This book was absolutely wonderful!! I love M.G.Leonard’s writing but this book was next level for me. I became totally immersed in the world and loved that the main message behind it all was that of climate change!

As a teacher, I have already purchased a copy for my classroom and hope to use this a resource with children in the future.

This is such a delightful book to read. Bianca who is a young girl is trying to save her brother, Finn who has been frozen along with other children in a bid to stop the Snow Queen from melting, which would in turn cause winter to cease to exist. It has dark turns and a real message about conservation in a bid to show children that global warming is having disastrous consequences but by working together, children and adults can make a difference. The illustrations are truly wonderful and I can highly recommend it..

This would be a great class read at Christmas for years 3 and above. Fast paced with lots of twists and turns, Bianca sets out to save her younger brother Finn, who has been frozen. Reminiscent of H.C. Anderson's 'The Snow Queen, 'The Ice Children' is beautifully written and could be used as the base for lots of class activities, as well as being a really good read.

A fairy tale style book with a climate change warning. Who is turning the children to ice? Why and thry doing it? WHat is going to happen? Follow the adventure with its twists and turns, be thoroughly engage but also learn a lot along the way. A fantatsic read.

What comes to mind when you think of Winter?

For me, it’s intricate patterns of snowflakes, frozen lakes, the art of frosted leaves, jumpers & scarves and chilly morning walks where you can see your breath in front of you.

As the planet continues to warm, we risk losing all of the wonderful things that make Winter magical - alongside childhood dreams of snow days, building snowmen and making snow angels…

Bianca’s little brother is found in the park encased in ice, frozen but still alive, and she only has until the Winter Solstice to save him.

When a mysterious man with a top hat appears with sparkly silver books, more & more children are found frozen, and Bianca finds herself in a magical winter wonderland where she discovers that there is a lot more at stake than her little brother's life…

A thrilling fantasy adventure with an important call to action to restore balance to the natural world before it is too late. This enchanting read will inspire generations to come - the future Ice Children.

The Ice Children is a striking reminder of the beauty and importance of Winter and what is at stake if the balance of the seasons is disrupted, whilst highlighting the power we possess when we unite and work together.

There is a recurring message throughout the book about the power of books and stories. How they can change, not just lives, but the world. The Ice Children is definitely going to be one of those world-changing books.

A modern fairytale and a definite future classic - M.G.Leonard has done it again!

This is a brilliantly Wintery read!

It is very much written like a fairytale - which makes it very cosy to read at this time of year. The premise of the story - that children are being found frozen but alive and that we must figure out what is happening to them - is gripping.

I love middle grade books that lean into the touch of darkness and have some peril - it makes me want to read the book in one sitting because it is so interesting.

A new classic story for Winter! Thank you to NetGalley for the arc.

Maya is amazing and this book is brilliant! I really enjoyed reading it during the year's colder months and the fact that at what first seemed sinister took a gigantic 180 to be a book about the environment and all we need to do/how we need to educate our younger generations. I really enjoyed it, I think that it maybe a bit scary for younger readers but perfect for a wintery read!

This was a really exciting. and enjoyable read. I couldn’t put it down. I’ve bought a copy for our Year 5 children to read at school too which I know they will love.

The book was extremely well written - I loved the characters and how they were described. The accompanying illustrations were wonderful and really added to the magic. The storyline was a reimagining of The Snow Queen and had the issue of global warming entwined into it which was done very well, prompting the reader to think carefully about what the world would be like without winter and the changing seasons.

The story captured the beauty and the magic and excitement of winter for children and adults - the snow and ice on the ground, the animals, the snowball fights, ice skating, snowmen building. Such a magical season and this was a magical read.

When Bianca’s brother is found alive, but frozen, in the park, Bianca decides that she will do anything to get him back. As more children show up frozen, she suspects it has something to do with a mysterious silver book.

