Race to the Frozen North: The Matthew Henson Story

this is an exciting read

this is an exciting read

Race to the Frozen North explores the store of Matthew Henson, a black man living in America. He aspired to travel the sea from a young age. Matthew was abused by his stepmother and had ran away from home. He began working in Washington to earn a living. He experienced abuse from white people and knew he would have to work even harder to be recognised as an equal. Matthew took every opportunity to explore the sea and even managed to make it to the North Pole. Whilst exploring the sea, he met people from different cultures and immersed himself in them. He was the first black man to reach the North Pole, however due to the circumstances of this time period, his name was never mentioned till years later. This book is amazing and inspiration for young children. It teaches that hardships should never hold you back and to appreciate other cultures. The illustrations at the bottom of the books are exceptional to show Matthew’s progression throughout the book.

I realy liked it execept the bit where the death was

I enjoyed this book a lot more than many other Barrington Stoke books. It was much better written and it made me want to keep going back to the story… It’s a shame though that it didn’t contain any photos of Matthew Henson…otherwise it does just feel like a ‘story’… 🧊

Im in love with this story it so good. I feel bad for Mat Henson how he got beaten up by Nelly. And they were racist to him and it not good. I love how Mat Hason stood up and never give up. Ane his sister is so kind and supportive. And officer pire (sorry i do not know how to spell his name)is so kind she help him pass the course and never give up. Im black and im happy that Mat Henson stood up for the balck people he is my number 1

Great story of eventual triumph over unfair odds.

For me, it was inspirational because it just goes to show that no matter your background, ethnicity, colour or disability, you can achieve your goals and dreams.

It was a long story with happy ending. But it was a bit sad.

A dyslexia friendly , easily accessible historical fiction book based on the life of Matthew Henson. I would happily recommend this book to any Year 6 student .

Loved it! It was great to read! Exciting and sad at the same time.

An interesting re- tell of Matthew Henson's expedition to the North Pole. The adversity and prejudice he had to try to overcome and the good people he met along the way. An ultimately sad story but both my Year 6 class and I loved it. We have also read Freedom by the same author - a fascinating and edge of the seat read.

It’s a good book, it was interesting. Would recommend

A really interesting read.

I think it was very brave of MATTHEW HENSON to go into the world like that . I wonder if MATTHEW HENSONs sister was worried.

I thought this book is very inspiring and grate for children at the age of 9 and above

I love this book would highly recommend it

Little know explorer whose challenges are clearly told - important contribution to diversity

This book interested me because it is a true story. Matthew Henson did not have an easy start in life but upgraded his life and found the thing he really wanted to do.

A short very readable account of the life of Matthew Henson, the first man to reach the North Pole. The format is dyslexia friendly. The author describes Henson, his travels and travails in a matter of fact way. The prejudice and discrimination that he endured throughout his life is neither glossed over nor dwelt upon giving us an insightful picture of Henson’s heroic and stoic character. A quick read for children of eight and over. A good class read aloud.

Makes you wonder how many people of colour we've never heard about in history lessons.

Thought provoking story.

I liked it.

I liked this book because it was a bit sad but in the end everything worked out for Mathew . Mathew was a young boy and he go hit with an old oak stick from a tree which his evil stepmother hit him with

Race to the Frozen North lives up to the exciting title. I learned a lot because when Matthew Henson got back from the north pole he wasn't greeted with a hero's welcome like the others because of the colour of his skin! We must make sure this doesn't happen!

I like this boook

it is about a boy Mathew and he gets abused and he is running away

i liked this book because it has a lot of stories

I enjoyed this book because Matthew won the race and eventually got a medal in recognition of his achievements.

I really like it and the story is truly heart-breaking but there is hope towards the end

An excellent easy-to-read text about Matthew Henson's journey to the North Pole. It tells the story of how adventurous Matthew managed to go against all odds and become the first black explorer to reach the North Pole and to be arguably the first person to reach the North Pole at all.

This is a really accessible text and it highlights the benefits of being kind to local people can be (in this case with the Inuits who went on to help Matthew as they taught him everything he knew and accompanied on the expedition).

It's a heart-warming story and although it is a fairly easy-read, in order to really unpick the racism and white privilege that went on and continues to go on today, I would recommend this for an older audience.

We are teaching this alongside our geography topic: 'Life in the freezer' in Y5.

I really liked this book, because he wanted to go to the North Pole, even though he was nervous and he made it nice and safely!