Sunaya has a gift. She can sense danger and safety. She can 'read' people. She's had these skills for a long time but only now does she realise not everyone can do these things. Sunaya and her nephew (who is only slightly older than her) have been sent to remote mountain region in the bitter winter. Their people usually travel to this region in the summer but right now Sunaya's father wants to hide his six prized nanny gotals so they are not taken as part of dowry. Notice that word gotals - this one word tells you this story is set in another world. The winter mountains are home to the Ice People but for Sunaya and Danam the Ice People are perhaps just the stuff of legends or stories told by Great Aunt Mera.
Travelling through this bitter snow covered landscape Sunaya senses danger. Her Uncle, who is travelling with the children, has forged ahead. Suddenly the snow explodes into an avalanche and First Uncle is killed. Sunaya knows there is no point in searching for him and she convinces Danam to continue their journey. The pair take refuge in a small run down hut. Sunaya has had a sense that someone is watching them. Indeed this is true - it is a group of Ice People including the Princess, who is next in line to the throne, and her brother the Prince Praseep.
The Ice People are seeking a Cloud Dragon. The Cloud Dragon will be the protector of the Princess Rishala when she takes over from the dying queen. There is a prophecy:
"The Seers foretold that if we walked to the edge of the Dirt, we'd uncover her Cloud Dragon. We walked there and we saw your group. We watched you come down the slope. One adult, two children. One child in pants who read the slopes expertly, and a child in skirts following who knew nothing."
The problem is the Ice People have the wrong person. They think Danam is destined to be the next Cloud Dragon and so they are taking him away to complete a series of extremely dangerous and complex tasks. In fact it was Sunaya who was wearing pants, Danam just had his cloak tied around him and it looked like a skirt. Sunaya needs to convince the Princess and her group that she should come to the city with Danam. She does not know about the prophecy, she does not really understand her own power but she is desperate to protect her nephew and the herd of gotals. One of the guards travelling with the Princess, a girl called Aji, seems to sense the truth and later she becomes a very important ally. But what about Vilpur who is also in this group - can he be trusted?
These tests, Sunaya learns, can be fatal. Praseep himself had hoped to be the next Cloud Dragon and take the role protecting his sister but he failed one of the five tests and only lived to tell the tale because he does possess powerful gifts. The tests are designed around: Strength, Courage, Resilience, Compassion and Fortitude. Sunaya must save her nephew but to do that she knows she must face these tests - and win!
The lost stone of the title is the reason for the division of this kingdom into "dirt people" and "ice people". Stones are powerful devices used by the Ice People but Sunaya needs to show serious errors were made in the past and "dirt people" are not really the enemy. Stories from the past need to be rewritten.
I loved the depiction of bitter cold in this story. Thank goodness Praseep can make fireballs. They kept me warm. I try hard not to say negative things on this blog but, while I totally adored this story, I really really do not like the cover. If I had not been given an Advanced Reader Copy by Beachside Bookshop I am fairly sure I would not have picked up this book and that makes me sad. I do tell students "don't judge a book by it's cover" but of course with books (and sometimes people) this is something we all do. I highly recommend this book and I hope you can convince a middle primary reader to explore the amazing lands, palace and tests of the Ice People.
You can read part of Chapter One here. Read about HM (Heather) Waugh on her web site. I hope this book is listed as a notable title for our CBCA awards in 2020 - yes it is that good! Why did HM Waugh include goats (gotals) in her story? Read about this here. This book will be available from 1st October, 2019.
I would follow The Lost Stone of Skycity with Ottilie Colter and the Narroway hunt; Prisoner of Ice and snow and The Halfmen of O by Maurice Gee.
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