*book was archived or unable to be read due to formatting errors. Because of this, I unfortunately can not read or review the story*

The Snow Angel is a really introspective novel based around one young girl and whether or not she can make her dreams come to with some supernatural help in the form of spirits and dreams.

This started off pretty slow, but it turned into a lovely read. So much attention to detail, and I had vivid images of the setting in my mind throughout the book.

The perfect combination of a Christmas story with fairytale elements and a beautiful message. Simply lovely.

This was so much more evocative, emotional and lovely than I thought it would be but I was truly sucked into this story really quickly, and I felt for Makena so much in it. The story really made me think about some things that I haven't thought about before, or at least in a long time. I, like everyone at the time, was obviously freaked out about Ebola but I have been lucky to never really need to think about it since the initial scare. I never thought about the children left behind as orphans because of it, and also how it could hit extremely ordinary people just like myself and my family and not just those living in extreme poverty or aid workers.

I loved the bits about albinism in it as well through Makena's friendship with another girl called Snow. Snow talks about how she's in danger because she's an albino and I feel like it's really educational in a simple, not scary way for younger kids that might be reading this. This was full of really lovely female friendships, and obviously diverse characters. Lauren St John is not an author of colour but she did grow up in Zimbabwe so knows a lot about African culture. I feel like she really did justice to Kenya (as far as I can say with my limited knowledge of the country) and described it so well and vibrant.

The small bits of magical realism with the fox were few and in between but it worked really well in the story. Makena really needed to make her own way through her grief and loneliness and I feel like, as a reader, I was really with her through that journey. It was heartbreaking and beautiful all at the same time.

I read this a little while ago now but I remember it pretty well and I enjoyed it.

The characters were interesting, the story cute and SCOTLAND.
I liked the journey and often felt for the main character, I think I cried a bit at some point.

This was a perfectly cute winter story filled with twists and cuteness.

The mountains were her friends.

The Snow Angel is the perfect story for a cold, rainy day, where you can hide yourself away with a hot chocolate and a fluffy blanket, and delve into Makena’s world as she experiences heartbreak, magic, and miracles. Venture from Nigeria, with its chaotic streets, vibrant colours, and crime ridden slums, to the frigid Scottish Highlands. The messages of grief, hope, love, and family come through strongly in the story, and although Makena’s life takes a difficult turn, hope and love ultimately win out.

‘Then you have to make it your mission to get another. Everyone has to have a mission. Without that, why would they get up in the morning – except to see the sunrise? That can be yours. One day you’ll fill a new jar with snow.’

Makena, a young Nigerian girl, is obsessed with mountains and mountaineering – her father’s job as a mountain guide has always fascinated her and she dreams of climbing mountains with him. Her happy life is shattered, however, when her parents die and she finds herself abused, scared, and alone. Taking refuge into Mathare Slums become her only option, and we are given an insight into the very real problem of life is slums that many people around the world face. She finds herself in a dark place, wondering if she can trust Snow, the albino girl who befriends her, or the sparkling fox who seems to show up just in time. A series of events leads to her arrival in Scotland, another thing that just doesn’t seem to go right – except for the wild beauty of the mountains.

But what the mountains of Scotland lacked in height, they made up for in windblasted ruggedness. The wildness of the crags and clouds that sent dragon-shadows swooping across the village set Makena’s skin tingling.

Although The Snow Angel deals with a lot of serious themes – forgotten children, poverty, death – it also showcases how magic can exist in the most unlikely places, and how nature can heal us when we are at our most broken. Despite her struggles, Makena always finds some inner strength and, helped along the way by a little bit of magic and some incredible people, she never gives up. That prevalent feeling of hope never disappears – your heart will break for Makena, but you’ll never stop rooting for her and hoping that things work out in the end. Could there be a better story to enjoy on a crisp, winter day in front of the fire?

To be honest, I think it is best to go into this novel without knowing anything about it. That way you can just be engrossed in this story, because that is the way I went into it. And actually I expected a magical element to it, which I didn’t get, but I wasn’t disappointed with it at all. This story is heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time.

I really enjoyed the story, it felt a little slow to start with but then it takes of and you become totally immersed in the characters life that you just have to keep reading until you get to the end. The ending is good but it felt a bit abrupt. I would still recommend it to my students though as it leaves you with an all round good feeling.

The reason I requested this book was the fact that there was Scotland in it. The description did sound interesting and the cover is beautiful, but my reason was Scotland.

Now, Makena is an amazing main character. I loved her premonitions and she was very realistic. She goes from loving home to not so nice home to slums of Kenya, showing all the grittiness of the life in the slums. She does have some friends though, and a lot of luck.

I liked that she did not always act as a mature person, after all, she is still a child, even though she’s gone through all the atrocities. The book is a bit cliche at the end, as I could guess some events after Makena comes to Scotland, but this does not change the fact that it is an excellent book. It is short, but packed with different ranges of emotions, from sadness to happiness and all between. I have enjoyed it immensely and am really glad that I got the chance to read it!

After the tragic death of her parents, Makena’s world is shattered. Her dreams vanish in thin air and every day becomes a struggle to survive to the Kenyan slumps. The Snow Angel follows Makena’s journey that takes her from Africa to the Scottish Highlands, guided by a mysterious silver sparkling fox, looking for a new place to call home.

There are moments you want to hug Makena –for someone so young she goes through so much. Not only does she loses her parents, but faces the harsh reality of being an orphan in the slums and having no adult to rely on and ask for help. Her pain is so heartbreaking (especially when she learns that blood is not thicker than water). What makes Makena’s journey sadder is that thousands of children go through the same in real life and many people aren’t aware of it. However, it warmed my heart when Makena found a friend in Snow, an albino girl with dreams of becoming a ballerina who would always find happiness in the smaller things.

