I received an eARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. It has not affected my opinions.
Genre: Fantasy Age Range: MG Star Rating: 4 stars Series: standalone
Blurb:
At the stroke of midnight on the dawn of December, five-year-old Finn Albedo is found frozen in the city park on a pedestal of ice. The doctor says his heart is beating, but no one can wake him.
Finn’s big sister, Bianca, suspects the beautiful sparkling book Finn got from the library has something to do with it all but the mysterious book has vanished and no one will listen.
As more children are frozen, Bianca realises she’s running out of time. Is there a connection between the peculiar stranger wearing a top hat and the disappearing books? The search for truth hurls Bianca into a fantastical winter wonderland where all is not as it seems…
Can Bianca remember her mission and find a way to save her brother and the other Ice Children before all their hearts are lost forever?
Blurb taken from Goodreads. Add to your shelves here.
Review:
THE ICE CHILDREN takes Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen and brings it into the modern day with a climate change message.
Children are going missing, freezing in place, and Bianca is determined to rescue her brother. It’s a tale of sibling love and determination to help those dear to you as Bianca plunges into a wintry wonderland full of snow creatures, hot chocolate, and snow. It is also a tale about the power of stories. I loved how the magic of stories was woven into this book, with them playing key roles in the plot.
The book is illustrated by Penny Neville-Lee. They really help bring the story alive. I liked the style – some seem like the rough, initial sketches you see in the “behind the scenes” of movies when the team are still settling on a style before they go detailed. It blended well with the idea of the world being created from imagination of winter.
It is a really nice way to bring up the topic of climate change with children, wrapping it in a story of magic and showing some of the things that will be lost forever if the planet continues to warm – snow and winter. It ends with a rallying call to put pressure on governments to act, showing that children have such powerful voices when it comes to the future, and also shows what sorts of action can be taken.
Read my reviews of other books by M. G. Leonard:
Twitch:
With Sam Sedgman:
Adventures on Trains:
Sifa Elizabeth Reads 