This lively read is especially good for girls who like dogs. A young lady arrives in Juneau, Alaska, by steamer. She's greeted by the white bull terrier which meets every arriving boat. But her uncle is nowhere to be seen, and all she can do is head to a boarding house and hope for the best. Town is full of rough miners, but another girl her own age provides temporary help.

I think it's best to realise that although we do see the dangers of the location, we don't head off into the backwoods and mountains, like a Jack London story. A boy's adventure probably would, but in those days, girls would not have been allowed to head out of town. Instead we learn about the lives of people in the bustling port. And the dog, Patsy Ann, based on a real dog of that time.

I enjoyed this read and it's a nice length with well-rounded characters.

I received an e-ARC from Net Galley and chose to review in my own time. This is an unbiased review.

Spannende Geschichte rund um Mut, und Freundschaft. Wievuel Stärke muss ein man haben um sich gegen alle Schwierigkeiten so durchzusetzen und immer daran zu glauben, dass alles gut ausgeht.

This book is packed full of friendship, courage, and loss, but it also carries an undeniable thread of hope and wonder. Delving into the Great Depression through the eyes of a child is incredible. Following Penny, Bitty and Patsy Ann on their journey is captivating. I could hardly put the book down and I look forward to returning to it when I read it to my child.

Penny's father is going to work on the Grand Coulee dam and even though she begs, he won't take her with him. She gets to go to Alaska to stay with her uncle. The sea journey makes her sick and when she arrives in Juneau her uncle is no where to be seen. She finds a friendly dog, though, even if she is deaf.

BooksGoSocial and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you). It has been published and you can get a copy now.

She asks where she might look for her uncle and gets sent to the local restaurant. He's not there either. She finds out he has gone to Skagway and that's no place for a girl. The lady with the restaurant also has rooms for boarders, so Penny goes back there. The lady had just fired her dishwasher, so Penny volunteers to do that to pay for her room. Bitty, the woman's daughter, becomes her friend. Penny sends her father a telegram.

She works well and the woman is pleased with her. She finds out Bitty is getting electrical treatments to help her quit dreaming. The dreams went away but now she has awful headaches. She even thinks about suicide. But Penny and the dog save her from that.

Will everything settle down finally? It has a good ending and it was a good read.

Three Against the North takes place during the depression years of the 1930s. Penny is a youngster of about 12 who travels alone from Seattle to Juneau, Alaska by ship to stay for a while with her uncle as her dad will be having to go to eastern Washington to work. Penny hates the idea of leaving her precious dog Griffin with a neighbor, but there is no place for him with her father nor can she take him to Alaska, but she will really miss him.

But Uncle Brighton isn't there to meet the boat in Juneau. Penny is left with the $20 her father gave her for traveling money and no place to go. She doesn't know where her uncle might be, but her father is in-route to a job on the Grand Coulee Dam with no address available for him, either. She is met, however, by Patsy Ann, the community meet-and-greet classic terrier, deaf, white, and loved by all. Through Patsy Ann, Penny will find friends, a job, and a path through the quandary she finds herself in, and a great new best friend Bitty.

But Bitty has health and emotional problems going back to the death of her father two years past and is undergoing electric shock therapy. Not knowing how to help her friend, Penny can only offer all the support and friendship she has. Added to the love of Patsy Ann, will it be enough to see Bitty through the treatments?

I received a free ARC of this exceptional novel from Netgalley, Dianna Dorisi Winget, and BooksGoSocial on September 29th, 2020. I have read this novel of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. I began this story which I enjoyed very much, with a doubt that this sort of information would be appropriate for YA readers, but after finishing, it contains only information that would help them to understand the treatment and find a way to support others, or make decisions for themselves.

