The Ice Children is a magical, mesmerising, wintery read with a timely underlying ecological message, and is a story that completely captured me.
Five-year-old Finn Albedo is found frozen in the city rose garden with his feet encased in a pedestal of ice. Although he cannot be awoken, his heart is still beating, but can he be saved by the love of his older sister, Bianca, as she determines to investigate what has happened to him – and the other children who are appearing frozen. Could it be something to do with a mysterious silver book and a group of strangers who rely on the coming of winter for their existence? Bianca, using all her ingenuity and courage, finds herself in a beautiful and dangerous winter wonderland where she endeavours to save the ice children, and winter, before time runs out …
This is a stunning adventure – a modern fairytale – drawing on well-known tales including The Snow Queen and The Selfish Giant but with a fresh twist to include an important and timely ecological message. I loved the setting of Winterton with its snow queen fortress, fairground, circus and companion creatures, especially the reindeer, Pordis. Like all fairytales, the magic has an underlying darkness, but there is also hope that there can be a better future when action is taken.
I found Bianca an incredibly sympathetic character who clearly loves her little brother and desperately wants him back home with her and their parents. She is courageous, determined and empathetic and comes to understand that the ice children are not the only ones in danger of no longer existing in our world. She shows kindness and understanding and brings hope when it appears to be lost. I also loved that she believes in the power of stories to change the world!
The illustrations are absolutely stunning and add to the magical quality of the storytelling perfectly.
This is a truly mesmerising, magical modern fairytale that is just perfect for young children to enjoy this winter, hopefully whilst the snow swirls outside.
Book Craic 