Reviewed by Allison Isidore
Balto is a brave dog and this is a true story. Balto was the lead sled dog on a team that worked in Nome, Alaska for a man named Gunnar.
One day they got a call that there were two sick children in Nome that needed medicine. The doctor couldn't get the medicine sent by train in time because the snow blocked the tracks. The children had diphtheria. If the children didn't get the medicine in time they would die and the disease would spread.
The town's citizens had a meeting. "What shall we do? they asked.
They all agreed that the fastest way to get the medicine from Anchorage, 800 miles away, was by dog sled. So a call was put out on the radio asking for volunteers for a relay. Eleven teams were needed.
The hospital put the medicine on a train, but it got stuck 700 miles from Nome. So the first team took the medicine from the train and wrapped it in fur to keep it warm and to keep it from feezing.
The relay was made more dangerous because of the blizzard; two dogs on one team froze to death forcing the driver to hitch himself to the sled and lead the dogs himself.
As for Gunnar, he waited for two days without sleep or food waiting for the medicine to reach his stop. Would it get there? You'll have to read the book to find out, but you won't be disappointed by the ending.
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