The author has attempted to write a story about climate change which is designed to encourage children to understand that they can do something about it by making small changes in their daily routine.

The story has touches of The Snow Queen and Narnia and whilst it is an admirable idea to teach about climate change, I’m not sure that children would come away from the book understanding what they could do. Other than the message, this is a wintery fantasy story which works quite well, even if all the ends aren’t quite tidied up as neatly as I’d like them.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thoroughly enjoyed this - a brave young girl, fighting to get her brother back; devilish Jack Frost; a plot to steal hearts… and the power of stories! Some glorious messages about looking after our planet in here too. I loved the illustrations that came throughout. A brilliant wintry read!

If you're looking for something more wintry than Christmassy, then this icy cold story is a great alternative. Don't worry about freezing though. It might be about a magical land filled with frost and snow but there's enough love in it to keep you toasty warm.

When children are found frozen in a London park, including Bianca's own brother, no one has a clue why such a terrible thing is happening. But when they realise the children's hearts are still beating, Bianca decides that there's still a chance to save them.

Her determination to solve the mystery takes her on a journey to a winter wonderland where some sinister characters are determined to thwart her attempts to find the truth. Can Bianca find a way to free the Ice Children without becoming one herself...

With strong echoes of The Snow Queen, this a fantasy story about sibling love but with an urgent eco message too. Grounded in the issues of today's contemporary world, it whirls fiction and fact together to create a magical yet thought-provoking adventure. The world-building is enchanting and reminded me of both Narnia and the Moomins Winter Wonderland and while some of the parallels to The Snow Queen are clear, it isn't necessary for today's generation to know the original story.

I particularly loved the villains in this adventure. Cleverly crafted and complex, they really hooked me in. As the mystery unravels and the pieces slot together, it becomes clear that the ending is going to be slightly different to conventional fantasy tales. Yet, with more twists and turns than a ski slope, this one will keep you guessing until the very end.

MG Leonard is one of the best children’s authors out there. Her books are all incredibly well researched, written and filled with exceptional characters and plots. From Beetle Boy through to Adventures on Trains and her Twitch series, she writes with heart.

The Ice Children is quite different, in my opinion, to her other books. This feels like a folktale come to life, one with an environmental message at its core and something the world is ever cautious of- global warming.

Bianca wakes to find her brother frozen in the park. Alive but encased in ice, she knows it is up to her to discover the hows and whys of this before too many children are taken. What she discovers is terrifying and she sacrifices herself to learn more and to save her brother and other children she knows.

Accompanied by Pondis, her spirit reindeer, she needs to remember why she is in Winterton and how to save Finn but Winterton wants her to forget in order to save the Snow Queen. Jack Frost is a key character here but one intent on saving his sister, Ishild, the snow queen. Just as Bianca will do for her brother, Jack will do for his sister.

Can Bianca find a way to,save Finn and the children? Is there a way to save winter?

The Ice Children is a magical, wintery tale that is reminiscent of traditional tales and fairy stories. I felt like I should be reading it sat by a fire in a log cabin, wrapped in a shawl. It was a comforting read, yet unexpected in plot, which made it a perfect read.
The story begins with a child found frozen on the ice. Then another child is found in the same way, and another, and so on... The sister of one of the ice children takes it upon herself to save her brother and stop the curse before more children are frozen forever.
At this point, I was expecting it to be an evil snow queen or ice monster. What I wasn't expecting was for the story to become an important but unpatronising message about our role in climate change.
It was very unlike other stories I've read written by M.G.Leonard but the perfect book to share with children over the wintery months.

THE ICE CHILDREN takes Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen and brings it into the modern day with a climate change message.

Children are going missing, freezing in place, and Bianca is determined to rescue her brother. It's a tale of sibling love and determination to help those dear to you as Bianca plunges into a wintry wonderland full of snow creatures, hot chocolate, and snow. It is also a tale about the power of stories. I loved how the magic of stories was woven into this book, with them playing key roles in the plot.

