About the Book and Author
This story by Ele Fountain is a thrilling and highly topical adventure as it is gentle reminder about the dangers and reality of global warming. It is published by Pushkin Press.
A boy lives in a remote, snow-bound village with his elderly grandmother. Their traditional way of life is threatened by the changing snow and ice: it melts faster every year. When the sea-ice collapses while he is out hunting, he only just escapes with his life and is left stranded in the Arctic tundra.
Meanwhile a girl is trying to adapt to another new school. Her father promises his new job at an oil company will mean they never have to move again, but not long after he starts, his behaviour becomes odd and secretive. When their fates take a drastic turn the girl’s world collides with the boy’s and they find themselves together in a desperate search for survival, and for the truth.
Ele Fountain worked as an editor in children’s publishing where she helped launch and nurture the careers of many prize-winning and bestselling authors. Ele’s debut novel, Boy 87, won four awards and was nominated for nine more, including the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize. She has also written Lost.
Book Review
this book is a good blend of action, thrill and suspense
The first chapter, Storm, is really about two people (a man and a woman) who end up freezing in a storm, then the story changes to Yutu’s life.
Throughout most of the book it switches between Yutu and Beatrice (she is also called Bea as a nickname) which I really enjoyed because I hadn’t seen that in a book before. In the chapter called Flight a lot happens and I was anticipating the next page as it left me wanting to read more, which I did.
It was really drawing me in, especially when she left flying the plane to get away from the people who hurt her dad. Yutu talks about how caribou has been harder to find and it is also mentioned on the chapter storm during the blizzard about how unpredictable the weather was getting recently.
I know that they are talking about climate change so I like how it’s very subtle when it’s fitted in. The description of Yutu’s little cabin created clear images in my head and it’s lovely how nice and trusting Yutu’s grandmother is. It was so surprising finding out that the oil company her dad works at told her mum that her dad was a criminal trying to sell information and then the whole thing with Hester Bea’s cat was a big surprise.
At the end of the book Bea goes to visit Yutu and we find out that Yutu is moving away because of the perm frost melting and the village people’s houses not being safe anymore. So in summary this book is a good blend of action, thrill and suspense.
My only criticisms are that during Yutu and Bea’s trip to the bigger town there’s a lot of description about the sun and the landscape and it bored me, though that might just be me because I find it difficult to read long things like that.
Also, I did want to see what would happen at her school so I was disappointed to not find out that out. Otherwise the book was great and I rate it 4/5 stars.
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Reviewer Profile
- Name: Azariah
- Age: 11 years
- Likes: reading, caring for the environment and playing with friends
- Dislikes: Teenage brothers and spiders
- Favourite Book: Wave me Goodbye by Jacqueline Wilson
- Favourite Song: See You (from a Netflix show)
- Favourite Film: A Dog's Way Home
