The Ice Place

A strange, haunting beautifully written story of a child who is carried away by the frost demons Starjik into the icy Northern Wastes. And into the Northern Wastes goes Ivan, the child's brother, to find and rescue him. If you think you've heard the story before, it's certainly got a lot in common with Andersen's Snow Queen. But the boy's solitary quest through the silent snow has a mystery all of its own. It's an unusual book with something of the poetry of good fairy tales but it's told with great simplicity and, with its large print and lavish illustrations, makes an inviting book for less confident readers.