"Your voice is a mighty thing, Eska. When everything is taken from you - your family, your home,
your friends, your dignity - you still have a voice, however weak it sounds."
The Ice Queen wants power. She wants to command all of the tribes. She plans to defy the gods. Her power will come from gathering the voices of every citizen. But there is one voice that is essential to her success. A young girl called Eska. She captures Eska and imprisons her in a music box. When the key is turned she is forced to dance but no matter what the Ice Queen does Eska refuses to talk.
Every adult in the kingdom has been captured. They are languishing in the prison under Winterfang Palace. Flint is desperate to free his precious Ma but when he breaks into the palace, using long forgotten magic and wonderful inventions, he is confronted by Eska. She begs for his help and so their adventure begins and it is a race against time.
"The Ice queen is feeding on her prisoner's voices. ... And if she can swallow every voice in Erkenwalk before the midnight sun rises, she'll become immortal and will rule this kingdom for ever."
There are three tribes in the kingdom of Erkenwald - Tusk, Feather and Fur. In the past all three lived in harmony but now the Ice Queen commands the Tusk Tribe and the other two groups are filled with suspicion. Flint takes Eska back to his home but his brother Tomkin is sure she is a spy. Which tribe does she belong to? He banishes her to the wildness but Flint and his tiny sister track her down. Now the three of them, Flint, Eska and Blu, along with Eska's eagle companion, Balapan, must form an unlikely team to find Frost Horn and use it to blow the Sky Song from the stars.
This is one of those utterly breathtaking and atmospheric adventure stories where I just had to keep stopping to take a breath. Danger lurks at every turn and while I was sure Eska would succeed and I knew the evil Ice Queen would be defeated Abi Elphinstone kept me right on the edge of my seat gasping as this evil woman attacks this small group of young children over and over again. Spoiler alert - I loved that the Frost Horn was the tusk of a narwhal.
If your young reading companion has grown up loving the Disney movie Frozen they will be sure to enjoy Sky Song (ages 10+). I also recommend you try to read the famous fairy tale - The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen and then the second book in the Narnia series - The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. Even if it was not Abi's intention both of these are have clearly influenced this newer story.
The writing in this book also reminded me of the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series by Michelle Paver which begins with Wolf Brother. I was not surprised to read that, like Michelle Paver, Abi Elphinstone researched her book in the Arctic and Mongolia.
If you have this book in your library you should use chapter 19 as a way to hook your group into reading this book.
Abi Elphinstone's magical adventure already feels timeless, stuffed with close calls, fantastical creatures and deliciously evil villains. The world of Erkenwald is beautifully imagined, with stunning images unfurling in your mind and astonishing hideaways waiting to be explored. Book Trust
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 Book Bag
Here is an alternate cover
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