It’s Territories time! Our #RoadTripReadingClub is getting to know the Yukon, where it can snow all year round! Yukon has roughly the same population it did in 1900, while other provinces definitely can’t say the same. It’s home to the world’s smallest desert, Canada’s highest mountain and is the only province or territory in Canada to change its capital city (from Dawson City to Whitehorse in 1953). Wow!

The Klondike Cat by Julie Lawson, illustrated by Paul Mombourquette (Kids Can Press, 2004) Ages 5-9

Noah and his pa prepare to join the thousands of gold seekers heading for the Klondike. Pa insists the journey will be too long and too hard for a cat, but Noah just can’t leave his pet, Shadow, behind. When Pa discovers the stowaway, Noah promises that Shadow will earn her keep. Will the cat be the burden Pa supposes, or will she prove to be worth her weight in gold? Filled with exciting real-life history and adventure, The Klondike Cat gives readers a unique glimpse into a time when hopes were high, dreams were big and golden opportunities came in all shapes and sizes. A historical note at the end of the story provides further information about this dramatic chapter of North American history.

Amazon | Canadian Bookstores | Wholesalers

Juggling Fire by Joanne Bell (Orca Book Publishers, 2009) Ages 12 and up

Rachel’s idyllic existence with her family in the remote mountain passes of northern Yukon was shattered by her father’s depression, the family’s relocation to “town” and her father’s subsequent disappearance. Obsessed with understanding why her father never returned, Rachel hikes with her dog across mountain passes and along valleys to her childhood home. As she walks, she distracts herself from her anxiety by reinventing fairy tales remembered from her childhood. As the days pass, the imaginary quest begins to echo her own journey as she confronts danger, faces loneliness and unearths the truth about her father.

Amazon | Indigo | Canadian Bookstores | Wholesalers

Find out more about Road Trip Reading Club at our website. Want to read along with us? Let us know how you’re doing or what your own Road Trip Reading looks like using the hashtag #RoadTripReadingClub. Also, be sure to enter our summer photography contest!

Stay tuned for our next stop, the Northwest Territories!