Inspired by Heather’s mother-son book club, I asked my 9yo daughter if she’d be interested in writing a guest post every once in a while. She loved the idea, provided that I would do the typing. So, here’s her first review. It was a great learning experience. We talked a lot about how to describe a book “just enough” to entice others to read it, without giving away any spoilers. It was harder than she thought! I myself haven’t read this book, by the way, so I can’t vouch for the accuracy of her review. ;-)

Plot summary: Hugo Pepper is 11. He is an orphan and he doesn’t know where his home is. His parents crashed in the Frozen North, in a Crane & Sons Aeronautical Snow Chariot, Mark II. Apparently snow giants brought him to some reindeer herders (Harvi and Sarvi Runter-Tun-Tun) who brought him up. When Hugo finds the Crane & Sons, etc., Harvi and Sarvi tell him about his past. Then Hugo flies in the Crane & Sons, etc., to Firefly Square, crashing into a tree because the engine sputtered out. He meets his grandfather, who is trapped in the basement of the Firefly Quarterly Institute, which is where they make, edit, and print newspapers. And now Hugo has to figure out how to save his grandfather.

My favorite things about the book: One of my favorite things about the book was a detail: cloud sheep wool blankets and carpets. I liked it because of the description they give of the cloud sheep. Hugo’s parents’ friend was a carpet weaver, and her husband was a cloud sheep shepherd. Instead of carrying a crook, he carried a net, because apparently cloud sheep have buoyant wool. Because cloud sheep are about the size of guinea pigs, they look like little puffy clouds. Every once in a while a gust of wind will come and blow some cloud sheep off the mountainside. The net is to make sure they don’t fly away! In fact, there aren’t any left in the world, because a giant gust of wind blew them all off the mountainside! A 50% cloud sheep wool carpet is rare. It hovers a few inches off the ground. A 100% cloud sheep wool carpet is extremely rare. There’s only one in the entire world. You have to make sure you keep a tight grip on it! If you don’t, you’ll end up 100% cloud sheep wool carpet-less! The illustrations are great, too.

Would you recommend this book to other kids? Yes! If you liked The Edge Chronicles, you’re bound to like this! It doesn’t have as many made-up creatures, but there are snow giants and mermaids. Plus, it’s by the same author.