What I loved the most about this book was the beautiful writing style. The writing made the story seem so enticing and eerie –it reminded me of those magical old folktales. Moreover, the settings were so well crafted that they seemed vivid –from the hot Kenya to the snowy Scotland.

Lauren St. John makes the reader ponder on very tough themes, such as Ebola (a disease that kills thousands), children being kidnapped to work on factories, orphans on the slums that must scavenger the trash for food and so on.

"The Snow Angel", a middle grade novel that should be read by all, conveys a very powerful message: you may find yourself in the darkest of the places, but never lose hope.

This is the tale of a young girl called Makena who lives in Nairobi, The story starts by portraying the close relationship between her and her parents, especially her father who shares her love of mountains, Tragedy soon strikes as Ebola kills both of her parents. Makena goes to live with her uncle and his wife but is thrown out by the aunt who is clearly a selfish person married to a weak man, From there, things go from bad to worse for Makena who ends up living in the slums and eventually being rescued by a charity who relocate her to Scotland.

I liked the way the mountains, snow and the silver fox linked the two countries and demonstrated that all humans are the same, some of us born to a great deal more privilege than others. The part in the slum was challenging, depicting both evil men and great friendship that can bring happiness even when life is grim.

This was a sweet book that took you on a journey through the Kenyan mountains to the Scottish Highlands.

Makena is the twelve-year-old narrator of this novel, a girl born and raised in Africa. After a sudden disaster befalls Makena's family, she is left orphaned, alone and on the streets. She befriends other children in the slums and meets Diana, an albino girl who actually goes by the name Snow. This is a story about survival and hope. And then there's Helen, a woman who works for a charity, Hope 4 Africa, can she be the one to change Makena's life around?

It shows how lives are lived in Africa, and also makes note of the Ebola outbreak and other situations. I think it would be quite an informative book to read for younger readers. It's also emotional and heartfelt, and touching, so overall, a nice read.

This is a story about Makena and her life, first in Africa and then in Scotland. Her father is a climbing guide and she loves the mountains and hopes one day to be a climber like her father. However events conspire against her and her life starts to unravel. This is Makena's story as she journeys through hard times.

I really liked Makena as a character. There is a real charm to her and I felt engaged with her as a character. Much of the description left me with a clear image of places and people too. I guess parts of the book are a little dark or even depressing however there is also joy and it is life affirming.

The last part of the book should bring a tear to the eye of any human being for my money. It is wonderfully warm and rich. I have a slight reservation about the timing in the book; the first two thirds goes at quite a slow pace (though certainly not too slowly) however the last third does feel rushed to me.

It is a story for young adults however I certainly enjoyed it and would happily recommend it to my grandchildren when they are a little older. I'm not sure the message has great depth but it does have charm, affection and resilience. I enjoyed it.

Loved this book! It is a really good book for a kids but also an awesome book for adults also. And I must say that cover is amazing!

This book is wonderful! I devoured it in one sitting. It's the first book I have read by this author but won't hesitate in seeking out others.
It is ideal for upper key stage 2 and could easily be used and adapted for the classroom.
The story of an orphaned young girl in Africa who ultimately ends up in the Scottish highlands is thought provoking and ultimately heart warming. I loved every bit of it.

Wow! What an amazing and delightful read! Loved being taken to Africa and enjoyed Scotland! Will pass this to my children for sure!

This book was not at all what I expected from the summary. Especially the fact that this is advertised as a Christmas book and since I’m one of those people that can only start listening to Christmas songs on December 1st, so reading that topic in summer felt kind of weird. Fortunately, Christmas only played a bigger part towards the end of the book, where it made more or less sense to add it. This book, in my opinion, is much more than a Christmas tale.

The first couple of chapters were kind of slow but then I found my way into Makena’s story and was so enraptured by it that I couldn’t put down the book. St. John manages to beautifully depict the landscapes, cities and people in Kenya, as well as Scotland. Reading them I could imagine scaling up those mountains myself.

While the first chapters felt too slow, the later chapters were too fast paced for my taste. This, I think, is quite the shame, because I would have loved to learn so much more about the circumstances and life in Kenya. Instead it was like rushing through those important plot points, which all seemed to end in some kind of new drama. To sum it up, there was too much happening for only two hundred pages and it showed.

Another thing that irked me were the characters. We learned a lot about Makena, but I got the impression that every other character was just there so she could get more character development. They were introduced and were important, as well as actually interesting for a while, just to be mentioned in passing later on.

I liked this book, don’t get me wrong. I just think it could have been so much better.

When Makena's life gets shattered to pieces, the toughest thing for her is to regain the will to live, muster the courage to go on, and figure out a reason why. For the reader, it's the realization that her story is something far from fantasy, happening right now in different parts of the world, we're usually choosing to close our eyes to.

Her journey that takes her from Kenya to Scotland never ceases to amaze. Wonderful writing, superbly illustrated settings and gripping characters come together in a fascinating plot that blends the themes of family, friendship, survival, healing, courage, strength of mind, body and soul, and hope and positivity that never go out, not even in the darkest of places but rather always shine like the tail of a magical silver fox, miraculously appearing to protect and guide you.

Thought-provoking, beautiful, powerful and deeply moving at the same time, The Snow Angel is mesmerizing and it won't let you put it down. This is the kind of book I would gift to all the children I know.

And yes, this book will also make you cry. But in the end, it will leave you as warm as a cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows on top!

"... climbing is like the journey of life. You start slowly. You try one way and if it doesn't work out or you meet some obstacles, you keep searching until you find another trail. There is always a second chance. If you keep on walking and keep on trying, you'll get there in the end."