The book is illustrated by Penny Neville-Lee. They really help bring the story alive. I liked the style - some seem like the rough, initial sketches you see in the "behind the scenes" of movies when the team are still settling on a style before they go detailed. It blended well with the idea of the world being created from imagination of winter.

It is a really nice way to bring up the topic of climate change with children, wrapping it in a story of magic and showing some of the things that will be lost forever if the planet continues to warm - snow and winter. It ends with a rallying call to put pressure on governments to act, showing that children have such powerful voices when it comes to the future, and also shows what sorts of action can be taken.

The Ice Children is a magical, mesmerising, wintery read with a timely underlying ecological message, and is a story that completely captured me.

Five-year-old Finn Albedo is found frozen in the city rose garden with his feet encased in a pedestal of ice. Although he cannot be awoken, his heart is still beating, but can he be saved by the love of his older sister, Bianca, as she determines to investigate what has happened to him – and the other children who are appearing frozen. Could it be something to do with a mysterious silver book and a group of strangers who rely on the coming of winter for their existence? Bianca, using all her ingenuity and courage, finds herself in a beautiful and dangerous winter wonderland where she endeavours to save the ice children, and winter, before time runs out …

This is a stunning adventure – a modern fairy tale – drawing on well-known tales including The Snow Queen and The Selfish Giant but with a fresh twist to include an important and timely ecological message. I loved the setting of Winterton with its snow queen fortress, fairground, circus and companion creatures, especially the reindeer, Pordis. Like all fairy tales, the magic has an underlying darkness, but there is also hope that there can be a better future when action is taken.

I found Bianca an incredibly sympathetic character who clearly loves her little brother and desperately wants him back home with her and their parents. She is courageous, determined and empathetic and comes to understand that the ice children are not the only ones in danger of no longer existing in our world. She shows kindness and understanding and brings hope when it appears to be lost. I also loved that she believes in the power of stories to change the world!

This is a truly mesmerising, magical modern fairy tale that is just perfect for young children to enjoy this winter, hopefully whilst the snow swirls outside.

In a Nutshell: A nice novel for middle graders, with a gripping storyline and a powerful message. Balances between scary and sweet. Good for the age group, though it has some disturbing content.

Story Synopsis:
Five-year-old Finn is found in the park at dawn on 1st December. He is alive, but completely frozen, standing on a pedestal of ice with a serene smile on his face. His sister, eleven-year-old Bianca, suspects a mysterious silver book that Finn had borrowed from the library the day before, to be somehow connected to his current state. But the book is nowhere to be found, and the mysterious tall stranger in a dark hat, who was watching the events in the park from a distance, has also vanished. The next day brings some horrid news – two more frozen children have been discovered. No adult believes Bianca’s claims about the silver book, which means that she has to save Finn and the other kids herself.
The story comes to us mostly in the limited third person perspective of Bianca.

Note: This review contains spoilers about the themes in use.

I adored the first half of the book. Right from the start, the story had me in its grip, with a feel of danger lurking on every page. The frozen children, the perplexing silver book, the strange tall man – all add the right level of chills to this already chilly story.
Midway, the story changed direction, entering a new realm (literally). This portion initially disappointed me, as the threat of the tale seemed to reduce in intensity when the opposite should have happened. Soon though, the danger quotient went back to its original level, and stayed so until the final quarter or so, which left me somewhat mixed feelings.

