Balto and the Great Race

Balto and the Great Race is a middle-grade historical nonfiction novel written by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel and illustrated by Nora Köerber. It was originally published in 1999 after an animated film was released in 1995. The novel centers around the Serum Crisis in Nome, Alaska, in 1925 and how a team of sled dogs, led by Balto the Siberian husky, saved the lives of many affected by transporting serum a great distance through dangerous terrain and weather. It is a story of perseverance, the bond between humans and animals, and the qualities that make a great leader. Balto and the Great Race won the Kansas City Children’s Book Award for Grades 1-3 in 1999.

This guide utilizes the 2014 Random House Children’s Books edition.

Plot Summary

Balto and the Great Race begins with an homage to the statue of Balto in Central Park, New York City. A description and illustration indicate the courage and goodness of heart that Balto the Siberian Husky possessed. He was a sled dog who lived in Nome, Alaska in the 1920s. He was owned and trained by a man named Leonhard Seppala, who was an expert musher and dog race trainer who specialized in Siberian huskies.