Frost

November 1, 2011

Gr 7 Up-This modern-day retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's "Snow Queen" picks up where it left off in Stork (Candlewick, 2010), with plenty of backstory included. Kat is adjusting to her membership in the ancient Stork society that delivers souls and is still enamored with her boyfriend, Jack, descended from Jack Frost, who can control the weather. Together, their powers often have disastrous results, like an out-of-control snowstorm on Christmas Eve. The storm catches the attention of Brigid, a beautiful foreign researcher, who takes an unusual interest in Jack. Kat is suspicious of his obsession with her but is caught up in her role in the school play, managing her Stork responsibilities, and taking care of her pregnant mom. However, when Brigid takes Jack to Greenland for a field study and they go missing, Kat risks everything to save the boy she loves. The continued growth of bold and determined Kat is endearing as she develops her life-giving Stork abilities while still being a fashion-focused teenager in a small Minnesota town. The underlying themes of culture and heritage affecting the present and the motivating and empowering nature of love, even in impossible situations, complement the quick-moving plot and beautifully drawn settings of Minnesota, Greenland, and Iceland. Frost sustains the momentum of the first book and effectively sets the stage for the final installment in the trilogy.-Elizabeth C. Johnson, Fort Vancouver Regional Library, WA

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 15, 2011

This second installment in the planned Stork trilogy sends Kat and Jack into the hidden realms of Norse mythology and novel that also retells Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen."

Kat has finally begun to fit in well in her new town in Minnesota, where she learned that she has paranormal powers as a "stork" and can, as a member of a group of elderly "storks," control pregnancies (Stork, 2010). Her boyfriend Jack, who has paranormal powers to control the weather (he's really Jack Frost), suddenly cools toward her when a beautiful climate researcher comes to town. The age-neutral Brigid charms everyone but Kat and takes enraptured Jack to Greenland for climate research—where they disappear. Meanwhile, Kat travels to Iceland with her grandpa and meets the equivalent of Andersen's "robber maiden," who helps her journey into the spirit world to rescue Jack. Delsol keeps this sequel nicely self-contained, while she follows the framework of the fairy tale. She paints Kat as a fashion-conscious modern California girl with enough spunk to challenge a powerful Norse goddess. Readers get a taste of a travelogue to Iceland, complete with a festival, local food and a hint of supernatural creatures. Once Kat's spirit journey starts, the narrative takes off into a suspenseful adventure and sets up the next sequel.

Well-paced narration will keep readers interested—a superior paranormal adventure. (Paranormal adventure. 12 & up)

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