Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow
by Jessica Day George

    SUN AND MOON, ICE AND SNOW by Jessica Day George
    Category:  Fantasy
    Age Recommendation:  Grades 6+
    Release Date:  1/8/08
    Publisher:  Bloomsbury
    Reviewed by:  Sarah Bean the Green Bean Teen Queen
    Rating:  5 Stars


    The lass is the youngest of the woodcutter’s children.  Her mother was so upset that she had another child, let alone
    another girl, that she refused to even give her a name.  The lass grows up, and is delighted when her older brother,
    Hans Peter, comes home from the sea.  Hans Peter is cursed upon his return and is forever depressed, but he enjoys
    the lass's company and teaches her how to read the strange symbols in his wood carvings.  

    When the lass is sixteen, rumors of an isborjn, a white polar bear, surround the village.  The lass has been gifted with
    the ability to talk to animals.  Upon hearing of this gift, the white polar bear seeks the lass out and asks her to join him
    at the palace of ice for one year.  Hans Peter tries to argue that she can not go, but the bear promises her family
    riches if the lass joins him.  The lass agrees and travels with him to the ice palace.  

    While there, she meets an array of magical creatures.  All seem to be under enchantments of the evil troll princess.  
    There’s also a mysterious visitor to the lass’s room every evening, but she is unable to see his face or talk to the
    stranger, and each morning he has disappeared.  

    Thanks to Hans Peter’s carvings, the lass realizes that she can read the carvings on the wall, which tell stories of the
    spells and curses the troll princess has cast.  When the lass’s own isborjn is taken away by the troll princess, the lass
    must risk everything she has to find the palace East of the sun and West of the moon and break the curse upon him.  

    A beautifully written tale of spells, magic, romance, and wit, SUN AND MOON, ICE AND SNOW is a retelling of
    the Nordic tale, EAST OF THE SUN, WEST OF THE MOON.  Author Jessica Day George adds depth to the
    story and background to the characters that makes this retelling stand out on its own.  The story itself is reminiscent
    of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, but SUN AND MOON, ICE AND SNOW holds its own surprises.  

    The reader will be enchanted by the story of the lass and her isborjn.  This is a stunning tale that deserves to be read
    again and again.