Bookish Yays:
❄ The combination of a modern-day global issue with some fantastical mythical characters. The story is very imaginative.
❄ The closeness of Bianca’s family, and the love-hate sibling relationship between Bianca and Finn. I really appreciate how parents are portrayed in a good manner in this MG work. It’s tiresome to see children’s books have at least one parent always being villainous.
❄ The ode to all things wintry. I loved reading about the snow, the frost, the hail, the animals, and many other elements that were perfect for this winter wonder-book.
❄ The mystery comes with its share of clues that our young little detective unravels well. Enjoyed the use of riddles.
❄ The inclusion of an environmental message, which I did not see coming at all but is a relevant theme.
❄ The loving testimonial to the power of books and stories, and the important role these play in our lives – mostly good, sometime bad.
❄ The steady pace and the action-oriented plot, that keeps things happening from the first page to the last.
❄ The allusions to several folk tales, fantasy characters, and classic short stories. While awareness of the original works isn’t required, it would help in admiring the references.
❄ Though set in December, the story focusses more on the solstice than on Christmas. The strong wintry undercurrent makes it a great option for the festive season, but the lack of religious affiliation also makes it suitable to those who don’t celebrate Christmas. (There is a small mention of Oscar Wilde’s ‘The Selfish Giant’. Don’t know if this would be considered by some readers as a ‘Christian’ reference. To me, it’s a classic story first.)
❄ Usually, kids in children’s books handle all dangers on their own and I always wonder why they don't ask for adult help. However, that aspect is covered well in this story, by showing how Bianca does try to enlist adult support but fails. I cherish this realistic depiction.

Bookish Mixed Bags:
🌨 The final quarter is what will make or break your experience with this book. I love books talking of the environment and climate change, so seeing it pop up unexpectedly was a surprise. The story does connect this theme nicely with the earlier events, so the radical transition of topics doesn’t seem *that* out of place. However, I think the book went a step too far as it almost absolves the villains just because they had good intent.

Bookish Nays:
💦 Though aimed at middle graders, some events might get too scary for the younger segment. There are kidnappings and death threats. There is also one mention of a frozen child possibly shattering - though this doesn’t happen, it is still an alarming possibility.
💦 I hated the epilogue. It felt farfetched, and too neat. I’d have rather ended the story with the call for change than by depicting the changes. It somehow negates the intent.
💦 I’d have liked a handy list of what exactly children could do to counter the effects of climate change. It’s very easy for us adults to say to kids, ‘Saving the planet is in your hands now’, but can we please also have a realistic actionable plan for them to implement, before putting such pressure on their young shoulders? This book would have done well to include some practical ways by which kids (and their families) could help mitigate global warming.
💦 The book has many (B&W) illustrations – a fact that I usually adore in middle grade fiction. However, I didn’t like most of the sketches. The characters in the drawings seem tranquil, even when they are depicted in a dangerous situation. Varying emotions on the characters’ faces would have suited such a story better.

All in all, though the finale and the illustrations were a bit disappointing to me, I still enjoyed most of this story. The message and the danger level gets a bit heavy-handed, but to older middle graders and younger teens, it would still be an interesting story.
Recommended to home and school libraries. Would suggest parents to read this first so that you can judge the scare factor for your child. The book will also work nicely for discussions.

4 stars. (The book was a solid 4.5 stars for me until the final section.)

My thanks to Macmillan Children's Books and NetGalley for the DRC of “The Ice Children”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

This book is the perfect winter fairytale which will sweep you into another world - the world of Winterton. This is a world where Winter rules. But where Winter is warming in one world, The Snow Queen begins to melt in this other magical place. And that must not be allowed to happen.

Full of dazzling illustrations by Penny Neville Lee, you too will be whisked off to that other world on a journey you will never forget.

At its core this is a book with an important message about global warming, about the shift in the seasons, about how we, each and every one of us, must make a difference.

This new fairytale will touch your heart. With elements reminiscent of Labyrinth (not so scary of course), the Snow Queen, Narnia and His Dark Materials, there’s a bewitching nostalgia about the brand new story. It’s comforting and enchanting.

Recommended reading with a hot chocolate!

