Lost in the Last Frontier    

by Tracey L R Hawkins

Illustrated by Craig Longmuir

ISBN 0 7329 9210 9

Available from Macmillan Education and bookstores.

Chapter book for readers 10.5 + years

Sam is travelling in Alaska, the last Frontier and it's a wild country.  He is keen for adventure, something to tell his mates about when he gets home.

But... meeting the dog from hell, fleeing from a bear and getting lost in the woods with a snowstorm rolling in - is far more than Sam bargained for.

And... that's just the beginning.

Sample read below-

Chapter 2- The Dog from hell

Sam and Emma stood beside the car, looking at the weather-beaten lodge. Overgrown shrubbery hid the sides of the place and it looked neglected. Wooden shutters outlined the windows and wide wooden steps led to the double front doors. Sam leapt up the steps. he couldn't believe his eyes. there was no door handle. Instead, an enormous pair of moose antlers hung on the doors.

"Wow," cried Sam. He ran his hands around the smooth bone antlers. "This is awesome."

The antlers lurched towards Sam as the door opened. A big tan-and-black dog burst through the doorway, knocking Sam backwards. Sam rolled from the porch, cleared the steps and landed face first in the dirt.

The dog sprang after him. Sam huddled in fright as the dog stood over him, barking. It sniffed his clothes. It's wet slobbery tongue dangled in his face. he caught a whiff of its doggy breath. It was the biggest, ugliest-looking dog Sam had ever seen. Its eyes were the colour of black ink. The pupils were red and bloodshot.

Scroll down for more-

including a book review  and

Tracey's ideas for the concept of this book.

Children's Book Review:

Lost in the Last Frontier,

by Tracey L. R. Hawkins

Reviewed by Sally Murphy Aussie reviews.com

Sam gets more adventure than he bargained for.


Sam stirred slightly; he rubbed his nose. Something was snarling and breathing on him. He half opened his eyes and glimpsed a big dark animal with enormous white teeth. He yelled, his arms flailing wildly as the animal leapt in through the window. It landed heavily upon him, pushing all the air from his lungs.

Sam is excited about the family trip to Alaska. The brochures call it "the last frontier" and he likes the sound of that - he is eager for some adventure. He wants some cool stories to be able to tell his friends back at school. But on the very first day of his holiday Sam gets more adventure than he bargained for, when he and his family meet a bear in the forest.

Following his Dad's orders Sam flees with his sister Emma. Soon though, they face a new peril. They are lost and alone in the forest, with no idea how to get back to the lodge where they are staying. Sam decides that some adventures are a bit too exciting.

Lost in the Last Frontier is a green level title in the Breakers series from Macmillan Education. The unusual setting and fast-paced action will appeal to readers in upper primary, with the book's graded reading level being 10.5 years.

The Breakers series presents a range of story types from a range of authors. They are suitable for classroom reading and for private enjoyment.

Lost in the Last frontier, by Tracey L.R. Hawkins

Macmillan Education, 2004
 

Hidden facts

Sometimes when I'm reading a book, I wonder what made the author write the story? Was it from something they did? Someplace they travelled? A memory as a child?

So, I thought you might like to know why I wrote this story and set it in Alaska.

My family went on a very big adventure holiday in 2000 to Alaska. It is very long way from Australia and took us 33 hours to get there on six different flights.

We stayed in a little village called Talkeetna (it's the same little village the movie 'Snow Dogs' was filmed in)

The morning after we arrived I thought it would be a great idea for the family to go for a walk in the woods. That was...until I read the new sign posted on the hotel doors.

It said "Bears in area- do not enter the woods"

Needless to say my children refused to leave the hotel for a few hours.

We had many exciting times in Alaska and did get brave enough to walk in the woods even when the signs warned us bears were in there. I made my children sing "We're going on a bear hunt" as noise often frightens bears away. Or at least that's what we were told.

The dog in the story was also true. He was big mean and scary and lived at the lodge we stayed in. It was up in the mountains set in woodland and near a river. We sometimes found the dog would bail us up against a wall when his owner wasn't around, snarling and keeping us captive. We called him the dog from hell.

So most of the story is based on our experiences- except...we didn't get lost or chased by a bear.

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