Published By: Usborne Publishing
Pages: 288
Released On: 26/10/2023
Reading Age: 8-12 Years
I wish the snow girl would come to life. Then I would have a friend, a real friend I could trust, and I wouldn’t feel so alone.
When Tasha builds a snow girl with her grandpa, all she wants is for her to be real. If only wishes on snow could come true… Then Tasha meets Alyana, a friend made of wishes, starlight, snowfall and magic. But when your best friend is made of winter, what do you do when spring comes?
*****
Thanks to NetGalley and Usborne Publishing for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.
Not that we judge books by their covers (we totally do), it is such a Christmassy cover and gives off all the nostalgia.
Like a lot of magical stories, there is a darkness here, a worrying undertone that this magic cannot live forever, and with that comes sadness and anger and fear.
In the real world, you become a bit blasé about snow. It can hinder your driving, getting to work, it can shut schools, it makes you cold and sometimes unwell, and in large quantities, can stop you even leaving the house and may become unsafe. But as a child, especially one who has not seen it before as in this book, you revisit its wonder. You don’t see the negatives, only the fun. And it was great to revisit that feeling once again that I haven’t had in many years.
Knowing the historical story of the snow girl, I did wonder whether 8-12 would be too young to read this, because it is quite scary. But I think it’s actually a good age range. Yes there are some worrying bits and scary moments. But it’s about overcoming them, about accepting help, about believing in yourself, and they’re good messages to be reaching children.
I really loved the relationship between Tasha and her grandpa. That intergenerational relationship is so precious and we don’t always value it but I’d say that’s the most important relationship in this book for me. There’s lots of other characters, parents, neighbours, friends etc. And they’re all perfectly acceptable characters and I liked them, but I must say, her grandpa was my favourite. He was this perfect old man and I just wanted to give him a hug like I haven’t been able to do to my own for many years.
I thought the descriptions of the ice and snowstorms were brilliant, it actually made me feel cold. You can practically feel the cold. It would be a perfect read for a night in the depths of winter.
I haven’t read a book by Sophie before, although I have heard of some and been intrigued. I know they are usually children’s books. But this book I think fits perfectly in the middle of kids and adults. Kids will love the magic and the fantasy and the adventure, but adults will appreciate the family and friendship and community. And together they make for a warming cosy story.
Because I had a digital version, it didn’t have any illustrations in it. I assume there will be in the finished copy. So I was a little disappointed that I didn’t get to see them as they would have made the story come more alive, but I will definitely keep my eye out in the shops to have a little nosy at.
I think it might be a good stepping stone for children to read older fable stories and fairy tales.
Books By Your Bedside 