North to Benjamin by Alan Cumyn
Eleven-year-old Edgar is willing to face them all to stop his mother from upturning their lives once again -- not this time, not this town. He's finally made a friend; he's finally found a teacher who understands him; and then there's Benjamin, an old dog who understands Edgar better than anyone.
But Edgar's mother's path to destruction is beyond his control, and then Edgar loses control, and Benjamin becomes the onlyone who understands him. So together they embark on a journey across the unforgiving Yukon wilderness for help. But soon Edgar is no longer looking to stop his mother from ruining their lives, but to save Benjamin's and his own. —Goodreads