Click on book cover to learn where Will got his ideas for this story, and to see photos.

Amid the shouts and the cheers and the splashing of oars, it was pandemonium. "Nome or bust!" Jason yelled. In the shadow of the Arctic Circle, Dawson City is burning, changing forever the lives of thousands in the Klondike goldfields. All the talk is of Nome, nearly two thousand miles away, where gold has been discovered in the beach sands. Jason Hawthorn is itching to join the new rush. He and his brothers have been cheated out of their sawmill, and Jason has vowed to buy it back. A race to Nome has been announced, with a $20,000 prize. Jason's partner in his canoe is the girl he loves, Jamie Dunavant, freshly returned from the States as she promised she would. The Great Race across Alaska will be a grueling test for the two of them as they face the hazards of the Yukon River, two very dangerous men, and the terrors of the open sea. Only their combined skills, courage, and mutual devotion can pull them through.

CLICK HERE to see photos and to learn where Will got his IDEAS for this story and for its companion, JASON'S GOLD.

Unabridged audiotape available from
Listening Library. (800-243-4504)

Awards & Honors for Down the Yukon

Books for the Teenage, New York Public Library

Hardcover and paperback publisher: HarperCollins