Snow Summer

by Kit Peel

Overview

To prevent the world from sinking into eternal winter, Wyn must embrace her hidden power.

Massive climate change has caused a winter that will not thaw, and it seems that the forces of nature have turned on humanity itself. But in the sleepy British village of Pateley, one special girl may hold the key to the earth’s survival.

Wyn, an orphan, has always known that she is different. Unable to feel the biting cold of wind and snow of Pateley’s endless winter, she does what she can to blend in. But when mysterious figures start to appear in the village, insisting that she may have the power to restore order to the natural world, Wyn must look deep inside herself to face the secrets of her past that she has kept hidden even from herself.

From debut author Kit Peel, Snow Summer is an immersive fantasy novel that expertly conveys the beauty of the natural world and its conflict with human development. A powerful allegory for climate change and global warming, it is nevertheless a timeless story, reminiscent of classics of the genre.

Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.3
Describe how a particular story's or drama's plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781554983575
Publisher:	Groundwood Books
Publication date:	10/01/2016
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	8.60(w) x 5.80(h) x 1.00(d)
Lexile:	850L (what's this?)
Age Range:	12 - 14 Years

About the Author

Kit Peel is a garden designer and beekeeper and former foreign news journalist and editor. He wrote the joint-winning libretto for the 2003 Genesis Opera prize. Snow Summer is his first book.

Editorial Reviews

Thoroughly realized characters, a story that combines high fantasy with the pagan world of nature spirits, settings that amplify and uphold the natural-world underpinnings of the plot, and plenty of tension characterize this refreshing read. A must.

STARRED REVIEW Kirkus

A thought-provoking thrill of a debut novel…Packaged in rich, fantastical narrative with extraordinary characters, this book is sure to please a wide range of readers.

VOYA Magazine

"Thoroughly realized characters, a story that combines high fantasy with the pagan world of nature spirits, settings that amplify and uphold the natural-world underpinnings of the plot, and plenty of tension characterize this refreshing read. A must." — Kirkus, starred review

From the Publisher

★ 2016-07-02
In a world that’s always winter, a young girl discovers what she really is.Wyn, a prickly, unsociable girl, is plagued by odd abilities that she keeps secret—fire doesn’t burn her, cold doesn’t affect her, and her eyesight is extraordinary. Her only friend is Kate, daughter of the minister and his wife, who have brought Wyn into their family after the death of Mrs. March, Wyn’s beloved first foster mother. But things are out of balance in the all-white English countryside where Wyn lives. It’s nearly the last day of summer, and the landscape is still covered in ice and snow. Then Tawhir, a mysterious boy, appears, and Wyn is almost overpoweringly attracted to him even as she feels a deep unease. Gradually, unwillingly, Wyn uncovers both what is causing the odd weather and her long-ago connection with Tawhir. Peel writes with a deeply felt sense of setting and with just the right touch of restraint to allow his characters to reveal themselves fully. Nature spirits and dragons are introduced but without hoopla and as a seamless and essential part of the entirely logical plot. Thoroughly realized characters, a story that combines high fantasy with the pagan world of nature spirits, settings that amplify and uphold the natural-world underpinnings of the plot, and plenty of tension characterize this refreshing read. A must. (Fantasy. 12-14)

Kirkus Reviews