Akiak Vocabulary & Summary

having a rough, uneven surface

1,151 miles of wind, snow, and rugged trail lay ahead.

the driver of a dogsled team

Mick was the musher, but the team followed the lead dog.

a downward slope

descent Through steep climbs and dangerous descents, icy waters and confusing trails, Akiak found the safest and fastest way.

promise

“She’ll be waiting for you at Nome!” Mick vowed.

A place along a route where a check or count is made

By the Ophir checkpoint, Akiak was limping.

shelter

While Mick and the team took refuge in Galena.

A very heavy snowstorm with strong winds

Akiak ran while the storm became a blizzard.

brave

courageous People had come from miles around to se the courageous dog that had run the Iditarod race alone.

having skill or knowledge from having done something in the past

experienced Trail volunteers knew that an experienced lead dog would stick to the trail.

SETTING: Akiak takes place in Alaska during the Iditarod race. The race is 1,151 miles long of rough, rugged terrain. The race stretches from Anchorage to Nome.

MAIN CHARACTER 1: AKIAK Akiak is an experienced, courageous sled dog who has raced the Iditarod several times, but has never won first place. This is Akiak’s last chance to win because she is getting too old to race.

MAIN CHARACTER 2: MICK Mick is the experienced musher of Akiak’s team. A musher is the leader of a dogsled team. She has to make a tough decision to send Akiak home after she injures her pawpad.

PROBLEM: The problem in the story is that Akiak injures her pawpad and has to be sent home. She gets separated from the rest of her team and must face the rough Alaskan terrain alone.

SOLUTION: The solution to the problem is that Akiak escapes her handlers and continues racing the difficult trail on her own. She finally reunites with her team and saves the day when she shows them that they were about to go the wrong way! Akiak and her team win the Iditarod race!

SUMMARY: AKIAK by: Robert Blake Akiak is the story of a courageous sled dog who has one last chance to win the Iditarod race. It is 1,151 miles of snowy, rugged Alaskan terrain. The problem in the story is that Akiak, the lead dog, injures her pawpad. Mick, the team musher, decides that Akiak can’t finish the race and must be sent home. Akiak is determined to finish the race. She escapes her handlers and runs away. The Akiak follows the trail to find her team and people help her by leaving out food for her to eat. Finally, she reunites with her team and wins the Iditarod race!