The thing that stood out for me the most from the book was the fact that Matthew got no recognition for reaching the North Pole first until fifty years after doing so. A fascinating and thrilling fictionalised account of the life of Matthew Henson, the first African-American man to travel to the North Pole, from the Carnegie nominated author Catherine Johnson.

Race to the Frozen North: The Matthew Henson Story Race to the Frozen North: The Matthew Henson Story

However, through his life he was discriminated against and his achievements were ignored because he was black. Shehana can’t tell anyone what’s going on: not her strict parents who want her to work hard at school and marry a man of their choosing; not her best friend, who would never understand; and certainly not her boyfriend.

I would definitely recommend this book to other students aged 8 – 12 as well as to pupils who enjoy reading about travel. There are three versions of this reading comprehension activity included in the resource, so you can choose which of these resources best suits the needs of your class. You can also download this Significant Explorers: Who Was Matthew Henson Lesson Pack to help you plan a lesson all about Matthew Henson. As luck would have it, fortune shines on Matt and he ends up working for a kindly woman, Janey Moore, whose Café is much loved by the poorer locals.

Collection items - The British Library

Race to the Frozen North is based on the true story of Matthew Henson, him being the first man to reach the North Pole. After losing Captain Childs, Matthew joined another crew ( Katie Hines under the watchful eye of Officer Peary) and was a cabin boy, this was the crew that took him to the Frozen, yet beautiful, North Pole. Ezra McAdam is apprenticed to a top London anatomist and surgeon and can read a dead body as well as you or I might read a book. There’s a rather brilliant blog tour where you can read lovely reviews and find out more about the book FlutteringButterfiles here. Matthew could drive a team of dogs across the ice or hunt wolves and seals and could make anything out of wood or metal.

Reading the book, I felt sorry for Matthew and wished he had been praised sooner after making such a huge achievement. Always attracted by the sea he finds himself drawn into the world of the seafarers who are determined to find a route to the North Pole. There are plenty of opportunities to discuss how Matthew is treated by others around him and also the context of the time period. Captain Perry also put his trust and faith into Matthew because he to also knew how hard Matthew could and would work.

Books - Catherine Johnson Books - Catherine Johnson

Sawbones won the Young Quills Award for best historical fiction for 12+, and The Curious Tale of The Lady Caraboo was nominated for the CILIP Carnegie Medal and the YA Book Prize. My least favourite character was Matthew’s step-mother Nellie who beat him regularly because everything that went wrong was “always his fault”. The prejudice and discrimination that he endured throughout his life is neither glossed over nor dwelt upon giving us an insightful picture of Henson’s heroic and stoic character.The person leading the activity should give everyone a quick virtual challenge so they can follow in Matthew’s footsteps and become an online adventurer.

Race to the Frozen North - Scottish Book Trust Read Woke: Race to the Frozen North - Scottish Book Trust

He heads towards the docks of Kennard Wharf and good fortune places him in the path of a fine captain. This is a really accessible text and it highlights the benefits of being kind to local people can be (in this case with the Inuits who went on to help Matthew as they taught him everything he knew and accompanied on the expedition). Finding Loveday and Mahmoud is proving harder than he had imagined: it would appear that Paris really is the most dangerous place on earth. As always, if you’ve got concerns about a young person’s welfare (including their online experiences), follow the Yellow Card reporting processes .In a very different time and place, Lauren Bogle, a mixed race girl discovered by a modelling agent on a school trip to London, is desperate to escape from her boring provincial life. Shortlisted for the Hampshire Book Award’Come with me… Join me on a journey far beyond this world… far beyond what is known…’Stella is the ‘Queen of the Night’, a professional spirit-talker. This book teaches you quite a lot about the history of the end of the 18th century to the mid-19th century in America.