This is a perfect fit for a middle grade library collection! The story of the 1924 Serum Run, and a unique perspective, imagining the narration of dogs Balto and Togo. Highly recommend for a classroom library collection!

I enjoyed this book very much. I feel like we have consistently heard the story of Balto, but I had never heard of Togo. I liked how the author gave voice to all the sled dogs and let us into their minds for a bit. I also appreciated all the research that went into her writing this book. There were some moments that seemed unbelievable and for which I was sure she had taken artistic license, but they turned out to be true. She kept most of the details accurate from the historical records, which added to the adventure and overall impact of the story. I highly recommend this book and will be getting a copy for my library.

It is sad that the other dogs who participated in this endeavor didn't get the press Balto did. I never realized how many people and dogs were involved since you only hear about Balto. I'm glad this book came out. I'll make it one of my staff recommends when it comes in.

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

Thanks to NetGalley & Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

What a fantastic book! It's nothing complicated, of course, but I really enjoyed it! It works well to blend facts with fiction--just so anyone reading can feel the emotions of the people and dogs involved in the race. The author did a great job explaining everything from the dogs to the medicine itself. An easy and informative read.

This middle school historical fiction takes readers back to the diphtheria outbreak of 1924. The town of Nome is facing a deadly disease attacking it's citizens. But getting one million units of antitoxin to Alaska in the middle of the winter is no easy task. Nome's only hope lies in the hands of Alaska's mushers and sled dogs. Are these dogs up for the task? Or will Alska find itself in the midst of a full-blown epidemic?

Balto and Togo: Hero Dogs of Alaska tells this true story from the perspective of townspeople, mushers, and sled dogs. While the townsfolk understand what's happening, the dogs sense the urgency of the situation and rise to the challenge. The dog chapters not only focus on Balto and Togo, but the many dog teams that banded together to make the Serum Run a success. The author does a beautiful job of weaving fact and fiction together, keeping me on the edge of my seat for the entire book. I also asked my 12 year old son what he thought. He really enjoyed this book as he said he knew a little about the Serum Run, but Balto and Togo made the background information so much clearer. He really came away from this book with a better understanding of the events.

All in all, I would whole heartedly recommend this one. It would make a great read aloud as well as an independent read for any middle schooler. Cannot recommend this title highly enough.

*Disclaimer: I recieved a free copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

I was so excited to see this book and it didn't disappoint. I'm always in awe at this historical event when the Diphtheria outbreak took so many young lives in 1925. The connection between humans and dogs is well captured in this detailed novel under 200 pages but rich in information, tension, and action.

There are chapters focused on the humans, but also chapters where we get the perspective of the dogs - not only of Balto and Togo, but of all the ones participating during a month in this race against death. They understand their companions' (humans) distress and how high the stakes of this mission are. They want to give their best even if it means sacrifice.

The author adds a few footnotes with a lot of historical extra information and more. Also with internet links.

This is a great educational novel to homage to the dogs that contributed so much to help us. A book to have in every classroom, library, and home. Also perfect for read-aloud with loved ones.

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for this e-Arc.



(will be posting to blog and Instagram soon) @therearenobadbooks

Part educational, part fiction, this telling of the hero dogs who did the Serum Run in 1925 is a look at the teams who saved Nome from the diphtheria outbreak.

While Moss uses facts to frame the story, she gives insight to what the dogs might have been thinking. The story of Balto is well known, but there were a lot of other teams who helped transport the serum, and this book covers almost the entire journey. Definitely a good read for middle schoolers!

This is the story all about the serum run to combat the Alaskan diphtheria outbreak and the dogs who helped make it possible. This would be great for young readers who are new to non-fiction because it reads very much like a fiction chapter book. I don't personally care for the parts where the dogs speak to each other but I bet younger readers will get more immersed in the story because of it.

Balto was one of my favorite movies as a child. I HAD TO READ THIS BOOK. I was desperate to read it and it did not disappoint. It sis a treasure of insight into the time in Nome Alaska when the only supplies you got were brought by plane or dog sled and sparingly, and also highly dependent on the weather. The author gives us an overview of the situation but also provides so many wonderful details and characterizations of the dogs and humans that lived this story. The heartbreak of so many children lost to this sudden and devastating tragedy of an epidemic. This should be especially important to look back on given our resent COVID pandemic and all the people lost to it. The dogs are all adorable and fully their own little people in the story but this is done with such skil that it in no way takes away from the seriousness of the retelling of the historical event or the people. I loved all the background added and the factual information that was snuck in so it didn’t detract from the flow of the telling, it just informed the readers. It’s a fast story so it should be easy for most young readers to get through and come away informed and grateful for modern medical advancements. And dogs. Always be grateful for the love and devotion of dogs. They really do save lives.

As someone who has watched ALL the movies about Balto and Togo and especially enjoyed the movie Togo that brought sympathy and understanding when we were going through the pandemic in 2020. I really enjoyed reading this book to my kids. Thank you so much for the ARC!

