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Alaska Life
Art  •  Eating Alaska Style  •  Gardening  •  Getting Around Alaska  •  Holidays  •  Journeys  •  Playing in Alaska  •  Snow Sports  •  Working in Alaska
Art
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The Blue Bead
Level   Ages 6 to 9
Author     Kate Boyan
Illustrator   Kate Boyan
Publisher   K Boyan, 2006
One of the most amazing things about this book is that the illustrations are actually made by beads by the author. The story is about an old trade bead given to a young beadworker.
Eating Alaska Style
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Moose Racks, Bear Tracks, and Other Alaska KidSnacks
Level   Ages 10 & up
Author   Alice Bugni
Illustrator   Shannon Cartwright
Publisher   Sasquatch Books, 1999
Recipes for kids with unique Alaskan names.
Gardening
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A Child's Alaska
Level   Ages 6 to 12
Author     Claire Rudolf Murphy
Illustrator   Charles Mason
Publisher   Alaska Northwest Books, 1994
Find out what's so special about Alaska. Lots of pictures.
Getting Around Alaska
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Ol' 556: Alaska's Mighty Steam Engine
Level   Ages 10 & up
Author   Shannon Cartwright
Illustrator   Shannon Cartwright
Publisher   Greatland Graphics, 2007
If you live in Anchorage or have visited, you've probably seen the black train engine on the Park Strip. Here's the story of that special engine.
Holidays
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King Island Christmas
Level   Toddlers to 9
Author   Jean Rogers
Illustrator   Rie MuĀ¤oz
Publisher   Greenwillow, 1985
Experience winter and Christmas on King Island, a remote island off the coast of Alaska.

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North Country Christmas
Level   Toddlers to 9
Author   Shelley Gill, Michael Meade and Julie Kemper
Illustrator   Shannon Cartwright
Publisher   Sasquatch Books/Paws IV, 1992
An Iditarod champion dog team take an old Eskimo named Nick for a special ride one winter night.
Journeys
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Baby in a Basket
Level   Toddlers to 9
Author   Gloria Rand
Illustrator   Ted Rand
Publisher   Cobblehill Books, 1997
When a baby bundled in a basket against the deep cold of an Alaskan winter gets bumped out of the sleigh, will she be found? Based on a true story.
Playing in Alaska
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Free Radical
Level   Ages 12 & up
Author     Claire Rudolf Murphy
Publisher   Clarion, 2002
Set in Fairbanks, Luke is a normal 15 year-old with a dream of making the all-star baseball team, then he finds out his mother is a fugitive and wants to turn herself in.

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Quilt of Dreams
Level   Ages 6 to 9
Author     Mindy Dwyer
Illustrator   Mindy Dwyer
Publisher   Alaska Northwest Books, 2000
After Katy's grandmother dies, Katy and her mom find the beginnings of a quilt labeled "Kate." Together they solve the mystery of the quilt and capture memories of Gram.

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The Salmon Princess: An Alaska Cinderella Story
Level   Toddlers to 9
Author     Mindy Dwyer
Illustrator   Mindy Dwyer
Publisher   Sasquatch Books, 2004
What if Cinderella lived in Alaska? How would the story be different?

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Thunder on the Tundra
Level   Ages 14 & up
Author   Lew Freedman
Publisher   Alaska Northwest Books, 2008
Follow along the first full season of football in the far north community of Barrow.
Snow Sports
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Akiak: A Tale from the Iditarod
Level   Toddlers to 9
Author     Robert J. Blake
Illustrator   Robert J. Blake
Publisher   Philomel, 1997
Akiak hurts her paw during the Iditarod and has to be "dropped" but she refuses to go home. Anyone who loves dogs and the Iditarod will appreciate this adventure story.

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Wiggle-Waggle Woof!: Counting Sled Dogs in Alaska
Level   Toddlers to 9
Author     Cherie B. Stihler
Illustrator   Michael Bania
Publisher   Sasquatch Books/Paws IV, 2009
While you count paws, ears, and noses, you'll also learn about sled dogs.

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Wind-Wild Dog
Level   Toddlers to 9
Author     Barbara Joose
Illustrator   Kate Kiesler
Publisher   Henry Holt, 2006
Will a puppy born with one brown eye and one blue one fulfill the mushers' belief that the dog will be too wild to join a dog team?
Working in Alaska
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Cowboys of the Sky: The Story of Alaska's Bush Pilots
Level   Ages 10 & up
Author   Steven C. Levi
Publisher   Walker, 1996
A great collection of stories about some of the legends of those who flew in Alaska. Written for young adults.

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Enticed by Gold
Level   Ages 10 & up
Author     Douglas DeVries
Publisher   Jade Ram, 2003
The final book in a trilogy of Sven Olafsen, a 14 year-old boy, who came to the North in search of his father. In this book, he is trying to get back home.

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Finding Alaska: The Life and Art of Shannon Cartwright
Level   Ages 10 & up
Author   Shannon Cartwright
Illustrator   Shannon Cartwright
Publisher   Greatland Graphics, 2009
Meet the illustrator of some of Alaska's most loved children's books.

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Leaving Protection
Level   Ages 10 & up
Author     Will Hobbs
Publisher   HarperCollins, 2004
Finally 16 year-old Robbie is old enough to fulfill his dream of working as a deckhand on a salmon fishing boat. When he lands a job as the lone crewman, he is in heaven, but things are not exactly what they seem.

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Petticoat Fisherman
Level   Ages 14 & up
Author   Elsa Pedersen
Illustrator   Charles Shaw
Publisher   Atheneum, 1969
After a 17 year-old girl wrecks her father's car, she must work on her father's fishing boat for the summer.

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The Year of Miss Agnes
Level   Ages 8 to 12
Author     Kirkpatrick Hill
Publisher   Margaret K. McElderry, 2000
10-year old Fred doesn't know what to make of the new teacher, "Miss Agnes," who throws away old textbooks, reads Greek, and tells his classmates they can become doctors or scientists.

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Whaling Season: A Year in the Life of an Arctic Whale Scientist
Level   Ages 12 & up
Author     Peter Lourie
Publisher   Houghton Mifflin, 2009
Craig George is the son of children's author Jean Craighead George. He is a scientist who studies whales from Barrow. What would it be like to have his job for a year. Find out in this book!

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The Cabin that Moose Built
Level   Toddlers to 9
Author     Cherie B. Stihler
Illustrator   Jeremiah Trammell
Publisher   Sasquatch Books, 2006
Moose and his friends scramble to build a cozy cabin before winter. A tale of teamwork and can-do spirit.

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Polar Bear Scientists
Level   Ages 10 & up
Author     Peter Lourie
Publisher   Houghton Mifflin, 2012
In this Scientist in the Field series, Peter Lourie follows biologists in Alaska as they gather information about polar bears, then takes readers back to the lab to see how they record and keep all the data collected. A great insider view with spectacular photos.
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