Sleds Reviews

Mr. Shul and to anyone else who reads this:

This book is fantastic x 10000000000000! I checked out SLed Driver at my local library and the book had me in a trance. The astonishing photography and the exciting adventures about being in the cockpit of this awe-inspiring beast will reach into your soul and keep you hooked. Literally! All in all, I cannot wait to be able to purchase the special edition series that should be released sometime during 2003; if you get the opportunity, GET THIS BOOK!!!

Dear Sir,
I am the author of Sled Driver, plus several other books that you list. PLEASE make the following corrections. Remove Sheila Kathleen O'Grady's name from the author's line, she was the typist, not an author. Also, there is no such book as The Challenge, also listed under my name. My publisher erroneously gave that to you in hopes it would be done, and it was not. They are now out of business. Finally, Sled Driver went out of print last year-HOWEVER-the big news is that in 2003 I have plans to re-issue the book in a newer, prettier, limited edition version. I hope to work with you in marketing it through your page. There will only be 3200 limited edition copies. I would love to talk to someone there about this upcoming project. This book is so popular and I get email weekly concerning it. Is there a number, or email that I could use to contact someone there who is interested in this information. I know this is not exactly a book review, but I have tried in the past to email you and the above changes I requested were never instituted. Sled Driver is returning and I will have more information about it for you by this summer. Please email me with any numbers I may contact to straighten out these errors and talk about the return of a very popular book. Thank you. Yes, I really am the author, Brian Shul 530-742-1000.

From the moment I picked up a copy of "Sled Driver", I was hooked. The text was not highly technical, but gave me the feeling of actually being in the cockpit. I could vividly imagine the rush of acceleration on takeoff, the surreal world at 80,000 feet, the frustration of refueling under adverse conditions. I was proud to be an American, knowing that our technology was far superior to that of the Soviet's, or anyone else's. I laughed in distain as I imagined the frustration and anger of communist leaders as they continually failed in their futile attempts to shoot the plane down. And I shed a few tears when I read about the closing of the SR-71 program.

Complimenting the excellent text (written in easy to read large print) were the best pictures of the SR-71 that I have ever seen. Not just a few either, but lots of big, beautiful glossy color prints I'd be proud to hang on my wall.

This book makes the SR-71 Blackbird come alive. I highly recommend it to anyone even remotely interested in military aviation.

This book is great, it has beautiful pictures and info. However, I did find a few things that were not to great. First of all, when describing the Alaskan Malamute, the illustration had a pure black dog... Malamutes are NEVER pure black, they can be all white but that's the only exception for all one color, the only labeled pic of malamutes are an all white and all black, no markings! They also had very vague info on them. Malamute's real name is ALASKAN MALAMUTE, no where in the book did it say ALASKAN in front of malamute, well howcome you put SIBERIAN and ALASKAN in front of the husky? And two, I got a pup this August and I'm going to start training, so I read the chapter called "How to train Sled Dogs" it had absolutely nothing about training them except for, start training as pups! Blank spot! On what do you train them? All in all though, this was a beautiful book, I just use it for the pictures now.

"Born to Pull" was recommended to me by the owner of the kennel where our family would be going for our first mushing experience. Though aimed at upper elementary kids, the amount of information is amazing. The illustrations enhance the content beautifully; particularly stunning is a painting of a team pulling under the Northern Lights.

Most enjoyable are the stories interspersed throughout; stories from well-known mushers such as Gary Paulsen and Jamie Nelson. Stories of dogs that decided to run the wrong way at the end of a race, and of dogs who found the way home in a raging storm.

Reading this book did not guarantee that I would not wipe out on the sled, but when I did, I knew just what the snow hook was!

I found this book in the kids' section while looking for Christmas presents. Knew nothing about it, and sled dogs are not my dog-of-choice, but was immediately compelled to buy it even tho it cost more than I'd planned. Amazingly full of good information, understanding of dogs and pulling, but there was a twinkle in the eye of the author, too. Imagine the runway team surrounding the ice-fisherman and eating all his catch!

The illustrations too are extraordinary. Such obvious awareness of the inner workings of dogs is unusual. The expressions of each dog are wonderful.

Highest recommendation for sled-dog enthusiast or any dog person, young or old.

