North Child

By Edith Pattou

Rose is an unsusual child, a North Child. For Rose was born facing north, and the old stories say she is destined to travel far from home on a dangerous journey. Making a pact with an enormous white bear, Rose travels on his back to a mysterious castle that holds a dark enchantment, a darker temptation, and the key to her true destiny…

A beautiful, epic story of destiny, magic and love, North Child will take you on an unforgettable adventure.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Usborne Publishing Ltd
• Release date: Oct 31, 2019
• ISBN: 9781474982078

Edith Pattou

Edith Pattou is the author ofEast, an ALA Notable Book, and its sequel, West; Hero's Song; Fire Arrow, a Booklist Top Ten Fantasy Novel of the Year; Ghosting; and the New York Times bestselling picture book Mrs. Spitzer's Garden. She lives in Columbus, Ohio. www.edithpattou.com Twitter: @epattou Instagram: @ediepattou

Reviews for North Child

[ailurophile-709426 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this book a lot. I had not been familiar with “East of the Sun, West of the Moon,” the Norwegian fairy tale on which it is based, but I soon discovered that a number of authors have done their own re-telling of the story. I very much like Pattou’s version. Relatable, well-drawn characters in a story that moves along nicely.

I did notice something about the language that the Trolls speak. It’s Finnish. I wonder why?

Or maybe I’ve got that wrong, and modern Finns actually speak Trollish?

[wagner5sarah35 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An excellent read! This story presents a world that is both familiar and new to escape into and an adventurous heroine to follow as the story progresses. And, of course, a few trolls thrown in for good measure. Those interested in YA fantasy and fairy tale retellings would certainly enjoy this book.

[sara_cat-107388 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What a lovely tale. I have read and heard stories that have similar elements, so I was always wondering/dreading how things would turn and end for the characters. But I loved how it unfolded and finally finished.

[pardamustang · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

East by Edith Pattou is a delightful re-imagining of the fairytale 'East of the Sun, West of the Moon’. Rose is born into a large, poor family, to a superstitious ma. The family is starving, the farm failing, when a mysterious visitor approaches them and says he will give the family an improvement of their fortunes in exchange for Rose. Oh, yeah, and this stranger is a bear. A great white bear. Rose takes the decision upon herself and leaves with him. He takes her to his enchanted castle, where they slowly get to know one another. When he leaves one day, Rose follows, determined to help him. Her journey takes her to the reaches of her world, all the way to the home of the Troll Queen which lies 'East of the Sun, West of the Moon’. Along the way, Rose gets to really know herself and the depths of her feelings for her new friend. This was a lovely read! It's rich with detail, and the characters are just precious. Pattou did a marvelous job of researching to enhance her tale. I loved getting a real feel for Norse culture of the time (1700s). The perspective shifted between characters, including the Troll Queen, allowing the reader to really get to know all of them. I actually enjoy multiple perspectives in books, as long as it's made clear who we are with at the time. Recommended for any who love fantasy!***Many thanks to the author and publisher for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. This book was reviewed for the Fantastic Flying Book Club.

[heatherlinc · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

03/11/18 - Since discovering that a sequel to this book has finally been written and is to be released soon, I decided to re-reading this classic fairytale. Even though I first read it over ten years ago, I still found it thoroughly enjoyable.01/01/2008 - This is a beautiful, gentle story based on a Norwegian fairytale. The story is told through five different voices, but predominantly Rose's. At times the language is almost lyrical and the story has a touch of "Beauty and the Beast" about it. A lovely book to read by the fire on a cold, winter's day.

[leov_81 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A Nordic tale based on the fairy tale 'East of the Sun, West of the Moon'. Rose and her family's lives change when a huge white enchanted bear enters their home and promises to heal Rose's deathly ill sister in exchange for Rose going with him. And so begins Rose's adventure but will she ever find her way home again. This has been a read that I have really loved and I would recommend it to 9yers to adult

[debbiemccauley-2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

North-born Rose lives in a rural village in Norway. She is the youngest child of a poor mapmaker and his superstitious wife. North-born babies supposed to be wild, unpredictable, and often travel to the far ends of the earth. Rose's mother denies that destiny and insists she is east-born. A huge white bear comes to the door one evening and asks Rose to go with him and in exchange her desperately ill sister will be healed and the family will be lifted out of poverty. Loosely based on the folktale, East of the Sun and West of the Moon, the story is told through the voices of various characters which include the troll queen.

