Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow

I was intrigued by her retelling of this old North tale. Her words painted a beautiful picture. I loved the wolf more and read it in one night as I needed to find out what happened to Pika and Tova. I wanted to know her name.

I love retellings of fairy tales, and especially if the story isn't one I'm familiar with. In SUN AND MOON, ICE AND SNOW Jessica Day George tells the captivating tale of a nameless girl who undertakes a life-changing quest straight out of Norwegian folklore. When I opened the pages of this book, I took my first step on a journey, swept along with real people through a setting so vivid I sometimes found myself reaching for a warm blanket to ward off the chill. An excellent story by a talented novelist.

The ability to tell a story with characters who have warmth, humor, and humanity to them is my greatest reason for loving Jessica Day George's work. Sun and Moon is a fabulous retelling of the fairytale: East of the Sun West of the Moon. The Nameless ninth daughter of a poor woodcutter saves a white deer and is given the gift of speaking to animals which leads her on an adventure where she's stuck living with a polar bear for a year and a day so her family can have wealth. Loved the book, love the moments of humor, loved the characters, and HATED that it all ended when I closed the book. I love how our heroine was spunky and imaginitive enough to try to solve her own problems (even if she made a few things worse for herself) I can easily see fans of fairy tales placing this book on their "favorites" shelf. The writing was beatuiful and lyrical, and yet straightforward and simple to read, which makes it accessable to a wider audience. Loved it and cannot wait for more!

I think this is George's best book so far. I love this fairy tale and the knowledge of Norwegian myths that George brings to the telling is wonderful.

I thoroughly enjoyed pre-reading this book before handing it over to my 8 yr old daughter -- I knew she would fall in love with it as well. I was right; as soon as she finished it (which only took her a few days), she declared triumphantly that it is her favorite book ever. We've recently read many fairy tales by other great authors such as Gail Carson Levine, Adrienne KressAlex and the Ironic Gentleman, Brittney Ryan The Legend of Holly Claus (Julie Andrews Collection), Dave Barry Peter and the Starcatchers Peter and the Shadow Thieves (The Starcatchers) Peter and the Secret of Rundoon (The Starcatchers), and Shannon Hale (least appropriate for younger readers and I will pre-read each one by her). My point being, I believe that Ms. George is among the best. I suppose I would have to agree with another reviewer's comment about the lack of serious depth to some of the characters, but it still deserves 5 stars because they are nonetheless interesting and the story still pulls you in and sums up as greatly satisfying. In my opinion, not every detail needs to be exposed; in fact, much of the charm of this particular fairy tale is its mystery as well as its uniqueness. The girl's family/home is rather heartwrenching and compelling; the ice palace, bear, and servants are invitingly mysterious; and the troll castle scenes are flat out amusing (although indeed rather frustrating)! The original fairy tale from which this is retold is indeed a strange one, and Ms. George did an excellent job at keeping the feeling of the original -- all while adding some enjoyable depth to it, as well as keeping it appropropriate for younger audiences. The author's snapshots of human nature accurately capture certain angles of character inherant in our species -- for better or for worse. This curious and assertive girl's attempt to solve a problem/mystery only causes worse trouble and frustration (and of course most readers familiar with the original story will be trying to warn our young "heroine" to STOP...DON'T DO IT!!! However, most of us would do the same (if not worse)-- hindsight is 20/20! So just how far will she go to attempt a happily ever after for those she seeks to help? While my daughter and I were anxious to get a follow-up on Dragon Slippers...this far surpassed our expectations during our wait! Sun, Moon, Ice, and Snow was very difficult to put down, and while I don't re-read many books (don't have time for that), I will look forward to reading this one again -- and hopefully soon! Bravo!!!

Reading one of Jessica Day George's novels is like being told a story personally by the author, at a storytelling festival. You can literally hear the character's voice inflections and excitement in your mind as the story unfolds little by little. The characters in this book are as real as people I know, and I never found myself thinking something felt unrealistic, even though Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow is very much a fantasy. George's twists on the original fairytale are very different from anything I have read before. The lass's brother, Hans Peter, is especially likable, and I found myself wanting a prequel to this story so I could know every detail of what happened when he was . . . well, I don't want to give away any spoilers! But he is a very compelling character who really drew me in. I loved how much detail George wove into the story without interrupting the flow of a scene. I felt like I knew every inch of that ice castle, down to the very last carving in the great hall. Just like George's debut novel, Dragon Slippers (an all time favorite of mine now!), I found humor in even the most perilous of situations. It takes a lot of talent to pull that off without having it seem forced, and George is a master at it. Very highly recommended!