was hard to connect with them all as well as I’d like. Some readers may not like some of the verbiage used (like referencing the Alaska natives as Eskimo) however I believe that would have been what was used during the time frame this is written for. It was great to see some of the Alaska Native language throughout the book also but there was no dictionary at the end to reference what they meant (pronunciation and definition). A Pronunciation list in the back of the town and river names would have been wonderful too. Overall it was a wonderful story and I look forward to reading the sequel, Bo at Iditarod.
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