Chris Soul

'The Snow Girl' by best-selling author Sophie Anderson is a perfect wintry read; great for Christmas story times. a re-imagining of tales of snow spirits and rural superstitions, 'The Snow Girl' utterly transports with storytelling that sparkles and soothes, warming even the coldest of hearts. Sophie Anderson once again enthralls the reader with a tale that both enchants and warns with wonder and wisdom, as the best folktales should. 

​

When Tasha builds a snow girl with her grandpa, all she wants is for her to be real. If only wishes on snow could come true... Then Tasha meets Alyana, a friend made of wishes, starlight, snowfall and magic. But when your best friend is made of winter, what do you do when spring comes?

​

'The Snow Girl' has been compared to a mix of 'Frozen' and 'Narnia'. While I agree with this, to an extent, such labelling fails to capture the stark sense of realism that Sophie Anderson also imbues in her stories, especially this one. Tasha's wintry world, shared by her grandpa and parents on a farm, is desolate, stark and unforgiving. Sophie Anderson makes us feel the cold to our toes and it is a constant danger for Tasha, but especially for her frail grandpa. Tasha's isolation and concern for her grandpa is very real. Grounding the story in such harsh reality only makes the magic more powerful - and this is Sophie Anderson's talent in storytelling. Even when Tasha meets Alyana, full of starlight and snowfall, there is a sense of foreboding and threat. Will this nighttime friendship make Tasha ill? Will she become a snow spirit herself? There is an ice-cold edge to the magic, which makes it much more compelling and mysterious than you might expect.

​

But, as in all of Sophie Anderson's stories, the true magic is found in the genuine warmth between the human characters. Even in the harshest conditions of winter, warmth can still be found in friendship and family. I really loved the idea here that Spring will only return if Tasha returns to the real relationships around her; that she must find the courage to be vulnerable and move on from her anxieties of the past. There is something very ancient in this kind of storytelling, which of course echoes 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'. Winter is a time of reflection and then of renewal with the promise of Spring. 

​

I really enjoyed 'The Snow Girl'. Wrap up warm and snuggle down to an enchanting read this Christmas!

​

Thank you to Usborne and Fritha Lindqvist for my copy to review.

​

https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-snow-girl/sophie-anderson/melissa-castrillon/9781803704357