What better time to snuggle up with a good book than our first full month of winter? Here we have a mix of old and new stories filled with adventure and centered around this cold time of year.  So curl up in your warmest blanket and enjoy a good book from our list. 

The Barren Grounds by David A. Robertson

“Morgan and Eli, two Indigenous children forced away from their families and communities, are brought together in a foster home in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They each feel disconnected, from their culture and each other, and struggle to fit in at school and at their new home — until they find a secret place, walled off in an unfinished attic bedroom. A portal opens to another reality, Askí, bringing them onto frozen, barren grounds, where they meet Ochek (Fisher). The only hunter supporting his starving community, Misewa, Ochek welcomes the human children, teaching them traditional ways to survive. But as the need for food becomes desperate, they embark on a dangerous mission. Accompanied by Arik, a sassy Squirrel they catch stealing from the trapline, they try to save Misewa before the icy grip of winter freezes everything including them”

Winterhouse by Ben Guterson

Elizabeth, eleven, spends Christmas break at Winterhouse hotel under strange circumstances, where she discovers that she has magic, and her love of puzzles helps her solve a mystery.

I Survived: The Children’s Blizzard, 1888 by Lauren Tarshis

When John Hale’s parents moved from Chicago to a farm in the Dakota Territory in the late 1880s, he was not happy (too hot in summer, too cold in winter, and that is just the beginning); but after a year, and now eleven, he has settled in and made some friends at school–but when a sunny day in January 1888 turns abruptly into a deadly blizzard he will need all his strength and courage to survive what became known to history as The Children’s Blizzard.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

Four English school children find their way through the back of a wardrobe into the magic land of Narnia and assist Aslan, the golden lion, to triumph over the White Witch, who has cursed the land with eternal winter.

The Ice Monster by David Walliams 

This is the story of a ten-year-old orphan and a 10,000-year-old mammoth. When Elsie, an orphan on the streets of Victorian London, hears about the mysterious Ice Monster – a woolly mammoth found at the North Pole – she’s determined to discover more. A chance encounter brings Elsie face to face with the creature, and sparks the adventure of a lifetime– from London to the heart of the Arctic!

Bears of the Ice: The Quest of the Cubs by Kathryn Lasky

It is a time of trouble in the Northern Kingdoms because a group of power-hungry polar bears called Roguers has been snatching cubs from their mothers and killing those who resist; but Svenna is not about to relinquish her two cubs to that fate, so she agrees to go with the Roguers and serve Mystress of the Hands if her cubs, who have special powers, are allowed to stay with her cousin–but nobody is truly safe when a way of life is collapsing around them.

Ice Rink Rookie by Jake Maddox

Pilar Ramirez loves to skate on ice, and normally she does not keep being born without part of her right foot a secret, but when her best friend convinces her to try out for the local hockey team Pilar decides not to mention her condition–but hockey presents her with some problems that plain skating did not, and Pilar needs to learn that being part of a team means being open with your teammates, so that they understand all your strengths and weaknesses.

Ice Dogs by Terry Lynn Johnson

Victoria Secord, a fourteen-year-old Alaskan dogsled racer, loses her way on a routine outing with her dogs. With food gone and temperatures dropping, her survival and that of her dogs and the mysterious boy she meets in the woods is entirely up to her.

Slap-Shot Slump by Jake Maddox

At his old school fourteen-year-old Simon Wahlberg was the best player on his hockey team, but when he tries out for the Edgewater High School’s varsity team he discovers that the competition is pretty fierce–and not just on the ice.

Dragon Kingdom of Wrenly: The Coldfire Curse by Jordan Quinn

“Ruskin, the pet dragon of the royal family of Wrenly, forms new friendships with the dragons of Crestwood and goes on exciting adventures”

Snow Sisters: The Silver Secret by Astrid Foss

As they celebrate their twelfth birthday in the wintry world of Nordovia, triplets Hanna, Magda, and Ida acquire magic powers and a mission to rescue their parents, defeat the evil Shadow Witch, and find the pink Everchanging Light

Bird & Squirrel on Ice by James Burks

Bird and Squirrel have a new friend, Sakari, and also a new enemy, the Great Whale, who wants Bird as his next meal.

The Last Bear by Hannah Gold

“There are no polar bears left on Bear Island. At least, that’s what April’s father tells her when his scientific research takes them to a faraway Arctic outpost for six months. But one night, April catches a glimpse of something distinctly bear shaped loping across the horizon. A polar bear who shouldn’t be there–who is hungry, lonely, and a long way from home. As their unlikely bond grows, April is determined to save her new friend–and so begins the biggest and most important journey of her life.”–

Putuguq & Kublu and the qalupalik! by Roselynn Akulukjuk & Danny Christopher

“What creatures lurk beneath the sea ice? Putuguq and Kublu-two siblings who can’t seem to get along-are about to find out! On their way to the shoreline, Putuguq and Kublu run into their grandfather, who has a stern warning for the pair: always beware when playing on the shore, because you never know if a qalupalik, a mythical creature that kidnaps children, is lying in wait under the ice. Kublu is pretty sure their grandfather is just trying to spook them with a scary story from the past.̥but maybe not?”

The Clockwork Crow by Catherine Fisher

“Orphan Seren Rhys is on her way to a new life at the remote country mansion of Plas-y-Fran when she is given a package by a stranger late at night in an empty train station. The package contains a crotchety, mechanical talking crow, which Seren reluctantly brings to her new home. But when she gets there, the happy Christmas she had hoped for turns out to be an illusion–the young son of the house, Tomos, has been missing for almost a year, rumored to have been taken by the fairies. With the Crow’s reluctant help and a little winter magic, Seren sets off on a perilous journey to bring Tomos home. An enthralling story of family and belonging set in frost-bound Victorian Wales.”