The Three Dogs were big and muscular, there was Bruno, Kalia but that they look and sound cool. The book gets more better towards the end when the three dogs won the sledding contest at Colorada. Kalia is a husky, which is a type of a wolf. Bruno looks like a black lab mixed with husky. I wish I could have these dogs from The Three Dog Winter. This is a good book. I will rate it a five.

I think that this is a great book. I couldn't put it down. It's about a boy named Scott McClure who races sled dogs with his dad. Then his father dies and his mother remarries . He moves from California to Montana. He had troble with his stepfather and his stepbrother Brad. Scott won't lett anyone or anything interfere with his dream. If you want to find out whats next read this book.

This is a thrilling winter story that took my breath away as I read page after page of this exciting novel. As Scott and his family are trying to recover from the death of his father, Scott's mom seems to immediately re-marry again. Scott and his dad had both loved sled dog racing. In the new home with more siblings, Scott wonders if he'll ever be able to race a great team like his dad, since he only has one dog. Especially with this new family and new home.

This book comes highly recommended!!!

If you enjoy hearing true tales of wild heroics this book is for you. I read it page after page and laughed as the author so vividly drew me into each scene with these crazy Iditarod pilots.

Some of the stories are incredible and it really makes you want to go to Alaska to encounter some of this wild west dog sled fanaticism.

Don't miss this one...it is very enjoyable. Worthy of passing on to someone else after it's read.

I purchased this book for my father, for Father's Day, and it turns out he has a personal connection to one of the book's subjects. I could not have been more pleased! He has been reading it voraciously and enjoying every page. Dad's are always hard to buy for and it's great to hit the nail on the head once in awhile.

I like adventure books, especially those that deal with northern flying. This title clearly fell into that catagory. The autor gave us a perspective of the Iditarod race that only a pilot could. As a pilot who has flown in Alaska I found all of his flying information to be accurate. But best of all the book was very well written. The author has polished his work. The chapters are all very readable and fascinating. I would recommend this book to anyone whose interests run along the same lines as mine do; flying, Alaska, adventure and the Iditarod. My only complaint is a complete lack of pictures.

Our kids love this book and ask for it over and over. They love to see Elim try new things until he finds something he can excel in. They especially love the drawings of Elim trying out new sports. Our family highly recommends this story.

Our family loves this book and can't wait to see what future adventures are in store for Elim.

This adorable book gives little tykes a taste of Alaska--and the determination and spunk that characterizes its citizens. Its lively spirited humor and expressively illustrated pictures teach children early on that it pays to follow your dreams and never give up. "Elim" is good material both for reading to small children--and children learning to read, with helpful educational questions and vocabulary list at the end,

Christy Lowry

This is a well paced, well writen book that brings out the thrill of the Iditarod. I did figure it out about half way through without really trying, though, but it didn't take anything away from the excitement! The only other negative to the story is that I live in Alaska and I don't think the author really got the point across of just HOW cold it can get here in the winter. Negative temperatures for a month or more! Good book and the best fictional account of the Last Great Race I have read.

Sue Henry sets the first book in her Alaskan Mystery Series in one of the most grueling sporting events in the world, the 1000-mile Iditarod dog sled race. The book details the progress of the race and the unusual "accidents" which take place along the way. State trooper Alex Jensen is highly suspicious that some of the mushers may be sabatoging others in an effort to gain an advantage in the race. Henry creates vivid descriptions of the race course and the brutal conditions which beset those brave enough to participate in the Iditarod. She creates enough red herrings to make the mystery interesting and vividly writes about the dangers, both natural and man-made, which the racers encounter. I highly recommend this book!

Love her writing. All her books are very action packed and suspensful.

First, this is a one-day book, 250 pages of large type. So if you're looking for an in-depth tale of the Iditarod, look elsewhere. Second, the first 50 pages are some of the worst prose I've read in years. But after that Paulsen finds his pace, uneven as it is, and I started to thoroughly enjoy it. Paulsen paints an entertaining picture of his amateurish preparations and training for the race. But the pace shifts again as the race starts and he turns serious. From then on, the reader begins to feel both the stark beauty and the incredible harshness of the race. One can also feel the joy of the dogs who love to run, and sense Paulsen's decline into exhaustion, not so much from his words but from the fact that he writes (I suppose because he recalls) less and less as the race wears on.

