North
Donna Jo Napoli
© 2004 Donna Jo Napoli
HarperCollins Publishers

Alvin has been on a short leash his whole life, and at twelve, he's sick of it. He lives in a tough area of Washington, DC with his mother and grandmother, and they rarely let him out of their sight. So when he's assigned a report on his hero—Matthew Henson, the African-American co-discoverer of the North Pole—it's all Alvin needs to set him off on his own miraculous journey. Author Donna Jo Napoli immerses us in the Inuit culture so completely that we can almost smell the seal blubber!

North was read by Isaiah Johnson
Isaiah Johnson is a young actor, singer and dancer who currently resides in Washington, D.C. He has performed in many productions at various theatres in the District's metropolitan area: Studio Theatre, National Theatre, Round House Theatre, and Imagination Stage to name a few. He was excited to read North because he lived in Anchorage, Alaska before moving to D.C. to study musical theatre at Howard University.

What do you think?

Did you like the story? Did you find it believable? Why, or why not?

What do you like about Alvin? What are his strengths? His weaknesses?

How do you feel about Pauloosie?

What did you know about Inuit culture before you read the book? What did you learn from the book?

Why do you think the Inuits did not question Alvin about his quest?

Why was this quest so important to Alvin? What do you think it means to his mother?

What was the hardest part of the journey for Alvin? Why?

Did you know about Matthew Hensen before you read this book?

Fun & Adventure Beyond the Book

Matthew Henson spent 18 years making seven highly dangerous and difficult Arctic journey with Robert E. Peary. There's a website devoted to Henson, where you can see a photo of the 1909 expedition.

Here are photos of Henson's descendants and comments about his character from team member Admiral Donald MacMillian, as well as more information about the expedition.

Alvin visited Henson's grave in the book. You can see photographs of both Henson's and Peary's graves at the Arlington Cemetery website, and learn a little more about them.

National Geographic profiled Henson and has an extensive website with information and photographs. And there's even more about Henson on the virtual exploration website.

Now that you know all about Matthew Henson, why not learn more about Inuit culture? Here are three sites to get you started: one, two, three! And here's another great site with all sorts of information about Inuit culture.

Try your hand at traditional games Inuit kids like to play.

How many words do you use to describe snow? The Inuit have more than 30 words for snow. Check them out!

Oodlateeta was giving dogsledding lessons and Alvin was able to hitch a ride with him. Here's a virtual way to learn dogsledding.

Now that you know a bit about dogsledding, would you consider racing? Check out the World Series of dogsledding, the Iditarod.

Alvin worried about frostbite. Here's what to do to prevent it (and what to do if you get it).



If You Like This Book, Check Out...

Grace Greene, from the Vermont Department of Libraries, says if you liked North, you’ll probably enjoy these books as well:

Other books by Donna Jo Napoli:

Bound (Atheneum, 2004)
In a novel based on Chinese Cinderella tales, fourteen-year-old stepchild Xing-Xing endures a life of neglect and servitude, as her stepmother cruelly mutilates her own child's feet so that she alone might marry well.

Daughter of Venice (Wendy Lamb, 2002)
Frustrated with the restrictions her gender imposes on her life, fourteen-year-old Donata, disguised as a boy, sneaks out of her noble family's house to roam the streets of late sixteenth-century Venice and then must confront the repercussions of her actions.

Three Days (Dutton, 2001)
When her father suddenly dies on a business trip, leaving her alone on an Italian highway, eleven-year-old Jackie worries what will happen when she is picked up by two men with unknown motives.

Companion Titles:

The Girl Who Dreamed Only Geese, and Other Tales of the Far North, by Howard D. Norman (Harcourt, 1997)
Ten Inuit tales retold from the oral tradition.

Winter Camp, by Kirkpatrick Hill (McElderry, 1993)
Eleven-year-old Toughboy and his younger sister must survive the harsh Alaskan winter at a friend's winter trapping camp.

Dogsong, by Gary Paulsen (Thorndike, 1985)
A fourteen-year-old Eskimo boy who feels assailed by the modernity of his life takes a 1400-mile journey by dog sled across ice, tundra and mountains, seeking his own "song" of himself.