Wednesday 20 September 2023

The Ice Children by M. G. Leonard and Penny Neville-Lee


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?

A future classic with a powerful message at its core.

What a fabulous, beautiful wintery story.

There are traces of the Snow Queen here, but it's very much it's own story, full of twists and adventures and new ideas. There's a wonderful winter feel to it, full of ice and hot chocolate. Bianca is great and I love the detail of the animal companions. There are a lot of twists to this story, so it would do well over several nights as a bedtime story!

There's also the art, which is such a huge part of the story. My proof copy only have a few samples, but it's enough to know that this art if going to be absolutely amazing. I can't wait to see a finished copy and see all the details and illustrations.

This is a great story, with some ecological elements but not enough to overwhelm the story. A wonderful read that's going to be perfect for this Christmas.


The Ice Children publishes on the 2nd of November, 2023. I received a free copy and am giving an honest review.

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