The Lone Husky
By Hannah Gold
Illustrated by Levi Pinfold
Reviewed by Mia Macrossan
Hannah Gold has carved a reputation for writing emotionally rich stories with strong environmental themes. From her first novel The Last Bear, its sequel, Finding Bear, to Turtle Moon and now The Lone Husky, she brings to life a particular time and place peopled with characters who share a strong bond with animals and nature.
The Lone Husky is the third volume in the story of April Wood, who has a ‘forever bond’ with a wild polar bear,. Now living happily with her dad and his partner Maria in Svalbard, April is experiencing her first dark polar winter. This is a time when polar bears roam far and wide across the Arctic so April says an emotional farewell, beautifully captured in Levi Pinfold’s full page illustration, and looks for something to occupy the space left by Bear. When she volunteers for the Polar Race, she finds herself relying on Blaze, a purebred Siberian husky with a troubled past, that she has befriended.
In this exciting adventure April has to draw on all her resources to overcome her own fears, the challenging environment, the other contenders, and especially Finn, a young racer who is determined to win at all costs. But this is not a story about winning or losing a race, it is about April and Finn’s journey from rivals to teammates. It is also about making choices and change- change in April’s family, relationships and in the environment.
For the purposes of storytelling Hannah has stretched possiblities somewhat, children are not allowed to participate in adult dog sled races, wild polar bears do not form intense friendships with humans but this is such an engrossing story that we are carried along in an intense reading experience. Her themes are enduring and beautifully expressed in lyric language echoed by Levi Pinfold’s sensitive illustrations. It really makes you want to visit Svalbard!
She includes a list of resources that she used in her research which provide fascinating insights into all things polar, including the Siberian Husky Welfare Association, Svalbard webcam (my favourite), Polar Bear International and the WWF.
Recommended for readers aged 8+.
A recommended Reader’s Cup title
HarperCollinsChildren’sBooks 2025
Hannah Gold
Levi Pinfold
