Synopsis
When freakish weather grips the Arctic regions and moves southward, an Irish girl and her strange companion save the world from disaster through their ability to switch into animal forms.
Reviews
Grade 5-8AA terrific read that's sure to keep youngsters turning pages. As a result of a strange weather phenomenon, severe snowstorms are moving south from the Arctic. Two young teens, with the help of a weird old woman, find out that the blizzards are being caused by a group of mysterious ice creatures and set out to stop them. Tess and Kevin have the ability to switch from human form into any animal they choose, real or imaginary. What better way to save the world than as a polar bear, a woolly mammoth, or, better yet, a fire-breathing dragon! Even those who cannot easily suspend disbelief will care about the characters from the very first pageAtremble when they are in trouble, and feel exalted when they triumph in the end. In addition, the premise that children have powers beyond what they can see or are told is a mighty one. This tale will incite imaginations and provide a launching pad for discussion. In the end, Kevin is killed but rises as a phoenix. Tess is so moved that she gives up her family and human form to join him. Yes, it's corny, but it fits the mood and style of the rest of the story. Imaginative, thoughtful fun.AMolly S. Kinney, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, PA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Tess has a secret that keeps her apart from others: she can change into an animal at will. Disturbed when scruffy Kevin keeps following her after school, Tess wonders what he wants from her, and why an arctic front is sweeping over the globe, causing a blizzard in Dublin in September. Then she learns that Kevin shares her gift, and they set out across Ireland, disguised as rats, and guided by fellow rats to "little old lady" Lizzie. The eccentric woman sends them on a quest north to stop the krools, ravenous monsters responsible for the Earth's ice ages. The pair races against time (Kevin is about to turn 15, when all Switchers have to choose their final form) and U.N. warplanes seeking alien invaders, to halt the global icing. In occasionally poetic language (which may need some explaining to younger readers), Thompson interweaves elements from mythology and science fiction with insights into animal nature to create a coming-of-age fantasy that, like Peter Pan, ends with an open window and, for many readers, a lump in the throat. Ages 8-up.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Thompson has written a fantasy with the pacing of a suspense novelan adventure written in poetic prose. In Dublin, Tess is being followed by the furtive, rat-like Kevin, 14, who astonishes her by saying, ``I know what you do.'' Tess has a secret: She can change herself into any animal, a power that she first realized when she was seven or eight; in fear of others' discovery of her gift, she remains purposely friendless. Kevin, too, is a switcher, and their shared abilities render them unlikely companions, as he pushes her to join him in a great undertaking which is nothing less than saving the United Kingdom from a cataclysmic weather pattern that is crushing the northern climes with killing blizzards. A wise elder imparts cryptic guidance to the two as they embark on their deadly mission; other authority figures in the book are completely at sea as they struggle to cope with the strange blizzards that spell doom and the strange creatures on their radar screens: Kevin and Tess in altered states. Thus, in a satisfying manner, the two are constantly succeeding, but only by the seat of their pants, finding new reserves of ingenuity to accomplish their goal. The suspense never wavers, while integral to the story are the author's deft observations on independence and human relationships, on death and loss, and more, in an atmospheric and authentic fantasy world. (Fiction. 12-15) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
Gr. 5^-7. Stunned and delighted to discover that she's not unique, a young shape-changer and her newfound friend save the world from a sudden ice age in this grand, colorful fantasy. Asleep since the end of the last ice age, the mountainous, amoebalike krools have been awakened by an arctic oil-drilling project and are sliding south, preceded by huge, wild snowstorms. Unaware of the disastrous weather's cause, UN leaders are panic stricken--but in her cottage near Dublin, eccentric old Lizzie has an idea and sends her rat friends out to find help. They return with Tess and Kevin, two young teens with the ability to "switch" into animals; Lizzie sends the pair off to battle, armed with the hint that they've only begun to explore their powers. Alhough she hasn't thought through every detail (somehow, for instance, the shifters are always fully clothed when they switch into human form), Thompson gives each type of creature that Tess and Kevin become a distinct character, from the comic rats to the proud, farseeing great whales. Come the climax, Tess and Kevin joyfully discover that they're not limited to real animals, so as fire-breathing dragons--and with the inadvertent help of the military, who try to shoot them down, thinking they are UFOs--they incinerate enough krool to avert the worldwide threat. Hand this with confidence to readers who have enjoyed Patrice Kindl's Owl in Love (1993) or Diane Duane's wizard series. John Peters
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