Thank you to Godwin Books and NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
This historical fiction book takes the reader back to Alaska in 1924 during the diphtheria outbreak in Nome. It is told not only from the point of view of the doctors and mushers but the dogs as well. The reader will truly feel the danger and desperation of this endeavor. The target audience is probably unaware of this historical event or the Iditarod, which commemorates it. Quick synopsis: the diphtheria vaccine was sent from Anchorage to Nenana by train, then by dogsled the rest of the way. Back in 1924, airplanes could not fly in the extreme cold of the Alaskan winter. There were several teams that participated but Togo and Balto are the most famous of the lead dogs. The author also includes footnotes at the end of some of the chapters with additional pertinent facts.
This is a short book at 192 pages with lots of beautiful illustrations. I learned more facts about this event than I thought I knew. Middle grade kids might not be interested in all the facts but they can be easily skipped. Recommended for grade 3 and up.
#BaltoAndTogoHeroDogsOfAlaska #NetGalley

As a kid, I would check any books I could find in my school library that had anything to do with Balto or even sled dogs. This nonfiction title is another add-on for middle grade students studying twentieth century history.

This is the perfect book for kids wanting to learn more about the real story behind Balto and the diphtheria outbreak in Alaska. I didn’t realize that Balto was only one of the teams that was used to get the life-saving medicine to the kids. I think this book does a great job highlighting all the different dogs and teams that were used on this life-saving mission. It is very well written. I enjoyed the facts sprinkled throughout and the bonus of giving the dogs a voice. Overall, this is just a well written book. I learned so much. I think that others will too.
Thank you so much to Macmillan Children’s Publishing for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Godwin Books, and Helen Moss for the opportunity to read Balto and Togo: Hero Dogs of Alaska in exchange for an honest review.

This novel is an amazing piece of artwork. Taking facts and twirling them into a tale with the sense of fiction, Balto and Togo: Hero Dogs of Alaska follows the crisis of the diptheria outbreak in 1924. The novel follows more of how things are seen from the third person perspective of the dogs, but also some of the townsfolk of Nome.

With an expanse of sources about dog biology, microbiology, living situations, and technology of the time period, this novel is a plethora of knowledge with cited sources, great for young readers to learn. Not only is this novel a learning experience, but follows the journey of the dogs and their mushers as they make the sled drive to Nenana to pick up the medicine, facing the harsh wilderness for the sake of saving children's lives.

The author notes were fun to read too. After the story, the author breaks down various chapters and explains where there were aspects of fact or where there were parts of history with missing holes, so those were filled in with fictional ideas for the movement of the story. All-in-all just a really great piece of writing blending fact to tell a story in a way that makes it flow like fiction. A really great addition to any classroom or school library!

‘Balto and Togo: Hero Dogs of Alaska’ is a fictionalized account of the 1924 diphtheria outbreak in Nome, Alaska and the race to get the life saving serum by dogsled. It’s a story many of us know but Helen Moss gives it a fresh look, weaving the tales of Balto and Togo together and presenting facts in an interesting way. I really enjoyed it, I’ve loved the story of Balto since I was little and would have been obsessed with this book when I was the target age.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group/Godwin Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the true story behind the great race to get the antitoxin to the Children of Nome Alaska during the winter of the 1924 diphtheria outbreak. I think we have all heard of Balto and what he did but what about Togo and the other sled dogs that to part in the relay some giving their all to get the medicine to the children. This book is so well researched and then written from the perspective of not only the humans but what the dogs might have thought during this as well. I really hope it happened as the dogs thought. I loved this book and hope it spreads far and wide so everyone can know the true story of those courageous men and dogs.

For some reason, this had me on the verge of tears the entire time. I'm not sure if I'm just emotionally unstable right now, or if this book was really that good, but do what you will with that information. Despite the soggy eyes, I did really enjoy this one. As a kid, I was in love with the tale of Balto, so being able to revisit it was so much fun. And I loved the way this wove the tales of Balto and Togo together. It really emphasized the cooperation that made the Serum Run a possibility. I really enjoyed reading this one, and even though I don't see myself picking it up again, I would recommend it to middle-grade readers.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

This is a great, upper middle grade deep dive into the events surrounding the perilous journeys of these two dogs. I thought I already had a book that featured both, but can only find Klimo's Togo, Berne's Balto, and Osborne's Balto of the Blue Dawn. This is a fascinating story, and to see both perspectives is good. There are a lot of anecdotes from the point of view of people who were tangentially connected to the dogs' journey, like the family of Margaret Eide, who was one of the first to die of diptheria. I particularly liked the illustrations, which reminded me a bit of the Illustrated Classics books, or historical novels from the 1950s and 60s.

I enjoyed this book. The narrator shifted quite a bit but it was easy to keep track and follow along. Helen Moss did a great job of making me feel like I was in the story and have a personal stake in the plot. I think it would be a great read aloud for kids age 8-12.

Very cute and informative book about Togo and Balto. I will recommend to readers of all ages who love animals or animal stories