Sky Song

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The strongest message for me, however, is around the value of diversity and the importance of accepting people for who they are. Both Eska and Flint are seeking acceptance but this message is most powerful by the simple inclusion of Blu in our trio of protagonists. Blu has Downs Syndrome but, unlike so many stories where one of the characters has a disability, the story is not about her dealing with her disability or overcoming it. Instead, she's simply a realistic and likeable character who is being herself and who is able to make her own contribution to steering the group successfully through the adventure. The other thing that makes this story very special is the way the adventure is used to convey some extremely powerful messages. The most obvious, and perhaps timely, is the importance of co-operation between the tribes. However, it is the more subtle messages that most drew me in – messages about friendship and hope and the fact that there are different types of bravery. I especially liked the way that author Abi Elphinstone, uses Flint's reactions to demonstrate that it is okay for boys to show emotion and to release this emotion through tears. There is, after all, nothing weak about the resourceful and steadfast Flint. Eska is one of the many prisoners of the Ice Queen. With no memories of her past, Eska only knows that she cannot allow the Ice Queen to take her voice, that it might be special in some way... The Ice Queen turned the key and, as it wound three turns to the left then half a turn right, music began. It was different from the melody that came from the trees; this was a gentle, almost magical tinkling, like tiny bells chiming or dozens of stars falling to Earth. Chords drifted through the palace—up and down the snow-strewn staircases, into the towers surrounding the palace domes, across the bridge connecting the iceberg to the mainland, and then out over the miles of frozen tundra beyond. The chords were solemn, like the groaning of a faraway glacier, and as they swelled and throbbed, Eska winced. The Ice Queen was getting ready to feed on her stolen voices.

Can tribes see past their differences and deep suspicions of ‘outsiders’ to unite against a common enemy? Can Flint, - himself a far from standard warrior, with his belief in Old Magic and his gift for inventing, - punch through prejudice and learn to trust the unknown? Just maybe: Absolutely fantastic story, full of adventure and suspense. It is quite inspiring how a group of very determined and courageous children came together to defend the evil adult Ice Queen, who is using dark magic. This story is about the journey Eska (a prisoner of the Ice Queen who broke free) and Flint (an inventor who still believes in good magic) go on to find the Frost Horn to save the kingdom and unite the tribes, before the Ice Queen steals Eska's voice and has the power to rule over the kingdom for ever! There is a bunch of other really lovely and inspirational human and animal characters who help them along the way, such as Blu and Balapan the Eagle. Eska is also on a journey to find her memories, which the Ice Queen stole. Flint is a boy from the Fur tribe, who “usually only discovered where he was going halfway through a journey, and when he arrived he was often somewhere he hadn’t intended to be”. Flint breaks into the palace to free his mother, but stumbles on Eska first. In an unplanned rescue, the girl and boy escape, pursued by the Ice Queen, who will do whatever it takes to recapture Eska. A Sky Full of Song takes place in 1905 Ukraine (still under Soviet rule), and North Dakota. Shoshona and her family are moving from Ukraine because of the horrible treatment of Jewish people. She and her family have to worry about being forced out of their house and village, and being homeless or worse. Her dad and brother have gone to claim land in North Dakota. The land there is free if you can work it and build your own shelter. Unfortunately, the land was taken from the Dakota Native Americans who came before. When Shoshona’s dad feels like the land is ready, he sends for their family. Shoshona is a little scared at first, but she’s excited about going to school and making friends. Because they are Jewish, Shoshona discovers her family will still be seen as different even in North Dakota. She desperately wants to fit in and isn’t sure how to be proud of her heritage and fit in. This was a great story about many things in history I did not know much about.

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A children's classic in the making, Sky Song will whisk you off on an astonishing journey and leave you gripped from beginning to end.

Eska stayed silent, huddled on her pedestal, then there was a cough from somewhere nearby and the Ice Queen spun round. A perfect alternative to the Little House series, this novel offers a unique window into history. I loved Shoshi’s resilience and feisty spirit--she learns to play violin, even though it's a difficult instrument to master; she learns to stand up for herself, even when it isn't easy; and she smuggles a cat all the way to North Dakota without her mother knowing. The story ends on a wholesome note which I really appreciate when it comes to books for young readers.

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The Ice Queen has cast a spell on Erkenwald, separating the Fur and Feather Tribes and making the third – the Tusk Tribe – the enemy of both. Eager to secure her position by gaining eternal life, the Ice Queen is consuming the voices of the Erkenwald people. There seems little anyone can do until three children – Eska, Flint and Blu – come together. With help from 'the wild', they set off on a quest to find the legendary 'Frost Horn' and the magical 'Sky Song' that will free Erkenwald from the Ice Queen's control. In fact, as I was reading I was very aware of how this was a book for children. I love children's books... but I felt this was perhaps too young for me. The snowy kingdom of Erkenwald was once a magical place—until an evil ice witch cursed the land and began stealing the voices of the kingdom’s people to strengthen her powers.

