Bo at Ballard Creek: 01/21/19

A couple years ago I read Bo at Iditarod Creek for the CYBILs. Recently I tracked down the first book in this duology, Bo at Ballard Creek by Kirkpatrick Hill.

This book is episodic like its sequel. It begins with how Bo came to be adopted daughter of two Alaskan prospectors. Her early childhood happens as the gold mines dry up and the boom towns start to go bust. Her fathers, though, like living in the territory and have other skills they can make use of.

The book ends with the two men adopting a second child, Oscar, a Native boy who might have a Russian father. He is in the second book as Bo's younger brother.

My one complaint with this book is how careless she is in describing Oscar's heritage. She takes the time to come up with countries of origin and backstories for all the settlers but just uses "Eskimo" for Oscar and the other Natives who live town. As Hill is so precise in describing where the town is, it took all of five minutes to track down the Native group who lives in the area — the Koyukon.

LeUyen Pham's illustrations bring the characters to life. I mostly think of her as the illustrator of Shannon Hale's Princess in Black books.

Four stars

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