The Ice Children - M.G. Leonard - ★★★★

AUTHOR: M.G. Leonard

ILLUSTRATOR: Penny Neville-Lee

GENRE: Middle-grade Fantasy.

RATING: 4 stars.

In a Nutshell: A nice novel for middle graders, with a gripping storyline and a powerful message. Balances between scary and sweet. Good for the age group, though it has some disturbing content.

Story Synopsis:

Five-year-old Finn is found in the park at dawn on 1st December. He is alive, but completely frozen, standing on a pedestal of ice with a serene smile on his face. His sister, eleven-year-old Bianca, suspects a mysterious silver book that Finn had borrowed from the library the day before, to be somehow connected to his current state. But the book is nowhere to be found, and the mysterious tall stranger in a dark hat, who was watching the events in the park from a distance, has also vanished. The next day brings some horrid news – two more frozen children have been discovered. No adult believes Bianca’s claims about the silver book, which means that she has to save Finn and the other kids herself.

The story comes to us mostly in the limited third person perspective of Bianca.

Note: This review contains spoilers about the themes in use.

I adored the first half of the book. Right from the start, the story had me in its grip, with a feel of danger lurking on every page. The frozen children, the perplexing silver book, the strange tall man – all add the right level of chills to this already chilly story.

Midway, the story changed direction, entering a new realm (literally). This portion initially disappointed me, as the threat of the tale seemed to reduce in intensity when the opposite should have happened. Soon though, the danger quotient went back to its original level, and stayed so until the final quarter or so, which left me somewhat mixed feelings.

Bookish Yays:

❄ The combination of a modern-day global issue with some fantastical mythical characters. The story is very imaginative.

❄ The closeness of Bianca’s family, and the love-hate sibling relationship between Bianca and Finn. I really appreciate how parents are portrayed in a good manner in this MG work. It’s tiresome to see children’s books have at least one parent always being villainous.

❄ The ode to all things wintry. I loved reading about the snow, the frost, the hail, the animals, and many other elements that were perfect for this winter wonder-book.

❄ The mystery comes with its share of clues that our young little detective unravels well. Enjoyed the use of riddles.

❄ The inclusion of an environmental message, which I did not see coming at all but is a relevant theme.

❄ The loving testimonial to the power of books and stories, and the important role these play in our lives – mostly good, sometime bad.

❄ The steady pace and the action-oriented plot, that keeps things happening from the first page to the last.

❄ The allusions to several folk tales, fantasy characters, and classic short stories. While awareness of the original works isn’t required, it would help in admiring the references.

❄ Though set in December, the story focusses more on the solstice than on Christmas. The strong wintry undercurrent makes it a great option for the festive season, but the lack of religious affiliation also makes it suitable to those who don’t celebrate Christmas. (There is a small mention of Oscar Wilde’s ‘The Selfish Giant’. Don’t know if this would be considered by some readers as a ‘Christian’ reference. To me, it’s a classic story first.)

❄ Usually, kids in children’s books handle all dangers on their own and I always wonder why they don't ask for adult help. However, that aspect is covered well in this story, by showing how Bianca does try to enlist adult support but fails. I cherish this realistic depiction.

Bookish Mixed Bags:

🌨 The final quarter is what will make or break your experience with this book. I love books talking of the environment and climate change, so seeing it pop up unexpectedly was a surprise. The story does connect this theme nicely with the earlier events, so the radical transition of topics doesn’t seem *that* out of place. However, I think the book went a step too far as it almost absolves the villains just because they had good intent.

Bookish Nays:

💦 Though aimed at middle graders, some events might get too scary for the younger segment. There are kidnappings and death threats. There is also one mention of a frozen child possibly shattering - though this doesn’t happen, it is still an alarming possibility.

💦 I hated the epilogue. It felt farfetched, and too neat. I’d have rather ended the story with the call for change than by depicting the changes. It somehow negates the intent.

💦 I’d have liked a handy list of what exactly children could do to counter the effects of climate change. It’s very easy for us adults to say to kids, ‘Saving the planet is in your hands now’, but can we please also have a realistic actionable plan for them to implement, before putting such pressure on their young shoulders? This book would have done well to include some practical ways by which kids (and their families) could help mitigate global warming.

💦 The book has many (B&W) illustrations – a fact that I usually adore in middle grade fiction. However, I didn’t like most of the sketches. The characters in the drawings seem tranquil, even when they are depicted in a dangerous situation. Varying emotions on the characters’ faces would have suited such a story better.

All in all, though the finale and the illustrations were a bit disappointing to me, I still enjoyed most of this story. The message and the danger level gets a bit heavy-handed, but to older middle graders and younger teens, it would still be an interesting story.

Recommended to home and school libraries. Would suggest parents to read this first so that you can judge the scare factor for your child. The book will also work nicely for discussions.

4 stars. (The book was a solid 4.5 stars for me until the final section.)

My thanks to Macmillan Children's Books and NetGalley for the DRC of “The Ice Children”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.