Prisoner of Ice and Snow

by Ruth Lauren

Overview

She'll do anything to break her sister out of prison--even get arrested on purpose.

When thirteen-year-old Valor is sent to jail, she couldn't be happier. Demidova's prison for criminal children is exactly where she wants to be. Valor's twin sister, Sasha, is serving a life sentence for stealing from the royal family, and Valor is going to help her escape . . . from the inside.

Never mind that no one has escaped the prison in centuries. Valor has a master plan and resources most people could only dream about. But she didn't count on having to outsmart both the guards and her fellow prisoners. If Valor's plan is to succeed, she'll need to make some unlikely allies. And if the plan fails, she and Sasha could end up with fates worse than prison.

This exciting middle-grade debut effortlessly melds an unforgettable protagonist, a breathless plot, and stunning world-building--and is impossible to put down.

"Prisoner of Ice and Snow is an exciting, fast-paced story, full of twists and turns. Valor is an engaging heroine who never loses courage, even when everything goes wrong. I was captivated from the first word to the last. This is a story readers will love again and again!" --Jennifer A. Nielsen, New York Times bestselling author of The False Prince

"Action-packed and full of heart, Prisoner of Ice and Snow is a riveting tale of betrayal, intrigue, and the love between two sisters. Valor's determination and the risks she takes to save her beloved twin will have you rooting for her from the very first page." --Aimée Carter, author of Simon Thorn and the Wolf's Den

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781681191324
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	04/04/2017
Series:	Prisoner of Ice and Snow Series , #1
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
Lexile:	780L (what's this?)
File size:	1 MB
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Ruth Lauren lives in a Victorian house in the West Midlands, England with family and a lot of cats. She likes chocolate, walking in the woods, cheese, orchids, going to the movies, and reading as many books as she can. She's been a teacher and worked in many different offices, but she likes writing best. Prisoner of Ice and Snow is her debut novel.

www.ruthlauren.com
@Ruth__Lauren
Ruth Lauren lives in a Victorian house in the West Midlands in England with her partner and a lot of children and cats. She likes chocolate, walking in the woods, cheese, orchids, going to the movies, and reading as many books as she can. She's been a teacher and worked in lots of different offices, but she likes writing best. Prisoner of Ice and Snow is her debut novel.
www.ruthlauren.com
@Ruth__Lauren

Editorial Reviews

"Anyone who likes adventure, survival stories, folktales, or novels with strong female protagonists will not be able to put this down." - starred review, School Library Journal

"A fast-paced adventure . . . Palace intrigue and diplomatic double-crosses play their part in the thematic arc, which sets up nicely for a sequel." - Booklist

"Readers will . . . root for the defiant Valor . . . and they’ll cheer her eventual success." - BCCB

"Valor is both true to her name and resourceful . . . A page-turner with an intrepid protagonist." - Kirkus Reviews

"Full of satisfying twists and turns, not to mention a unique matriarchal society, Valor's tale will have you on the edge of your seat from start to finish." - Molly Olivo, Barstons Child’s Play (Washington, DC)

"Ruth Lauren builds her story with skill and exquisite detail. The prose sings out and draws readers in with an intriguing plot and characters bursting with conviction. A terrific middle grade read." - Book Riot

"Prisoner of Ice and Snow is an exciting, fast-paced story, full of twists and turns. Valor is an engaging heroine who never loses courage, even when everything goes wrong. I was captivated from the first word to the last. This is a story readers will love again and again!" - Jennifer A. Nielsen, NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author of THE FALSE PRINCE

"Action-packed and full of heart, Prisoner of Ice and Snow is a riveting tale of betrayal, intrigue, and the love between two sisters. Valor’s determination and the risks she takes to save her beloved twin will have you rooting for her from the very first page." - Aimée Carter, author of SIMON THORN AND THE WOLF'S DEN

From the Publisher

★ 10/01/2016
Gr 4–7—Valor aims, fires, and misses her shot at Prince Anthol, whom she has known for all of her 13 years. With that shot, she is guaranteed to end up in Tyur'ma, the ice-cold children's prison where the inmates labor in mines, have barely enough to eat, and as punishment are forced to sleep outside in the snow. Valor couldn't be more pleased. With her twin, Sasha, locked away for stealing a music box important to the political health of the city, Valor is determined to break her sister out of the supposedly inescapable prison. Valor soon realizes that she cannot keep this a secret and finds herself forced to ally with those whom she does not know if she can trust. The end leaves room for a promised sequel but has a satisfying enough resolution to work as a stand-alone. Though set in a real Russian town called Demidova, the novel feels like a modern take on a Russian folktale where queens rule, women are trained to expertly bowhunt, and packs of wolves make the frozen tundra dangerous for humans. Lauren crafts the scene with just enough description, along the way creating believable characters who keep morphing as Valor learns more about who they are and their motivations. The plot keeps readers guessing and maintains a suspenseful tension throughout. VERDICT Anyone who likes adventure, survival stories, folktales, or novels with strong female protagonists will not be able to put this down.—Clare A. Dombrowski, Amesbury Public Library, MA

School Library Journal

2017-02-01
Thirteen-year-old Valor is determined to rescue her twin sister, Sasha, from Tyur'ma—a children's prison resembling Siberian forced-labor camps.There's some nice bending of gender tropes right from the start: Valor has the excellent archery skills of her mother—the omnipotent queen's first huntswoman—and Sasha, poised to be the princess's adviser, has the intellectual skills and interests of their father—the queen's top political adviser. Valor's entire family has been disgraced by Sasha's imprisonment for allegedly stealing a politically important music box, although the object has not been recovered. In order to free her sister, Valor deliberately gets herself arrested and sent to Tyur'ma. Valor relates the action-packed, suspenseful tale in present tense. Her first hours at the juvenile hall from hell convince her that she must trust a few other inmates to help with her breakout plans. Enormous, tattooed guards called Peacekeepers, a warden whose eyes and personality match the icy landscape, ferocious wolves, heart-racing action scenes, and frequent, impossible brushes with death give the text a feeling of fantasy, although there are no allusions to magic. Valor is both true to her name and resourceful. She also humbly acknowledges her shortcomings, especially errors in judgment, as the plot twists and turns. The satisfying ending includes an easy lead toward a sequel: the real music-box thief has suddenly disappeared. Russian names and words are abundant; the world appears to be populated by light-skinned characters. A page-turner with an intrepid protagonist. (Fantasy. 8-11)

Kirkus Reviews