Hello Boys and Girls,

Many of you have filed your backpack with school supplies and started a new school year.   To you I say, “Welcome back to school!”  Those of you in other continents, like our friends in Australia,  might just be starting  your ‘summer vacation’.  To you I say, “Have a great summer!”

No matter what part of your school year you are in, it’s time for you to pick up a book and read, read, read!  Reading can take you lots of places, bring adventures right to your own reading chair, help you learn about interesting topics, and keep you from feeling bored.  So to all of you, I’m going to say, “Read, read, read!”

Boys and Girls, you know how I’m always trotting around and visiting with fur friends and humans, don’t you?  I’m always looking for a great story or something interesting to tell you about.  Well, not too long ago, I met up with an Iditarod Musher who was in the process of writing a book.  The musher told me about the book and I got so caught up in the story that I decided I just couldn’t wait to read the book and I wanted to tell you about it, too!

Boys and Girls, I want to introduce you to another author, Jason Barron.  His book, Ballad of the Northland, will be on sale in October!

Ballad of the Northland by Jason Barron

Jason Barron is an Iditarod musher who has just completed a novel, Ballad of the Northland.  This book is written for middle school and high school readers, but some elementary students may enjoy it, too.

The main character in the story, The Boy.  The book is written in three parts.

According to Jason, “The Boy’s story is a painful one, full of hard lessons and much harder truths. It is a story about standing tall, no matter the odds, no matter the outcome, about following one’s dreams, and even, at times, one’s nightmares. Over and above it all, looms the awesome shadow of the Northland.”

Boys and Girls, tell your teacher about this book and let your teacher know that Jason will be on tour visiting schools this year, providing an inspirational presentation that inspires students to read, write, and work towards meeting personal goals.

When you read the book be sure to stop back at this article and tell us what you thought about the story!  If you’ve got questions for Jason, post them here and we’ll invite Jason to answer your questions!

Read more about Jason at his website. (You will find out where to order the book and you will learn about Jason’s school presentations.)

Read about Jason’s Iditarod mushing career at this link.

Meet other author friends by clicking the menu item on the left side of this page,  “Meet Authors: Read Books!”