Review: My One Square Inch Of Alaska by Sharon Short

My One Square Inch of Alaska: A Novel
A Plume Book (January 29, 2013)
Published by The Penguin Group
Paperback: 336 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0452298767
E-Book File Size: 542 KB
ASIN: B008JHXSM8

A pair of siblings escape—along with a Siberian Husky—the strictures of their 1950s industrial Ohio town on the adventure of a lifetime.

Donna Lane has been saving her money and working hard so that when she graduates she can head to New York to study fashion design. Her younger brother Will is obsessed with the with the television show Sergeant Striker and the Alaskan Wild. The show is running a contest with a very special prize that Will intends to win. He just needs 10 cereal box tops to get his own square inch of the Alaskan Territory. Then he is going to travel there with a beat up and abused Siberian Husky from the local junkyard to stake his claim.

Then Will gets sick and Donna decides to put her dreams on hold so she can fulfill her brother’s dream instead. They are soon packed up in her mother’s old yellow convertible, pulling a small camper, with Trusty the husky in the backseat, and a road atlas to guide their way. They are off on the adventure of a lifetime.

Dollycas’s Thoughts
I first became acquainted with this author through her cozy mysteries. I saw on Facebook awhile ago that she had a new book in the works in a totally different genre. That story was finally released last week. It is a beautifully written inspiring story.

Donna Lane has strength and courage way beyond her years. Taking care of her dysfunctional father and her brother was hard enough, but then to pack up a car and travel thousands of miles to make her little brother’s dream come true leaves me awestruck. So many things could and did happen on their travels.

My heart was warmed by the hope that both Donna and Will had but also by the hope MayJune and Miss Bettina had as well. None of them had an easy life. They just took the lemons of their life and made lemonade. They kept pushing forward trying to make each day better than the last.

My emotions ran wild while reading this book. Laughing, crying and panicking too at a few harrowing incidents. Sharon Short takes us on an incredible journey with Donna and Will. Readers from young adults to senior citizens will enjoy this tender story.

Find out more about Sharon Short on her blog here.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”