This was one of my birthday presents. I have been in love with Emma Carroll since I read ‘Secrets of a Sun King’ and this book did not disappoint.

Synopsis (as taken from back of book) is as follows:

Pearl was putting the finishing touches to a persona made out of snow. And that person, with coal for eyes and a turnip for a nose, was now wearing Pearl’s sister’s best shawl.

It’s Christmas Eve, and Pearl Granger is making a snow sister. It won’t bring her real sister back. But a snow sister is better than no sister.

Then a mysterious letter arrives, with a surprise that will stir the heart of Pearl’s family. Will Christmas ever be the same again?

Ability to read – This was an absolutely charming book to read. It is a very short story but still managed to pack a lot in. I had no difficulty in reading this and thought the story to be very thought out and detailed. It is the perfect little moral story. At 112 pages, I thought this book managed to clearly get a message across while also sending you on an adventure.

Characterisation – The main character was very likeable and it was easy to get behind her. There were a lot of emotions and a lot of lessons to be learnt in this book and I think the main character grasped hold of them all and naviagated the best she could given her circumstances.

Visualisation – It was very easy to visualise. As a short story, the scenes didn’t change too much and I was able to get a clear image of what I wanted to see and how the story was being told.

Uniqueness – At the beginning I thought it might be like ‘The Snowman’ but it wasn’t and it took a different direction. I was pleasantly surprised by this book for it packed a punch and had a fully formed story and when I looked at the size of the book while reading, I didn’t really expect it to have an impact on me.

Hannah xoxo