Snow Place Like Home

May 1, 2019

Gr 2-4-Princess Lina isn't like other girls. She is a Windtamer who controls the wind and lives in a palace in the clouds. But she isn't like other Windtamers, either, since her dad is a Groundling (a human) and her wind powers have a knack for turning icy cold. When Lina convinces her parents to let her go to her best friend Claudia's human school, her powers really get out of whack, creating icicles in the classroom and snowdrifts in the gym. Thankfully, Lina has the support of Claudia and her family, as well as Windtamer lessons from her granddad, the General of the Wind, to help get her through. Written as Lina's diary, this book touches on issues of feeling different, making friends and coming into your own and embracing what makes you special. The characters are diverse, though there is no mention of their ethnicity. Two-tone, pink-and-black illustrations set the scene with friendly-faced characters and a perfect pink palace. Lina's world is depicted as fun and unusual while at the same time relatable to anyone who attends a "Groundling" school. VERDICT With a protagonist who could be buddies with Disney's Queen Elsa, this is bound to be popular among readers who love magic and friendship. A solid purchase.-Erica Deb, Matawan Aberdeen Public Library, NJ

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2019
Ice princess Lina must navigate family and school in this early chapter read. The family picnic is today. This is not a typical gathering, since Lina's maternal relatives are a royal family of Windtamers who have power over the weather and live in castles floating on clouds. Lina herself is mixed race, with black hair and a tan complexion like her Asian-presenting mother's; her Groundling father appears to be a white human. While making a grand entrance at the castle of her grandfather, the North Wind, she fails to successfully ride a gust of wind and crashes in front of her entire family. This prompts her stern grandfather to ask that Lina move in with him so he can teach her to control her powers. Desperate to avoid this, Lina and her friend Claudia, who is black, get Lina accepted at the Hilltop Science and Arts Academy. Lina's parents allow her to go as long as she does lessons with grandpa on Saturdays. However, fitting in at a Groundling school is rough, especially when your powers start freak winter storms! With the story unfurling in diary format, bright-pink-highlighted grayscale illustrations help move the plot along. There are slight gaps in the storytelling and the pacing is occasionally uneven, but Lina is full of spunk and promotes self-acceptance. A jam-packed opener sure to satisfy lovers of the princess genre. (Fantasy. 5-8)

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