My enormous thanks to Jo Hardacre at Macmillan Children’s Books for sending me a surprise copy of The Ice Children by M.G Leonard, illustrated by Penny Neville-Lee. Now, I have about eleven million (only a slight exaggeration) books on my TBR but I always enjoy children’s fiction and The Ice Children kept calling to me so I’m delighted to share my review today.

Published by Macmillan Children’s Books today, 2nd November 2023, The Ice Children is available for purchase through the publisher links here.

The Ice Children

At the stroke of midnight on the dawn of December, five-year-old Finn Albedo is found frozen in the city park standing on a pedestal of ice. His heart is beating, he is smiling serenely, but no one can wake him.

Finn’s big sister, Bianca, suspects that the beautiful sparkling book Finn got from the library has something to do with it, but the book has vanished. Does the tall mysterious stranger who first discovered Finn know more than they will admit?

Each day, more children are found frozen and Bianca realizes she’s running out of time. Her quest to discover the truth and rescue her little brother hurls her into a fantastical winter wonderland, full of beauty and danger, where all is not as it seems.

Can Bianca save her brother and the other Ice Children before they are forever lost?

My Review of The Ice Children

Finn has been turned to ice.

The Ice Children is a magnificent children’s book and thoroughly magical. Firstly, it is atmospherically illustrated throughout by Penny Neville-Lee with images that support less confident young independent readers, and which enhance and exemplify what’s happening. From the gorgeous endpapers, through the winter spirit animal inspired ice crystals at the start of each chapter, to the dramatic pictures supporting the text, the illustration elevates The Ice Children into the most perfect gift book.

The plot simply races along as more and more children become frozen in suspended animation and Bianca tries to establish what has happened to her little brother Finn. M.G Leonard weaves in elements of traditional tales with fantasy and adventure so that The Ice Children feels as if it is a natural part of established children’s fiction whilst being absolutely fresh and modern too. Themes of family, climate change and the environment are explored without preaching, but in ways that show just how we are affecting our planet and how important children are to the future of the world. I loved the status this gives to children and thoroughly appreciated the fact that Bianca is a strong, intelligent and feisty girl as the protagonist so that there is a touch of feminism here too.

The celebration of winter is just wonderful.  M.G Leonard’s descriptions of cold, ice and snow are so beautifully written and so vivid that there’s a dramatic and visual quality to the story. Indeed, I thought the language was perfect. The rhyming couplets spoken by Pitter and Patter, Jack’s appearance, and the references to food all added layers of interest and mystery, with the inscriptions next to the frozen children and Ishild’s riddle all helping children to understand the power of language. I found the concept of story as a powerful means to explore new worlds very touching, but you’ll need to read The Ice Children to discover quite why.

In fact, there’s considerable emotion throughout the story because the characterisation is sensitively handled. The relationship between Bianca and Pordis is just lovely and the dynamics with her parents, as well as the emotions she feels when confronting Finn in Winterton are strong and relatable. Through The Ice Children young readers get to explore and understand love, family, friendships, fear, grief, happiness and sadness in an enchanting and entertaining manner. 

Aimed at readers aged 8-12, I have a feeling that The Ice Children will bring a lifetime of joy to any reader and become a family favourite returned to and shared across generations. I thought it was utterly brilliant. 

About M.G. Leonard

M. G. Leonard has made up stories since she was a little girl, but back then adults called them lies or tall tales and she didn’t write them down. As a grown up, she has written stories about fantastical beetles, beautiful birds and thrilling train rides. Her books have been translated into over forty languages and won many awards. She is the vice president of the insect charity Buglife, and a founding author of Authors4Oceans. She lives in England, by the sea, with her husband, two sons, a dog called Nell, and a variety of exotic beetles.

For further information about M.G. Leonard, visit her website, follow her on Twitter/X @MGLnrd and find her on Facebook and Instagram.

I understand that M.G. Leonard will be at the Guildford Book Festival on 25th November and you can buy a ticket here.

About Penny Neville-Lee

Penny Neville-Lee was raised on a healthy diet of Saturday cartoons and MGM musicals. Never happier than when creating, she spent her early years drawing and making and was rarely found without a doodle somewhere in the margins. Penny studied MA Painting at the Royal College of Art. After several years making large oil paintings of gloomy woods in the company of Radio 4 and some studio mice, she had her small son, shifted to the kitchen table and realised there might be something in those doodles after all. Penny is inspired by small people, bright colours, a blank page and newly sharpened pencils. She lives in Manchester with her two children, husband and very adventurous cat.

For further information, visit Penny’s website, or follow her on Twitter/X @PennyNevilleLee.