The Way Past Winter

September 1, 2020
A young heroine sets off into an endless winter to rescue her brother from a mythic bear. This Scandinavian-inspired fairy tale starts off strong with a mesmerizing legend of the bear Eldbj�rn, who protects the forest. Three siblings--Sanna, the oldest girl; brother Oskar; and the youngest, Mila--learn of the destruction of the woods and the heart-tree to which the bear is drawn. The story then jumps forward many years--Mama died after P�pa, their fourth sibling, was born, and Papa left five years back, never to return. It is endless winter, and the children are hungry and cold and abandoned. The morning after an enormous stranger with golden eyes accompanied by a group of men arrives at their door, 17-year-old Mila discovers 16-year-old Oskar missing. The chase--in a sleigh pulled by dogs--to find and save him begins. The edgy atmosphere of the closed-in cabin is rapidly replaced by adventure as Mila's drive to locate her brother brings to life stories Mama told them about the Bear. Imagine Narnia's Lucy rescuing brother Peter from Philip Pullman's armored bears. The focused plot contains Brothers Grimm-like scenes of horror and death. The book is quite violent for younger readers, but the spare storyline and simple characters may feel too young for older ones. Still, there are those who will embrace this frozen fantasy. Characters are White. An atmospheric tale for older readers wanting an action-focused fairy tale. (Fantasy. 10-15)

COPYRIGHT(2020) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

September 7, 2020
Five years before this volume’s start, Mila’s father abandoned her family as Eldbjørn Forest and its surrounding lands, including their family home, was plunged into a never-ending winter that transformed their way of life to one of cold and hunger. Now Mila, 12, and her siblings—older sister Sanna, brother Oskar, and younger sister Pípa—eke out a meager existence near the forest. After a mysterious group of purportedly wealthy travelers spirit Oskar away with the boys of nearby Stavgar, Mila speaks with Rune, the town’s ageless mage, who tells her they were stolen by Eldbjørn, the ancient bear who guards the forest. Under Rune’s guidance, Mila and Pipa travel north to the magical island realm of Thule to save Oskar and confront an implacable creature. With this chilly fable, Hargrave (The Deathless Girls) invokes a feeling of folklore set in an ambiguous era and location. Sibling bonds and resilience run strong as the sisters trek through forbidding territory to face an enemy capable of controlling their very thoughts. It’s a tense journey that boasts a mythic essence and a well-earned end. Ages 10–15.

Starred review from September 1, 2020
Grades 3-6 *Starred Review* In a Nordic-inspired land, winter has not loosened its grip for five years, the same length of time since the father of the four Orekson siblings walked into Eldbj�rn Forest, never to return. Hargrave (The Island at the End of Everything, 2018) deposits readers into this frigid corner of the world, where the three Orekson sisters set out to find their brother, Oskar, who vanished after an imposing stranger camped nearby with his company of boys. While Sanna, the eldest, believes Oskar willingly left with the man, abandoning their hardscrabble life, 12-year-old Mila is positive her brother was forcibly taken. It's this belief that leads Mila to trust the boy mage Rune when he tells her that Oskar and those boys were captured by the man, who is actually the ancient bear of legend, Eldbj�rn. Together, Mila and her tag-along little sister, P�pa, slip away with Rune to find the magical island where the boys are being held. It is a journey full of danger and wonder, and Hargrave effortlessly sweeps the reader along with her protagonists. Bravery in all its forms proves invaluable to the quest, and the notion of myth-made-reality adds a sheen of magic to the narrative. Readers enamored with the works of Matilda Wood or Katherine Rundell's The Wolf Wilder (2015) will revel in this wintry adventure.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

October 23, 2020

Gr 4-6-Imagine a world where winter hasn't ended for five long years, and "arrived so sudden and sharp it stuck birds to branches." That's the world Mila lives in. She can remember spring, but it's a distant memory-like the memory of her mother, who died when her sister was born, and the memory of her father, who left the house five years ago and never returned. Now it's just Mila and her siblings, older sister Sanna, older brother Oskar, and young Pipa trying to survive the cold, dark days. When a strange man and a group of boys appear one night, Mila is instantly wary. But Oskar gives the group permission to camp near the house. When the girls awaken in the morning they find the group has vanished without a trace, and Oskar with them. Sanna believes Oskar left of his own will and wanted to be rid of them, but Mila is certain he was taken and that it is up to her to find him. Hargrave's lush language and imagery completely immerses readers in a Nordic-inspired world where legend mingles with reality. The Orekson siblings, all depicted as white, embody the steadfastness of the forest around them in a story of love, determination, and conservation. VERDICT This rich title begs to be read while wrapped in a warm blanket, sipping a cup of hot chocolate. Recommended.-Heather Webb, Worthington Libs., OH

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.