Penny Brighton is twelve year old traveling by ship to Juneau, Alaska to meet her uncle for the first time. Penny was sent to her uncle to stay with while her father goes to work at the new dam being built. When Penny goes to shore, she finds that her uncle isn’t there. Where is he? As she looks around the dock, a man asks her if she needs help. When replying that her uncle hasn’t come, he suggests going to a boarding house to ask the owner about her uncle. He tells her to follow Pasty Ann, the friendly dog to the boarding house as that is where she is going. Even though she is scare, she follows Patsy Ann to the boarding house and looks for her uncle. She meets Bitty who helps her mom at the boarding house. Bitty and Penny become friends. Bitty makes Penny promise not o tell anyone about her secret place before Bitty takes Penny to her secret place that she has. She showing Penny her treasures. As they walk back, they don’t talk much. Bitty tells Penny that she needs to se to something so she won’t be going upstairs to bed now. Penny just wants to get warm and go to bed. Penny looks out her window and sees Bitty going out. Where is Bitty going? When Penny gets up, she goes down to do her job of washing and drying the dishes. However Bitty’s mom ask her to go get Bitty up first. When She finds that Bitty didn’t return, she knows Bitty is at her secret place. Penny leaves to go get her without telling anyone. It starts to snow turning into a snowstorm. Penny starts to feel cold.. As Penny continues, she can barely see anything due to the snowstorm and runs into Bitty. They are lost in the snowstorm but Patsy Ann appears and takes them home. Bitty is suffering from frostbite. When Penny awakes, she doesn’t remember how she got in bed. Penny gets back to her job wondering why Bitty was out in the snowstorm. When Penny finds out from Bitty, she tells her but doesn’t want her mom to know. What is Bitty hiding from her mom. What will Penny do? Will Penny ever meet her uncle?

In this part historical and part fiction novel, the author has written an intriguing story that takes place during the Great Depression. The story includes a real dog that lived during that period and though deaf was a true hero to the city of Juneau. It is a story that is heartwarming yet includes some unsavory thing that did happen in that time period. The author explains why this happened at the end of the story. The story shows how one what family love is, true friendship and honesty. Penny also gives the example of making decisions and “sticking to them” even though not sure of the outcome. I liked how it gave me a glimpse of a time that I don’t know much ab out and even less how it affected Alaska. It is a great story to read regardless of age.

We All Need Help from Time to Time

It's depression time in Seattle. Work being hard to find Penny's father decides to go to work on the Grand Coulee Dam. He sends twelve year old Penny to Juneau Alaska to stay with her uncle. Unbeknownst to him the uncle has left Juneau to work in Skagway. Penny must figure out what to do in her father absence until she can contact him.

This book is about two twelve year old girls. Penny has her father but has lost her mother, Bitsy has lost her father but has her mother. It is also about a magical dog named Patsy Ann. This dog is a special dog. It was in fact a real dog that actually live in Juneau. Although it was deaf it met every ship that came into port.

The book tells the history of the depression, how hard pressed it was to find work. It tells of the men that came to Alaska to work in the mines, how they lived and how hard the work was. It tells of one father's decision to leave home to find work. A girl lost without family in Juneau, a girl suffering from mental problems because of the loss of her father, and a friendship that helps both of them.

It is a book of friendship and of courage. A book of love and understanding and family. I loved the setting, the characters the ending and especially the magical dog Patsy Ann. This is a great book for anyone to read, but it is wonderful for the younger readers as it gives them a glimpse of history, a small glimpse of mental illness and a magical dog and story with a wonderful ending. I would definitely recommend this 5 star book.

Thanks to Dianna Dorisi Winget, BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for allowing me to read a copy in return for an honest review.

Fun and action packed story, great to kids and interesting for adults to. I couldn't put it down and finished it in one night!!

Three against the North is the first book I have read written by Dianna Dorisi Winget. It stated that it was a middle grades book but could be read by a young reader. It is exciting story of adventure one smart loyal dog and two friend in Juneau, Alaska during the 1930’s. One wants to prove herself while the other wants to escape terrible medical treatments that are not helping. Penny and Bitty are wonderful characters with a great friendship but it is Patsy-Ann who is the heroine of this story.

This is an excellent story for the intended audience with younger children maybe enjoying it too. The cold and the time lost would probably not scare most young children, yet the electroconvulsive therapy: described might. It can be scary to think of a caring adult doing this to a child. For those children mature enough this is a compelling read. I am old enough to be the grandmother of Penny or Bitty but loved these girls and how their lives entwined. It wouldn’t be a great story without the dog Patsy-Ann.

4.5 Stars
An ARC of the book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley which I voluntarily chose to read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own

Nice story. I didn't realize that there had been an actual dog that meet the ships in Juneau. . If you like stories about dogs this one is for you

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! It would be a great read for a middle school reader interested in Alaska and the related culture.

What an adventure! From the very first chapter I was hooked! The characters, the settings, and the problems that arise, are all very intriguing and I looked forward to figuring out the "mysteries" in the story. It had themes of loss, friendship, and perseverance. This would make an excellent classroom read-aloud for upper elementary.