
Written by Donna Jo Napoli
A runaway boy follows his hero's footsteps toward the frozen Arctic.
Twelve-year-old Alvin is tired of his overprotective mother and of being called a mamma's boy. Inspired by the Arctic explorer Matthew Henson, he leaves home in Washington, D.C., and heads north. In a land of deadly cold, polar bears and wolves, where it is easy to get lost, Alvin finds out what he is made of.
Chanelle laughed. "You'd never have the guts to get near a polar bear in real life. And you'd never travel that far. You the mamma's boy, I hear."But Chanelle is wrong. Alvin has more guts than even he realizes. And he isn't a mamma's boy. In fact, when his over protective mother goes too far, he leaves home.Where can Alvin go, though?He heads north. He will follow in the footsteps of his hero -- Matthew Henson, the bold Arctic explorer. Alvin will prove that he can take care of himself. Alvin will go north to the deadly cold; north to terrifying, frozen windy expanses, where it's easy to get lost even near shelter; north to polar bears and wolves; north to himself. . . .
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