The Ice Children - by M G Leonard (Hardcover)

About the Book

M. G. Leonard's story of a brave girl and her reindeer friend, who try to save her brother, is the perfect winter treat. The Ice Children is an exciting, modern, magical mystery adventure inspired by the classic fairy tale The Snow Queen. At the stroke of midnight on the dawn of December, five-year-old Finn Albedo is found frozen on a pedestal of ice. His heart is beating, he is smiling serenely, but no one can wake him. Finn's big sister, Bianca, suspects that the beautiful sparkling book Finn got from the library has something to do with it, but the book has vanished. Does the tall mysterious stranger who first discovered Finn know more than they will admit? Each day, more children are found frozen, and Bianca realizes she's running out of time. Her quest to discover the truth and rescue her little brother hurls her into a fantastical winter wonderland, full of beauty and danger, where all is not as it seems. Can Bianca save her brother and the other Ice Children before they are forever lost?

Book Synopsis

M. G. Leonard's story of a brave girl and her reindeer friend, who try to save her brother, is the perfect winter treat.

The Ice Children is an exciting, modern, magical mystery adventure inspired by the classic fairy tale The Snow Queen.

At the stroke of midnight on the dawn of December, five-year-old Finn Albedo is found frozen on a pedestal of ice. His heart is beating, he is smiling serenely, but no one can wake him.

Finn's big sister, Bianca, suspects that the beautiful sparkling book Finn got from the library has something to do with it, but the book has vanished. Does the tall mysterious stranger who first discovered Finn know more than they will admit?

Each day, more children are found frozen, and Bianca realizes she's running out of time. Her quest to discover the truth and rescue her little brother hurls her into a fantastical winter wonderland, full of beauty and danger, where all is not as it seems. Can Bianca save her brother and the other Ice Children before they are forever lost?

With gorgeous colored endpapers, and black-and-white illustrations throughout by Penny Neville-Lee make this hardback a perfect read for the whole family.

Review Quotes

As unforgettable as Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen . . . a whirlingly imaginative storyline full of wonder and hope as well as a warning. -- The Times

Leonard is at her best in this this chilly adventure . . . Drawing on traditional tales such as The Snow Queen, this thrilling drama with a powerful environmental message is so shiveringly atmospheric that it will make you wish for snow. -- Daily Mail

Page-turning storytelling . . . I would have adored this as a child. I still do! -- Hannah Gold

The Ice Children is written in her familiar quick-fire prose, and contains all the suspense that her readers have come to expect . . . Leonard's skill is to capture some of the enchantment of Andersen's fairy-tale, while creating a modern story that's thoroughly her own. - The Daily Telegraph

This gripping adventure for 8+ is a sparkling, elegant homage to Andersen's The Snow Queen, with a powerful conservationist slant. -- The Guardian