Praise for Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow!

With spirit, energy and a puckish sense of humor, George weaves the "East o’ the Sun and West o’ the Moon" tale into a novel-length saga. The ninth child of an impoverished family, the Pika (girl) or Lass—for her mother will not even name her—grows into her gift of understanding the speech of animals under the tutelage and affection of her oldest brother Hans Peter. He has come from seafaring and is sad and wounded in his soul. When a white bear offers material comfort to the family in exchange for a year of the Lass’s company, she accepts, although Hans Peter warns her off. She goes with her companion wolf Rollo to live with the bear in a palace of ice, served by gargoyles, fauns and selkies. A man sleeps in the Lass’s bed each night but does not speak or touch her. Like Psyche, the Lass cannot resist trying to see him by candlelight and lo, he is the bear. The troll princess who has enchanted him takes him "east of the son and west of the moon." The Lass rescues her own bear prince, and her brother and his love and reveals her own name in a rousing and happy ending. Rich in Norwegian lore and perfectly delicious to read. --Kirkus Reviews

George (Dragon Slippers) riffs on the tale East of the Sun, West of the Moon, in this novel set in a far north ruled by a troll queen, and a princess who desires a human husband. As the ninth child of a poor woodcutter, the "lass" at the center of this story is so resented by her mother that the woman will not name her. One day, the lass goes in search of the legendary white reindeer, purportedly spotted in the woods near the woodcutter's home. When she finds the creature tangled in brambles, she sets him free; in return he gives her a name, which she dares tell no one. Soon she discovers she can communicate with animals. Even youngest readers may recognize the parallels to Beauty and the Beast, when a giant white bear comes to the woodcutter's cottage, and the lass's mother agrees to let the girl go in exchange for the promise of wealth. Once again George creates a gutsy, resourceful heroine, akin to Creel in her first novel. The lass, true to her word, accompanies the white bear to an ice palace, with the intention of fulfilling her promise to remain there for a year--even when a mysterious man comes to her room each evening. But like Psyche, the lass's sister plants a seed of doubt, and the lass discovers the identity of her midnight visitor, thereby setting in motion a chain of reactions that ultimately leads her to an even greater palace east of the sun and west of the moon. The author literally fleshes out the tale by appealing to the five senses. The lass's wolf-dog, Rollo, reports that the ice palace smells of rotting flesh. The descriptions of the luxurious meals, the textures of the silk gowns, all contribute to a sensory experience. The tale cautions against vanity, often with humor (like Nancy Farmer's evil half-troll Queen Frith in The Sea of Trolls, the princess troll here also loses her hair, but in a comical climactic scene), and implies the long cycle of ungranted wishes for the insatiable troll princess (a nicely crafted scene with three elderly "mosters," or aunties, amplifies this theme). Even if readers think they know where the author is leading them, they will be in for some pleasant surprises. --Shelf Awareness