Welcome to Day 14 of the 7th Annual March MG Madness! Click here to see the full schedule and links to other days.
The Snow Witch
By Rosie Boyes
October 1, 2018
A GRANDFATHER CLOCK. A GLASS LOCKET. A POWERFUL CURSE UNLEASHED ON CHRISTMAS EVE.
Twelve-year-old Kitty Wigeon can't wait for Christmas at St Flurries, a grand old manor house in the countryside, until one chilly night she vanishes without a trace.
One hundred years later… Still grieving over the death of their mother, Kes Bunting and his younger sister Star, are sent to live at St Flurries. They find a house steeped in mystery and brimming with secrets.
Who, or what, is making footprints in the snow?
And what evil force is taking a cold grip on Star?
Wrap up warm as you join Kes, and a cast of eccentric snow creatures, in a race against time to solve a hundred-year-old curse. Will he succeed? Or will the fate of his sister be decided by a shivery kiss from… the Snow Witch?
Q1. What three words best describe your book The Snow Witch?
The three ‘C’s - Cold, Christmassy, Cursed
Q2. Grab a copy of The Snow Witch and answer the following
Favorite chapter? The final chapter - I love a happy ending!
Favorite page? The last page - for the same reasons as above.
Favorite setting? Chilly Hollow (Brrr!).
Flip to a random page and give us a 1-2 sentences teaser:
‘How dare you!’ the Snow Witch seethed, venom dripping from her every word. ‘You don’t know anything!’
Q3. What inspired The Snow Witch? How did the story come to be?
When I was growing up, I loved reading ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’, and that led me to wonder if it would be possible to write about my own snowy kingdom – my own little Narnia. And, so, with a story clear in my head, I began to draft out the first copy of The Snow Witch. I wanted my readers to experience the same sense and wonder that Lucy Pevensie felt when she stepped through the wardrobe - the sound of her feet crunching through the snow and her breath visible in the crisp air. Besides, I love snow! Love it!
Q4. Tell us a bit about your character Kes. What makes him special? What do you love about him?
Kes is emotionally scarred and very vulnerable too. When he first moves to St Flurries, he feels utterly daunted by a house filled with larger-than-life people. I love the way his character develops throughout the story, and I especially love the tenderness he feels for his younger sister, Star. He will take steps and do whatever is necessary to protect her from harm.
Q5. What do you love about writing and reading middle-grade lit?
I freely admit the middle grade years were the best of my life. During that period, I loved reading, and I loved stories full of danger and magic, thrills and spills. I loved diving into imaginary worlds that flexed my growing imagination. These days, I am able to take my love of middle grade fiction one step further by creating my own stories that people can enjoy.
Q6. What is your all-time favorite middle-grade book?
I have so many! Growing up, I was obsessed with the ‘Famous Five’ series by Enid Blyton, maybe because I was always a bit of a tomboy – scrambling over rocks, sliding down muddy banks, grass stains on my jeans. Every day of my school holiday, I would pack a picnic and disappear for hours on end with my best friend and her dog.
Q7. Fill in the blanks:
I’m really awesome at making a mess.
I’m really embarrassed to admit I can eat a whole tub of ice cream at once.
The last great book I read was Naked in Death by J. D. Robb.
Q8. If you were to create and bake a cupcake inspired by The Snow Witch what would it look and taste like? What would you call it?
SNOWYLICIOUS – a lemon cupcake, topped with a flurry of white chocolate frosting, decorated with spiky meringue shards and a sprinkling of tiny coconut snowballs. But watch out… one bite could freeze you with a million deathly snow-kisses!
Rosie Boyes is a children’s author from the UK. She has been passionate about middle-grade books ever since she can remember. Her love of reading came at an early age when she escaped into classic stories, living out the lives of the characters she met. During her spare time, she dreams about dipping her toes in the sea, splashing through puddles, kicking up leaves in the autumn…
Snow Witch is such a delightful story that captured the magical wintery feeling of swirling snowflakes for me.
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds really good.
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