[abigailyow · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I have always loved a variety of fairytale retellings. But east, unfortunately, fails to deliver the essence of this Norwegian folk tale - East of the sun, west of the moon.I can't quite put my finger on why it failed to appeal to me but I really had a hard time relating to the book. The alternating POVs was unnecessary in my opinion, because I was only interested in one or two of the many narrators. East was more 'tell' than 'show', which was ultimately, the downfall of this novel. Note: Please do not take offence; it is only my two cents.

[stephxsu · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

EAST is the tale of Rose, who sacrifices her freedom to save her sister, grows to care for the cursed white bear who is her “captor,” unwittingly betrays him, then goes beyond the ends of the earth to make things right. It’s a classic folktale that never fails to move me, but Edith Pattou’s retelling of “East of the Sun, West of the Moon” went above and beyond, astounding me with its magical rendering of a traditional story and simple literary elements.EAST is not extraordinarily sophisticated in writing style: narration alters between several different voices, and none of them particularly stand out as individual examples of great literariness. However, the magic of EAST lies in how these common elements—straightforward prose, a retelling—fit together. The multiple narrators adds a unique rhythm and scope to the story that makes the whole so much more than the sum of its parts. Edith Pattou sets EAST in historical Europe, and the story traverses lands, cultures, seas, and languages for an astonishing and engrossing read. This is the second retelling of “East of the Sun, West of the Moon” that I’ve had the pleasure of reading, and I’m astonished at the different directions in which each author took this folktale. I’m no history buff, but I was mesmerized by Edith Pattou’s description of the various people that Rose meets on her journey, by the variety of people and cultures that existed over great distances at the same time.Words fail me when I try to describe an extraordinary book; indeed, there is no part of this book that was not amazing, and thus there is no part that I can describe well. There is a reason I still see this book in bookstores: it has the rare lasting power that only the most accomplished of fantasy reads possess.

[woodcat_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Simply wonderful, magical. Loved it

[jenspirko · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Absolutely wonderful retelling of a lesser-known but fascinating fairy tale, "East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon." The heroine is smart and strong-willed, adventurous enough to get into trouble and to get out of it, rescuing a prince in the bargain. The multiple points of view weave intricately, like Rose's own handiworks, and the anthropological research underpinning the story (especially for Norway and Greenland) enrich the setting and characters, adding a realistic tenor to the fantasy tone.

[clx8bkwrm · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is one of my absolute favorite stories! I never get tired of reading it over and over again. This is just one of those books you'll want to read to your kids. A mix between "The Polar Bear King" and "Beauty and the Beast" this story will enchant you into a world where directions have meaning, the first baby gift has significance and where a young woman goes on an adventure of finding new worlds and falling for a most unexpected creature.

[blairelizabeth · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I have read this book several times. I've never read anything else by Edith Pattou, but I love her writing style. East was placed in a vivid, interesting fantasy world. With many fantasy books, authors go into far too much detail to get you immersed in the book's world and culture. But East does this seamlessly, showing you the world created with barely any explanation. It is effortless and a beautiful story. The twist on Beauty And The Beast is also interesting. Even though the story can be cliche, this book makes it new. There is only one thing I didn't like about this book: the fact that the last third of it was extremely boring. While the author was able to immerse you in a world beautifully and had amazing character development, the last parts of the book, and even the climax, I found to be very dull. Whenever I reread this book, I always read only the first half, which is disappointing. The further on you read, the less interesting the story becomes, and the magic that I found in the first part of the book pretty much dwindles to nothing. All in all, though, one of my favorite reads.

[jaz34-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the book that I've re-read the most frequently, and that has to do with Pattou's masterful storytelling! The characters are endearing and the journey Rose and her bear endure is heart wrenching.

[mirandalg14 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I didn't like this quite as well as the Jessica Day George version, but it was still pretty good.

[thimbleberry_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

very creative

[lindentree_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I picked this one up at the library on a whim after opening it up to a random page and finding that I liked the author's prose. I'm not usually a fan of first-person anything, especially not when the narration cycles between characters, but I thought that Pattou managed it well.There were definitely a few tropes that I would have liked to see handled more subtly -- I'm not going to complain about a stereotypical this or that in a book that's this rooted in myth, but I think that the ending could have been woven in a bit more seamlessly, and the villain portrayed a touch more dimensionally. Certain points in the plot require a bit of a stretch of the imagination to work.Over all, it's definitely worth the full afternoon it took to read. I enjoyed the narration and thought that the story was very sweet, and both Rose and the bear were engaging characters.

