"Hoping to strike it rich, eleven-year-old Jasper and his older brother Melvin set out on a treacherous journey to Alaska during the Klondike Gold Rush"-- Provided by publisher. Includes historical note.

Jasper and his older brother Melvin set out on a treacherous journey to Alaska during the Klondike Gold Rush, desperate to get away from their drunkard of a father. Onboard a ship, Jasper overhears a rumor about One-Eyed Riley, an old coot who's long since gone, but is said to have left clues to the location of his stake, which still has plenty of gold left. The first person to unravel the clues and find the mine can stake the claim and become filthy rich. All the boys have to do is survive the rough Alaskan terrain, and the steep competition from the unscrupulous and dangerous people they encounter along the way.