Title: East
Author: Edith Pattou
Genre: Fantasy/Modern Folktale
Publisher: Harcourt, 2003
The book has not won any awards but is an ALA notable/best book, and has starred reviews from Booklist, Horn Book, and Booklinks.
This is a well written, beautiful retelling of the "East o'the Sun and West o'the Moon," a Scandinavian folktale. The story is centered around Rose, the youngest of seven children, who always felt out of place. When Rose is about 15, a white polar bear appears at the family's poor home in Norway. The bear requests Rose to go with him and in exchange Rose's sister will survive her illness and the family's misfortunes will turn into fortune. Everyone, except for Rose's mother, does not want Rose to go with the bear. How could they exchange one daughter for another?
Rose agrees and rides on the back of the bear to a distant castle, where she lives contentedly. Every night, a mysterious visitor climbs into her bed and hides under the covers. Is it the bear? Is it the scaly monster she sees in her dreams? She feels she must know. Unfortunately, her willfulness seals the fate of her nighttime visitor. Feeling guilty for betraying the bear, Rose goes on a journey across the arctic to rescue the bear from the Troll Queen.
The chapters are told through the viewpoint of many of the main characters including Rose, the White Bear, the Troll Queen, Father and her brother Neddy.
I feel in love with this book from the beginning. I had a hard time choosing a fantasy book, as it is not one of my favorite genres. I had three other books in mind. It captured my attention and I was curious of how it was going to end. Rose is a brave and determined girl who choose to make good on a promise. I especially enjoyed the alternating characters telling the story. The book was a mix of fantasy but mostly it was an adventure story.
I highly recommend this book. This book would appeal to both girls and boys. The story is very exciting and adventurous. I would think the book would most appeal to the middle school grades but many high schoolers would also find it enjoyable. Who doesn't enjoy "Happily Ever After?"
Rose's mother was a very superstitious woman and she believed the direction in which a child was born told how that child would grow up. Because Rose was born a "north child," which was a bad omen, her mother made up a lie and told her she was an "east child."
My hook would center on when Rose found out about the lie.
"But I was a north bairn. I had filled my own place on the compass rose. I felt great excitement stir in my chest. And then great anger. My breath grew short and my cheeks were flaming. As I ran I became aware that, in addition to anger, a sense of exhilaration was growing in me, the feeling of a puzzle piece falling into place. I was a north. It was obvious. No wander Mother had tried so hard to keep me close, to mold me into another Elise. I felt like I no longer knew my parents. Or myself."
I love this book!! It has just the right combination of romance and adventure. My mother raised us on fairy tales and I was familiar with East o'the Sun and West o' the Moon. It isn't as well known as Sleeping Beauty or Snow White, but it is a beautiful story. I have readers from both the middle school and high school who love this book. It has even circulated through the faculty. I have student coming in asking for more, but Hero's Song and Fire Arrow haven't been nearly as popular.
ReplyDeleteI've never heard about or read East o'the Sun and West o' the Moon but after reading this I definitely want to. This sounds like a great story! It does seem like some readers might get a little bored with this story however, at least those readers who want non stop action and adventure.
ReplyDeleteI don't know the "East o'the sun" story either. Perhaps this could be my introduction.
ReplyDeleteI'm curious, Jan. You said you liked the alternating points of view in the storytelling. Were the transitions between the viewpoints clearly delineated and easy to follow or could that be a roadblock for a younger reader?
I had never heard of this story either. You have my interest!
ReplyDeleteI like the fact that it is a folktale. I think the book would appeal to many because of that fact. I also think the cover would entice girls and boys, with that huge polar bear.
ReplyDeleteThis does sound like a great book to read when study folktales. For some reason the first thing I thought of when I saw the cover was Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials series. Sounds like a great self-discovery book!
ReplyDeleteErin,
ReplyDeleteYes, it is very easy to follow.
The alternating viewpoints where done by chapters where the title of the chapter was the name of the person who was speaking.
I had this book sitting around for quite awhile before I got around to reading it but I loved it too. Nice to know that it is popular in Yellow Springs.
ReplyDeleteI also thought of Pullman's books when I saw this. Usually I don't like it when the narration is told by a multitude of characters, because it makes it difficult to follow. However, it sounds as though the author organizes the book well, and that the narration helps rather than hinders the storytelling. I'm excited to read this title--it's not one I would usually choose on my own.
ReplyDeleteNot sure I would like this fantasy but everyone keeps saying that they love it. So you never know until you try. When I read the hook it reminded me of the book I read, Double Identity. The main character was also very upset with her parents for hiding the truth from her.
ReplyDelete