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Booktalk
#1
Rose saw the white bear watching
her from behind some bushes. He was the biggest, fiercest bear she had
ever seen, but when she looked into his eyes there was only sadness. Read
this numinous tale set in medieval Norway to enjoy a sweeping romantic
epic based on the fairytale, East of the Sun and West of the Moon. Nymah
Rose was born in a rural village where folks still believed that children
inherited the qualities of the direction in which they were born. She was
a North-born baby, destined to break her mother’s heart with her wild,
footloose rambling ways. Her mother wanted to her to keep her from this
fate, telling her she was born to the East, the obedient and pliable direction.
However, when Rose meets the enchanted white bear, she follows her true
birthright, leaving home on a quest which will enchant and entertain you.
Any person who loved Gail Carson Levine’s Ella Enchanted will find this
elegant tale a similar joy, something between myth and fantasy. (Jean
B. Bellavance for Pennsylvania
Young Reader's Choice Awards, 2004-2005)
Booktalk #2
If you are a fan of fairy tales,
this is the book for you. Edith Pattou has taken the Norwegian folktale
“East of the Sun and West of the Moon” and crafted in to novel length.
It is the story of Rose who agrees to go with a white bear to improve the
health of her sister and the fortunes of her family. The white bear
is a prince who has been enchanted by the Troll Queen. Rose is tricked
into trying to discover who the bear is and as she does, loses everything.
She must journey to the land of the Troll Queen to find her lost love.
Along the way she has many adventures and must use cunning and courage
to be reunited with her prince. (Heidi Lewis, South
Carolina Book Awards, 2006)
It all began with a pair of
boots. It was the first gift brought to the poor mapmaker’s newborn baby
girl, and everyone knew first gifts were full of meaning. The boots meant
she would become a traveler, something her superstitious mother could not
endure. The mother, Eugenia, held fervently to the ancient belief that
children inherit the qualities of the direction in which they are born.
Nymah Rose, the last daughter of eight siblings was a North-born baby.
It is said that North-born babies are wild, unpredictable, intelligent,
and destined to break their mothers' hearts because they all leave hearth
and home to travel to the far ends of the earth. To keep her close, Rose’s
mother lied and told her she had been born of the obedient and pliable
East. But Rose always felt out of place, thus when a mysterious white bear
appears and asks for Rose to go with him to his castle in exchange for
her family’s health, she agrees, and her travels begin. The rich tale is
recounted by all the characters’ viewpoints. Rose herself, her regretful
father, her hopeful brother Neddy, the charmed white bear, and the troll
queen whose selfish wish is the catalyst that seals Rose’s fate. This is
a fresh and original retelling of the classic tale “East of the Sun, West
of the Moon,” leading readers between myth and fantasy on a journey that
will enchant any and all who venture into the book, East! (Rose Grayson,
South
Carolina Book Awards, 2006)
Booktalk #3
Rose has always felt out of
place in her family, a wanderer in a bunch of homebodies. So when an enormous
white bear mysteriously shows up and asks her to come away with him--in
exchange for health and prosperity for her ailing family--she readily agrees.
The bear takes Rose to a distant castle, where each night she is confronted
with a mystery. In solving that mystery, she loses her heart, discovers
her purpose, and realizes her travels have only just begun. (Rebecca
Caudill Young Readers’ Book Award 2008)
Booktalk #4
In this Epic adventure, love
story, and fantasy a young girl, Rose learns about true strength, courage
and love. East is a retelling of "East of the Sun and West of the
Moon," a Norse fairy tale. As the story begins you meet Rose and
her family. She is the seventh child, born to replace another that
had died at an early age. In a family of homebodies she stands out,
unlike the others, adventure calls to her as soon as she is able to walk.
The only time Rose is still is when she is weaving, which she is very good
at. Unfortunately her family has come upon dire times, her
middle sister Sara has become very ill, and her family farm is failing.
The last straw is when her father receives an eviction notice; the family
has less than a month to get off their land. The week before they
are to leave, after a very meager dinner the family is sitting by their
small hearth when their door bursts open and a huge white bear welcomes
himself into their home. (Read 72-73) 7 days later when the
white bear returns, before anyone can stop her Rose tells him that she
will go with him. The white bear places Rose on his back and off they go.
Rose's journey begins. Finally they come to a mountainside, which
turns out to be a hidden castle. The castle appears empty but there
is hot food and drink, fresh bread, and fires lit. Everywhere she
goes lamps have been lit, and it appears someone else is taking care of
her but she sees no one. Finally she finds what is to be her bedroom
and falls asleep. That night a sound, and then the feeling of someone
climbing into the bed next to her awaken her. When she looks around,
the room is pitch black and she can see nothing. Each night
this happens, and each night no matter what, the lamps go out before the
stranger comes to the bed. Who or what is it? Is this thing
a monster? What does the White Bear intend to do with Rose? Will
she ever get to see her family again? Has the bear kept his promise
and saved Rose's sister and family? Who is making the food in the
castle and where does it come from? To find the answers read East
by Edith Pattou. (Della Phipps, Librarian, Chattanooga Hamilton County
Bicentennial Library, Chattanooga TN)
Booktalk #5
If you like books about enchanted
polar bears, ice queens, and trolls then you will definetly like this book.
Join Rose on a fantastic journey to ice lands that no human ever thought
possible to survive in. Find out if Rose lives through the cold with only
a few chunks of dried seal meat and her memories from her good farm life
back home. Why does Rose decide to go with the polar bear in the first
place, why did her mother encourage it? read this book to find out all
of the answers to these interesting questions. All of these questions are
in the book and are very exciting and fun to read about. (Shalie,
K-12 student) |
