Gr 4-6-- Twelve-year-old Bucky's adventures begin when his feckless Uncle Tanner persuades his dad to join the Klondike gold stampeders. Soon the boy and the two men begin the rigorous journey from Seattle to his uncle's river claim. The ending of the story is rather abrupt, and there is little time for character development. The journey occupies 38 of the book's 56 pages; unfortunately, no map is included, and the pencil illustrations don't convey the same drama DeClements describes. While she supplies flavorful period details, readers may be left reaching for the historical background. One hopes that their search takes them to the resources she alludes to in a helpful afterword, including Robert Service's poetry. The illustrations and maps missing here can be found in Michael Cooper's Klondike Fever (Clarion, 1989) and Delia Ray's Gold! (Lodestar, 1989). For fiction about the California gold rush, try Dorothy Hoobler's Treasure in the Stream (Silver Burdett, 1991). --Sally Bates Goodroe, Houston Public Library