In “A Sky Full of Song”, Susan Lynn Meyer has wonderfully captured the beauty of the North Dakota prairie. I have lived in North Dakota all my life, and while the landscape in places has changed dramatically since 1905 when the book takes place, many areas of North Dakota retain that allure. Ms. Meyers' descriptive phrases gave Shoshanna's new homeland a wonderful radiance that I loved. I must echo what several other reviewers have said; if you’re a fan of the Little House books, this is a must-read! It also reminded me of the American Girl books about Kirsten, an immigrant child from Sweden.

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The plot itself is a standard quest story with plenty of obstacles to overcome and dangers to escape from. There's also a strong magical element and a well-realised setting. It is, however, the interplay between this unusual group of heroes that really lifts this book above the rest in its genre. Image Gallery: Death Songbook at Llais, Wales Millennium Centre, 2022. Photography credit Kirsten McTernan) The story begins after one of the lesser Sky Gods escapes from the glacier where she has been imprisoned. This evil Ice Queen gains control of the Tusk tribe, sowing discord and suspicion among the other tribes. She uses dark magic to create Winterfang Palace, a fortress made of ice, where she imprisons men, women and children, whose voices she must steal if she is to gain immortality. One of the imprisoned children is a girl named Eska. Trapped in her glass music box, she remembers nothing of her life before her enchantment. However, it becomes apparent that there is something unique about her voice that the Ice Queen is desperate to acquire. And, at the sound, Eska felt her body stir. First her head lifted, then her hands pushed down and her legs extended until she was standing on the pedestal. She tried to hold the curse at bay, to take control of her body, but she was up on the balls of her feet now and her arms were outstretched. The Ice Queen breathed a crystal mist over the glass dome, making it disappear from sight, and, as the pedestal turned, round and round, Eska danced on trembling feet. It couldn’t be more 2021 if it tried…Indie anthems were given a classical twist; Echo and the Bunnymen’s Killing Moon and David Bowie’s My Death were delivered with heart-wrenching beauty. Anderson’s own The Next Life (written about the death of his mother) was as haunting as they come, while Suede B-side He’s Dead was delivered with Britpop swagger. Anderson leaned into the mic like he was at a sold-out Knebworth, rather than an empty theatre”

Pioneering at that time and place was very difficult, especially for immigrants who would struggle to cross both cultural and linguistic barriers to set up a permanent home in the West. It is important that we tell stories about individuals growing up in unusually hard settings (as this story did). But the reader was never offered the resolution that hope brings. Not only is this unsatisfying, it is also inaccurate. The pioneer spirit was a very real, powerful thing that transformed the mostly empty wilderness of midwestern America into a prosperous farmland. Immigrants were especially poignant displays of such spirit and determination. The depressed spirit of Shoshanna, who consistently complains about the difficulties of her old home while also mourning the challenges she faces in America, is in sharp contrast to unbeatable optimism of those in her generation. Included is everything that you need to teach 12 whole class reading sessions, based on the following texts: This beautiful middle grade historical fiction is set in North Dakota in 1905, approximately twenty-five years after becoming a state, and approximately twenty-five years before the homesteading era officially came to an end. It is a time that isn't as often covered related to pioneers, and it is great to see a story bringing it to life, especially one that highlights the Jewish pioneers who settled across the Great Plains. As a historian of North Dakota history and Great Plains history, I need to comment on the fact the author consulted such excellent sources in her research on the experiences of Jewish pioneers, and the general pioneering experience in North Dakota. They're listed at the end of the text, and I highly recommend examining them as well, as they are well worth the read. The year is 1905, and things haven’t been easy for Shoshana and her family. Violence against Jewish families like Shoshana’s has escalated in their Ukrainian village. The family is forced to leave everything familiar behind, fleeing their Ukrainian village to start a new life on the North Dakota prairie. But life in America isn’t easy either. Shoshi’s older sister, Libke, has trouble learning English. Both girls face bullies and prejudice at their new school. And the North Dakota winters are long, harsh, and terrible.As a North Dakotan, I connected to this book on an almost spiritual level. The author did a fantastic job of bringing the beauty and serenity of the prairie to life. The descriptions of the prairie and its day-to-day aspects, the good and the difficult, were amazingly authentic, and I could feel the appreciation she's gained for the prairie from her words. As Shoshana describes how she's come to love North Dakota, she echoed the exact same reasons why I love the prairie: This was such a joyous project to happen amidst the gloom of January. I’d loved Nadine’s work since I heard Fool and she and I had spoken about doing something together for ages as had me and Charles who I had also greatly admired from afar. For this all to happen against the odds with those wonderful musicians from Paraorchestra, plus the talents of Adrian Utley and Seb Rochford, was just so lovely”Brett Anderson on Death Songbook 2021 About Llais: This would be a wonderful teaching tool for middle-grade classrooms. It touches on the subjects of immigration and Ellis Island, anti-semitism, and the forced removal of Native Americans from their lands. This story is heartbreaking but also quite comforting to read while reading about the family dynamics and the sibling relationship.