Children of the Klondike – coming to a bookstore near you in April 2010

Imagine growing up in a northern frontier community populated by lucky millionaires, down-and-out dreamers, and avid adventurers. Imagine being a child during the world’s most famous treasure hunt. My latest book returns to territory previously explored in Women of the Klondike and Hiking With Ghosts to tell the stories, both humorous and heartbreaking, of the Klondike gold rush’s youngest participants.

Advance praise from Ken McGoogan, bestselling author of Fatal Passage and Race to the Polar Sea, and recipient of the Pierre Berton Award for history:

    “Writers as diverse as Robert Service, Jack London, and Pierre Berton have written about the Klondike gold rush. But none of them ever said a memorable word about the children who grew up in this exploding world of dancehall girls, wild-eyed miners, and greedy con men. With Children of the Klondike, Frances Backhouse has created a vivid, readable account that fills a gaping hole in a colourful period of Canadian history. Bravo!”