Ms. Dickinson's Purple and Gold Pick of the Week: Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George

Here's one thing you might not know about me yet: I love fairy and folk tale retellings.  When I read the inside flap of a new book and notice that it's based on a fairy or folktale, I am immediately interested.  Some tales are retold more often than others.  For example, Cinderella stories exist in many cultures and provide some of the most frequent fodder for novelists; a few of my favorite titles include Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine and Ash by Malinda Lo.  On the other hand, the Norwegian folktale known as "East of the Sun and West of the Moon" is less frequently adapted in novel form.  I think that this fact can be both an advantage and a disadvantage.  Since readers might be less familiar with this tale, it remains fresh;  there are no widespread versions of the story (as there are for tales like Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, or Snow White and the Seven Dwarves--all stories that have been adapted by Disney, for example).  But, since it is a more unfamiliar folktale, writers might be able to get away with being less creative in their adaptions.  This particular retelling,however, manages to strike a good balance.  Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow is a lovely and very enjoyable retelling that both keeps most of the original tale's plot and makes the story feel fresh and new.  Jessica Day George also embraces the tale's cultural origins by incorporating Norwegian language and folklore traditions into the novel. 
In a land covered by unending winter, there lives a girl without a name.  Known only as "the pika" (the girl) or "the lass," she appears to have very little to offer her poor family.  As a girl, she cannot earn money and marriage--her primary choice for the future-- will eventually cost her parents the amount of her dowry.  However, when a white bear appears at their cottage door, the lass' special gift of speaking with animals gives her a chance to help her family.  She agrees to travel with the bear back to his strange castle across the ice and remain with him there for a year.  In exchange, the bear promises that her family will receive untold riches.  But nothing is what it seems in this land of ice and snow and there is dark magic at work.  Suddenly the lass must go on a journey east of the sun and west of the moon to save the man she has only just begun to love.

 Even though the main character remains nameless for almost the entire novel, she is sympathetic and interesting.  The reader learns a great deal about the lass and her past experiences within the first few chapters and so when she leaves on her strange journey, the readers are happy to follow her.  The story moves along quickly with steady action and the mystery is revealed slowly, keeping the reader hooked through the final chapters.  The romance is sweet and satisfying and the villains are powerful and frightening.  The conclusion feels a little rushed but overall, Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George is fun pick for lovers of fairy and folktale retellings or romantic fantasies.  If you enjoy this novel, you also might want to check out Edith Pattou's East, another amazing retelling of East of the Sun and West of the Moon.