[dunemanic-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

East is based on the Nordic fairy tale East of the Sun and West of the Moon. I grew up watching a film based on the tale called The Polar Bear King and East is yet another version of this beautiful tale.In Pattou's version, Rose is the youngest child of a farmer who wishes for adventure. After a series of events see her family evicted from their farm and a sister deathly ill Rose makes a deal with the "white bear". She will go with him and he will help her family.To reveal anything else would ruin the reimagining, since all the rest of the Myth is present.At first I was annoyed with Pattou's version. I'm a pretty hardcore 3rd Person Limited supporter. This book is written in First Person Limited and from the POV of at least 5 different characters, one of which is the bear but I'll get to that in a sec. After about 80 pages I got used to the First Person style and now that I've finished I can appreciate Pattou's approach. Each character has their own definite voice. Rose gets the majority of the "air time" but the most interesting POV is that of the Bear. His chapters are written in verse. Sparse, halting poems that do more to establish the bear's character than any inner monologue would, and it keeps the mystery going.I finished the book in a night, not because it was short, it just clears 500 pages, but because I REALLY wanted to know what was going to happen. The major moment of the story (present in all incarnations) is written almost breathlessly. And the conclusion, while imminent, was not overly sweet or completely predicitable.The novel DOES have it's problems. Some things seem far too convenient and I hated the presentation of the Troll Queen. Dumber than a box of rocks. The main "boss battle" at the end of the novel was severely stunted, but Pattou's descriptions of the arctic and the slow and building relationship she writes between Rose and the white bear makes this a definite read.

[wittyreaderli · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

East is a beautiful book. I highly recommend it!

[francescadefreitas · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This story of East of the Sun, West of the Moon was just wonderful. The sense of time and place, even of cold, was so strong, I felt I was visiting the characters. The different viewpoints were well differentiated and added tension and depth of emotion to the tale. Delightful writing.

[talesofegypt · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

An epic tale of love and destiny!!lovely book. enjoyable to all!!

[mistressdebrina · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I absolutely adored this book! It is a real keeper - full of magic, spinning, weaving, castles, polar bears, ice, travel, funny, feisty, adorable and frightening characters! I adored it for the beauty of its storytelling and the magic of its ending. I implore you to read it! It's gorgeous!!

[patricia_poland_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A delicously satisfying young adult novel. Good twist on the "Beauty & the Beast" fairytale. A mapmaker & his superstitious wife have 7 children, each born facing a direction of a compass. Rose, a child conceived to take the place of a dead child, is born facing North--the one point her mother refused to have a child born too. (North-born's have wanderlust) Rose must leave her family and travel with a white Bear in order to save them (or so she believes) and therein lies a tale of adventure, romance, mystery & of course, the discovery of one's true self.

[yehudit_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This retelling of East of Sun, West of the Moon was hard to put down, especially with its short chapters that convince you to read one more... and just one more... The switch of narratives keeps the story fast paced and interesting.

[llamkin_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A detailed retelling of the Classic folktale "East of the Sun, West of the Moon" collected by Abjornsen and Moe. The Heroine is determined to follow her heart. She refuses to give up in the face of extreme danger and finds help when she least expects it.

[yalibzrule · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

As a life-long lover of fairy tales, this wonderfully enlarged version of "East of the Sun and West of the Moon" won me over completely. Fantasy lovers will enjoy it, too. My, but it's great that females can be so strong in fairy tales! Added bonus-this is also a love story.

[moonstruckeuphoria · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is such incredible tale that incorporated many folk tales in the process. I read this over a period of time in seventh grade, a grand time in my literature maturity. I didn't really gain anything quite educational but it really captured my heart and inspired me to read more. I was actually just finding my reading personality and then I read this, and it completely changed my outlook on my reading diet.

[eldoradohills · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is a lovely little fairy tale about many a lovely thing. It's nothing fancy, but most of its beauty comes from its simplicity. It reminds me of Beauty & the Beast, which probably why I enjoyed it so much.

[leore_joanne · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What a lovely book! I enjoyed it so much, it was such a light breeze of a book, fun with beautiful descriptions of cold views, and with all this unknown mythology. I'm sure that I would have been much more wild about this book would I have read it when I was, say - twelve, but I liked it very much nonetheless. I liked the lead character - Rose, a strong, tough girl. And the snow bear (he reminded me of my cat, whom I started calling 'snow bear'). 13.6.07

[chocolatechip_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

very creative, a bit over the top, and kinda predictable, but i still enjoyed it