Summary
This is ten-year-old lead dog Akiak's last chance to win the Iditarod.  When Akiak hurts her paw, she must be removed from the race.  But Akiak sets out on her own, catches up to her team, and shows them the way.


Genre: 
Realistic Fiction - Realistic characters and events come to life in a fictional plot.
  
Website:
Click here to find our more about Mr. Blake
Click here to watch some videos from the Toughest Race on Earth - The Iditarod

Reading:
Strategy Focus: Summarize
Comprehension Skill: Story Structure
Comprehension Skill Review: Cause and Effect; Predicting Outcomes
Information and Study Skills: Parts of a Book

Word Work:
Spellings:  Short and Long A and E vowel sounds.
Structural Analysis: Base Words and endings -er and -est
Vocabulary: Multiple-Meaning Words

Writing & Language:
Grammar: Kinds of Sentences
Writing: Informative Writing

blizzard: a snowstorm with strong winds
checkpoint: a place along a route where people sign in
courageous: brave; fearless
experienced: having the knowledge to do a particular task
musher: the driver of a dogsled team
rugged: having a rough, uneven surface

vowed: promised
volunteer: someone who helps free of charge
whiteout: heavy clouds over snow, leading to completely white conditions that make it impossible to see.
refuge: a safe or covered place out of bad weather
burrowed: dug a hole like a small animal
experienced: having the knowledge or skill from having done a particular thing in the past.
layover: a brief stop on a trip
squinted: looked with eyes partly open