Check this book, Iditarod™ by Tricia Brown, for nonfiction information about the historic Iditarod Trail’s role in Alaska’s Native Alaskan’s lives and the gold rush, an early dog sled race called the All Alaska Sweepstakes, the history and beginning of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race™, champs and record breakers, the dogs, and the women of the race. Historical photographs illustrate the book along with recent photographs. The book’s foreword is by Iditarod champ, times four, Jeff King. Brown’s background includes newspaper work in Alaska, on staff at Alaska magazine, and book publishing, including several Iditarod-related books such as Iditarod Silver which celebrates the race’s 25th anniversary. This book, for 6th grade through adult ages, is brand-new, coming out in early February, 2014.

Finally, Dogteam by Gary Paulsen, is a picture book with lovely text for older readers, up to 6th grade. Don’t let the words “picture book” make you think this is just for young readers, though. Its Lexile level is 960. Illustrated by Paulsen’s wife, Ruth Wright Paulsen, readers travel a moonlit trail with a team. Paulsen’s descriptive writing puts the reader right on the trail with the excited dogs, hearing and seeing what mushers hear and see when running their teams. Read Dogteam aloud to younger readers;  older readers can treat themselves to this book. Paulsen dedicates this book to Storm, one of his lead dogs during his 1983 Iditarod race.