Interweaving classic fairy tale with Old World mythology, M G Leonard has created a fairy tale for the modern day full of magic and hope to inspire a generation.
When Bianca’s brother is discovered frozen in ice, she is determined to discover the truth of what happened. When several other children suffer the same fate, Bianca is convinced it is linked to a mysterious silver book. But all the adults are far too pre-occupied to listen to an 11 year old with an over-active imagination, so it falls to Bianca to solve the mystery herself. However, along the way, she will find help in unusual places.
Although there is a strong environmental message about the effects of climate change, it never feels moralistic or preachy. Instead, we are reminded of the fun and excitement of winter and of the beauty of the changing seasons.
I think, by the end of this story, it would be a very icy heart that would not be standing up and declaring themselves an Ice Child. This is a rally call to future generations and I can’t think of a better, more magical way to do it.

A perfect winter story by the wonderful M.G. Leonard. The story begins with a 5 year old Finn, who is found frozen in a block of ice in a local park. Finns's sister Bianca, sets out to try and rescue him as well as the other children who are being frozen. With the discovery of a silver book, four strange children and a fantastical winter wonderland the story embeds the theme of the power of reading as well as highlighting the issues of climate change. The winter descriptions are wonderful but I did think that the climate theme was a little "shoehorned" into an otherwise very engaging fantasy winter story. However I know this will be a huge success.

Apart from the excellent Adventures on trains books with Sam Sedgeman I haven't read any MG Leonard books but this looked really good so I requested.
Was I happy with my choice? Yes I was! I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The real family that are the main characters in the book were likeable and seemed normal. The magical characters....well lets say I need to find out what my winter animal is!

In the dawn of a December day a five year old boy is found in the park - frozen. His feet attached to a block of ice, dressed in pyjamas with a smile on his face, but completely frozen....except his heart is still beating inside his frozen body. Finn Albedo, went to bed as normal - except he'd had a fight with his older sister Bianca, who he wouldn't let look at his shiny silver book from the library. And now he was here, in the park, frozen and all she could think was that they had quarrelled, and she had been nasty to him.
As Bianca looked around at the people in the park she saw a tall thin man in a top hat, he was watching her. She is angry and asks the police if they are interviewing people, somebody had done this to her brother, but who? As she looks closer, she sees hailstones around the frozen base, they are words on the base too, a rhyme....and it doesn't sound good. The last two lines say
"With the hearts of children,
Winter will live on."
Bianca makes a promise there and then to help Finn, to save him from whatever has done this. The first thing she does next morning is look in her brother's room, there must be a clue. He hadn't taken his beloved cuddly rabbit Sposh, but where was that library book, that they had fought over? It wasn't there, the top book on the pile was wet as well. But when Bianca goes to the library Mrs Dorcas says Finn didn't take a book out...on the way out Bianca sees another child, Sophie, with the same book. But again, she won't allow Bianca to even look at it.
Bianca's mum doesn't even know if she read the story to him...it's all a bit much. Bianca and her parents sleep in the park and when she wakes with teh town clocks at midnight, she sees a lady running past - another child has been found frozen in the park. Sophie. And then another, Casper, Bianca's friend. And they both have that same poem around the ice base. And yet again she sees the tall, thin man with the top hat.
After this Bianca is determined to find out what is happening. It has to be something to do with that book and that tall man. Bianca follows him, But he's not a tall man...he's four children in a pyramid....the names she hears are Pitter, Patter, Quilo, and Jack.
She returns to the park, and her sleeping bag. Her parents think she's safer at home but Finn had been at home. Bianca tries to talk to everyone, tries to tell them about the tall man who isn't, but no-one will listen, not even the police when she goes there with a stolen book (you need to read it to find out where from) so she has to do the one thing she said she wouldn't ...she has to read it.
Penny Neville Lee's illustrations are already in this copy and they too are beautiful, reflecting the nature of the story. Particularly like 'The Snow Pony' that isn't!

I totally loved this story. The message of the story is very powerful. We need a world of Ice Children to bring about change. Bianca and Finn and their friends can help by telling this story.