By Truck to the North
Reviewed by Ruth Chambers

On the surface, By Truck to the North is a story about a truck driver’s trip from Vancouver to Tuktoyaktuk. In reality, it is far more than just a narrative. Author Andy Turnbull touches not only on the present, but also on the past. For example, the author refers to some of the historical highlights of both the Klondike and Cariboo gold rushes. In addition to the main story line of the Vancouver to Tuktoyaktuk trip, there are smaller anecdotes within each chapter about real-life situations, such as women truckers and living within the confines of a truck cab. This well-written book touches on the flora, fauna, and culture of many different areas between the two cities, and as such could be used as the foundation for a complete unit on British Columbia or the Yukon. Also, the mini-stories within each chapter could be developed into full units on any number of fronts: history of the RCMP, dog sledding, or camels in the Cariboo, to name just a few.

By Truck to the North is definitely a book that will quickly attract the attention of both male and female students because of the broad subjects that are touched upon. The book encompasses nine chapters with catchy titles like “Thrills, Chills, and Hills” and “Wild Times Just Ahead.” Students may want to read this 88-page book cover to cover, or they may choose to start the book by reviewing the numerous pictures that have accompanying sidebars. The sidebars present wonderful information, including data on the mighty moose, northern lights, and wolves. A multitude of full-colour pictures and maps provide excellent support to the sometimes-difficult text. The pictures enable most students to comprehend the book, even though it is filled with compound and complex sentences and upper level vocabulary.

From the first page to the last, this book is filled with interesting information for students at many different levels. The myriad pictures help newer readers with comprehension as well as providing added enjoyment and information to higher level readers. Student and instructor reviewers alike gave this book a resounding thumbs up!

To see an actual sample page of this resource please refer to the PDF