This is an intensely personal book, full of downright foolhardy determination, and worth the short time it takes to read.

This is a good book--a fast read that introduces you to the grueling Iditarod, and keeps you interested from the first page to the last. I was disappointed, however, in the complete lack of background information about the author or what lead him to attempt such a seemingly impossible feat. I read a lot of nature-adventure true stories, and part of what brings depth and interest to a story is learning about what has motivated a person to act. You learn nothing about Paulson, except that he lived in MN and bought dogs and tied them to a sled. His wife is barely mentioned in passing--he devotes more energy to describing the people in his hallucinations--and you don't learn until near the end that he has a child. His viewpoint is so narrow and self-focused, that he also leaves out a lot of details you'd want to know about the race itself. His tale reads as a series of short vignettes rather than a travel journal. I am online now to buy a book by someone else who has run the Iditarod to help round out the story.

This book should not be read on an airplane. Your laughing loudly will disrupt others around you. This is one of the funniest books I've read. I've given numberous copies to friends and realized I don't have one of my own. Hence, my order.

I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Libby Riddles personally on a cruise with Princess Cruise Line. Her talk was so enlightening that I bought the book. This is a must read for every Iditarod fan or interested person. The grueling schedule and trails will hold your interest until the end of the book. You'll find out what Libby cared on her sled, how she prepared for each checkpoint and what all the mushers have to endure to come out on top of the pack. You'll easily learn to respect the mushers and the love/dedication they have for the Iditarod.

Libby Riddles is the first woman to win the Iditarod, which is the Alaskan dog-sled race that covers over 1,000 miles.

As I'm not very familiar with Alaska, I had never heard of Libby Riddles, or the Iditarod for that matter. However, my boss, who is from Alaska, brought me an autographed copy of the book as a souvenir from one of her trips home. I immediately started reading the book and was quickly engrossed in Libby's adventure.

The book is written in journal style. I felt as if I were right there on the trail with Libby throughout her grueling race to the finish. Interspersed throughout the pages are interesting Iditarod facts that help the reader to better understand the life of a musher as well as the ins and outs of the race.

Libby, as well as all the mushers, show an amazing amount of courage and strength. From start to finish, many mushers don't get to shower and exist on an hour or so of sleep every 15-24 hours! Imagine that kind of schedule, coupled with the intense physical endurance they're also experiencing. It was simply mind boggling, but very admirable.

I found this a fascinating read; my only complaint is that I wish it were longer! I wanted the story to continue a little bit after Libby crossed the finish line in Nome!

After meeting Libby personally in Juneau May 2001, I had to read the book! She takes you "with her and her precious dogs" on this adventure with details about the event and how she feels,copes and thrives throughout the 1984 Iditarod.

The best part? She won as a team (with her dogs) and as a person of strength with the knowledge that she would also be a role model from both women and men.

I found the book inspiring!

This is a great book. It's about a man who owns a dog kennel. He loves the dogs more than life itself. But, he gets heart disese. He may have to give up the kennel. This is a drama that kept me interested. I don't usually read this type of book, so it had to be very good to interest me. I hope you like it.

My eight year old son has a passion for the Iditarod, and is just starting to read chapter books. This book was perfect for him, and he finished it crying he was so attached to Cookie, the main dog. Paulsen writes beautifully about dogs, appealing to all ages. This is a wonderful book, beautifully illustrated, for all ages of dog lovers.

Paulsen has written one of the funniest books we've ever read, about preparing for and racing in the Iditarod. Like all the best humorists, his humor comes from the heart. This book is much more serious but it still comes from the heart and succeeds for that reason.

Here he is writing about his dogs and in particular a dog named Cookie, a female who served as his lead dog in the Iditarod and also was mother to many of his other dogs. He starts with the birth of her last litter of pups and goes on from there. Some of the most striking anecdotes show just how intelligent and sensitive these animals are: one of the other dogs teaching the puppies how to get all of the meat out of the skull, and Cookie herself seemingly forcing a pack of dogs to go back and help her owner when he has to let all of them go in order to extricate himself from a predicament.

In the end, they both have to give up running, and of course humans live longer than dogs, so we know how it ends: sadly but poignantly, as the author says goodbye to someone he obviously considers a friend.