Race to the Frozen North

A thrilling fictionalised account of the life of Matthew Henson, the first African-American man to travel to the North Pole, from the Carnegie nominated author Catherine Johnson.

Matthew Henson was simply an ordinary man. That was, until Commander Robert E. Peary entered his life, and offered him a chance at true adventure. Henson would become navigator, craftsman, translator, and right-hand man on a treacherous journey to the North Pole. Defying the odds and the many prejudices that faced him to become a true pioneer. This is his incredible and often untold story. 

Reviews

"Catherine Johnson is the grand master of historical fiction for children; her prose is warm and wise and utterly gripping" – Katherine Rundell, Guardian

"If it doesn't make you angry you haven't read it properly" – Fleur Hitchcock

"Matthew Henson's life plays out like a story … This book really highlights our ignorance in not recognising sooner his incredible plight in defying the odds, breaking boundaries, fighting prejudice and becoming a true black pioneer" – Scott Evans, The Reader Teacher

"Wonderful … Uncovering the forgotten and hidden histories of those who have been marginalised is a serious and necessary undertaking and this book is a great addition to that genre" – The Letterpress Project

About the author

Catherine Johnson is a screenwriter and bestselling author of several books for children and young adults. Shortlisted for the 2020 UKLA Book Awards, Race to the Frozen North is a perennial bestseller with sales of over 40,000 to date. Her acclaimed novel Sawbones won the Young Quills Award for Historical Fiction, and The Curious Tale of the Lady Caraboo was nominated for the CILIP Carnegie Medal and the YA Book Prize. Catherine is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.
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Katie is a freelance illustrator recently graduated from Falmouth University. Having grown up in Cornwall, and also in the middle-east, Katie takes inspiration from her travels and surroundings to create her illustrations. Her work deals with both narrative and information and often combines the two.