Call of the Klondike: a True Gold Rush Adventure by David Meissner

This middle grade history uses original letters and contemporary news accounts to recreate the drama of the Alaska Gold Rush. 

Call of the Klondike: a True Gold Rush Adventure, by David Meissner and Kim Richardson.  Calkins Creek, 2012, 164 pages. 

Reading Level: Middle Grades, Ages 10-12klondike

Recommended for:  ages 10-15

Seattle, 1897: On July 17, sixty-eight rugged miners stepped off the SS Portland and made their way through the excited crowds.  Their sacks, blankets, oil cans, even shoes were filled with gold–many millions worth.  Within hours the news was rocketing around the world: fortunes waited for the taking in the Klondike region of northern Canada.  Stanley Pearce and Marshall Bond happened to be in Seattle when the news arrived, and quickly concluded that they’d found themselves in the right place at the right time.  Both were young, healthy, and unattached.  Both had mining experience or knowledge.  And they had connections, especially Peirce’s father, who wired them two thousand bucks to fund their expedition.  Best of all, if they left by the end of August they would beat the crowds to the gold fields.

If anyone was likely to succeed, it was these two, but their luck ran out even before they reached the Klondike.  The terrain was extremely difficult, expenses greater than anticipated, and winter closed around them like an iron fist before they expected it.  Like 99.5% of the Klondike prospectors, they never panned enough gold to cover their losses.  On the other hand . . . they got to participate in the last great gold rush, braved the last frontier, slept outside under the Nothern Lights, befriended other indomitables like Jack London (who used Bond’s chief sled dog as the model for Buck in Call of the Wild), and survived the adventure of their lives.  Their letters home insisted (maybe a little too insistently) that they were happy and inspired: . . . Bond and I both paused from the hard work we had in hand to comment on the grandeur of it all and wonder what unknown thing made this Godforsaken barren country so fascinating to us . . . with all its hardships there is a certain indescribable ghastly fascination about it

Gold wasn’t the real treasure after all.  The story is mostly told through original sources: letters, lists, news accounts, telegrams, and lots of pictures.  

Cautions: None

Overall value: 4 (out of 5)

  • Worldview/moral value: 3.5
  • Historical/literary value: 4

We are participants in the Amazon LLC affiliate program; purchases you make through affiliate links like the one below may earn us a commission. Read more here.

Stay Up to Date!

Get the information you need to make wise choices about books for your children and teens.

Our weekly newsletter includes our latest reviews, related links from around the web, a featured book list, book trivia, and more. We never sell your information. You may unsubscribe at any time.

Something went wrong. Please check your entries and try again.

Support our writers and help keep Redeemed Reader ad-free by joining the Redeemed Reader Fellowship.

Stay Up to Date!

Get the information you need to make wise choices about books for your children and teens.

Our weekly newsletter includes our latest reviews, related links from around the web, a featured book list, book trivia, and more. We never sell your information. You may unsubscribe at any time.

Something went wrong. Please check your entries and try again.

FREE Bible Guide!

Get a guide to the Best Bibles for Children and Teens. Perfect for an Easter gift.

Janie Cheaney

Janie is the VERY senior staff writer for Redeemed Reader, as well as a long-time contributor to WORLD Magazine and an author of nine books for children. The rest of the time she's long-distance smooching on her four grandchildren (not an easy task). She lives with her equally senior husband of almost-fifty years in the Ozarks of Missouri.

We'd love to hear from you!

Our comments are now limited to our members (both Silver and Golden Key). Members, you just need to log in with your normal log-in credentials!

Not a member yet? You can join the Silver Key ($2.99/month) for a free 2-week trial. Cancel at any time. Find out more about membership here.

Leave a Comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.