The year is 1898 and a strange illness has swept the continent – gold rush fever. In her new book, award-winning Toronto author Barbara Greenwood recreates this exciting time in North American history. Successfully combining historical fact, hands-on activities, and an engaging first-person account as in her other titles, Greenwood takes readers on a gruelling but hopeful journey to the Klondike gold fields.

Gold Rush Fever is the story of Tim, 13, and his older brother, Roy, who spend the last of their inheritance for a chance to strike it rich in the Klondike. More than he wants to find gold,Tim, an aspiring reporter, relishes the opportunity to cover this adventure of a lifetime, so he carefully records each step of their back-breaking mission. Pressures and fatigue lead to quarrelling and encounters with con men, and the two brothers are virtually estranged by the time they reach Dawson City. Fortunately, Tim finds new friends in Flora and her widowed mother, who offers Tim and Roy a job working her claim for a share of the profits.

Interwoven with the boys’ story are information pages outlining the specific tasks and hurdles encountered by the stampeders. Text and pencil drawings explain the mining and gold-panning techniques used to find the precious nuggets and show how the would-be miners hauled their possessions on up to 40 trips through the Chilkoot Pass and built boats to go down the Yukon River. A glossary and index are included. Greenwood’s instructions for related activities such as making sourdough starter allow readers to fully imagine the lives and determination of these brave but sometimes foolish people. Well-researched and well-designed books like this remind us of exactly what gave rise to the persistent Klondike legends of today.