Some book discussion quick writes from my Iditarod book meetings:

In one of my Iditarod books, Silver was the main character.  She ran away.

In my next book, I predicted that Balto would win the race.  When Kaasen fell through the ice, Balto was the lead dog.

I compared the sport of mushing with the sport of football.  Football is different because it has masks, a ball, helmets, jerseys, and points.  Mushing is different because it has dogs, sleds, woods, and last for days.  They both use strong legs and give you lots of exercise.

Some things I learned in my books about the dogs were that you would have to pay a fine and be out of the race if you hurt a dog.  The dogs have to run the whole 1,049 miles.  The first musher to Iditarod wins the gold nuggets.

Some comments on the Iditarod from my writing journal:

I chose to follow Lance Mackey in the race because he has won four times in a row.  I would like to be a musher too because I would like to be first to Nome in the race.

Lance Mackey has a good chance of winning, but he hasn’t had his eight or twenty-four hour rest at this point in the race.  If I were him, when I was in the lead by twelve or more hours, I would have my eight-hour rest.

Lance has been in the lead for the first part of the race, but not for the second part.

If I were Lance Mackey, I would say, “I am wondering what I will try next on the trail as I come to the Yukon River.”

As the end got nearer, I decided that Mitch Seavey would probably win.