he Way Past Winter
By: Kiran Millwood Hargrave

Chronicle Books

Middle Grade/ Sci Fi and Fantasy

Publish Date October 6, 2020

#WayPastWinter #NetGalley

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This was a nice change for a middle grade book. I gave it 4 stars. I read it quickly and enjoyed myself while doing so. I recommend that everyone should read this book.

This book is about a family who loses their mother during child birth but it isn't right told you. Their father disappears one night do to the grief of losing his wife. There are three girls and one boy who are trying to keep themselves warm and fed at there home.

One night a stranger comes and ask to stay the night and the middle girl doesn't like the feel of him and doesn't want to stay but the brother tells him he can stay in barn.

The next morning the brother has disappeared and the older sister is upset because she is left in charge of everything but really doesn't blame him for leaving. The middle girl says she doesn't believe he left on his own but was taken. They go to town and find out that all the boys have left and no one wants to go after them because they think they left on their own.

The girl, Mila, doesn't think so so she goes and finds a Mage who believes her and wants to help her but they have to do it right away because they are running out of time.

The adventure is great and there is a lot more going on then you think.

Does she find her brother? Does she find the town boys? You will have to read the book to find out.

Set in a land plagued by a years long winter and rooted in folklore, this is a tale about sibling relationships with a backdrop of magic. It's a sweet story with well drawn characters who you want to follow across frozen lands and dangerous adventures.

A solid middle grade fantasy set in a mythical Scandinavia world. I liked that although the environmental message is strong, it doesn't overwhelm the story. The plot itself feels familiar: children on a quest to find their missing parents, accompanied by a magical character, who ultimately must overcome evil on their own. This will appeal to fans of Grace Lin's "Where the Mountain Meets the Moon" or Kelly Regan Barnhill's "The Girl Who Drank the Moon".

The Way Past Winter by Kiran Millwood Hargrave is absolutely enchanting. This book is a beautiful work of art.

Mila and her siblings go on a journey of a lifetime to save their brother Oskar from the clutches of The Bear.
Filled with adventure, courage, magic, and hope, Mila and her siblings prove that with each other, anything is possible.

Thanks to NetGalley, Chicken House Ltd, and Kiran Millwood Hargrave for an ARC in return for an honest review.

I thought this was a beautiful story for adults and children. It would be a perfect read aloud for the winter season!

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. This is a great middle-grade winter read with a fairy tale feel.

Atmospheric is a word that will be used often to describe THE WAY PAST WINTER by Kiran Millwood Hargrave and it could not be more accurate. This story is a treasure -a snowy fairy tale adventure- with Hargrave as our magical storytelling guide. I'm looking forward to reading her back list and everything else she writes going forward.

A moody, snow-bound fairy tale featuring three sisters in pursuit of their brother who has been ensorceled by a vengeful bear spirit. I was strongly reminded of a number of Russian-inspired fairy tale offerings that have been cropping up in the fantasy genre, although this story is far more appropriate to middle grade readers than others both of that ilk and Hargrave's own body of work. I hope she does more middle grade focused works, as she has a talent for it.

While it appears this middle grade fantasy novel was originally published back in 2018, I had not heard of it until receiving a NetGalley copy. I enjoy the newer cover and the more childlike opening chapter illustrations, as they make it feel like the story is for a younger audience.

I often find that middle grade fantasy seems like a difficult genre to write. Sometimes, the subject matter comes off as being too adult. But I felt The Way Past Winter did a perfect job of providing enough magic and adventure while still being appropriate for younger grade levels. It was an intriguing story from beginning to end-a missing father, and endless winter, a vanished brother, and the three sisters that set out to find him. I thought it was very well written and know that quite a few of my students would enjoy it as well.

This is a beautifully written fairy tale. I loved that the hero of the story was a strong, capable girl who overcame her fears and doubts to do what it took to save her brother and keep her family together.

The plot was wonderful, and the characters developed in such a way that made them alive and created a connection between them and the reader. I cared what happened in the story and I cared about the characters themselves.

A BIG Thank You to Netgalley and Chronicle Books for providing me an advanced reader’s copy of “The Way Past Winter” for my review.

What a beautiful story! It is one of those books that makes you appreciate nature. Living in a commercial world, at times we fail to see realize that even Mother Nature has a life which we take for granted and misuse. The author has beautifully highlighted how important it is for us to maintain the balance and give back to nature.

Mila is a wonderful protagonist who is willing to go till the end to save her family. Pipa is adorable as the feisty sidekick sister. I really liked how she stood up to Mila and protected her even if Mila protested. She also made the book lighthearted with her humor. Also, Rune was great as the mysterious character who helps them in their journey. The author really has a beautiful tone in her writing. The story is magical, beautiful, scary, adventurous, humorous, and though provoking. You never know what to expect or who the villain could be as the main villain possesses others to do his work.

My only criticism to the story is if knew the history of some character. I really liked Rune in this book but felt that he was still a mystery in some ways. Same for Mila’s father. The father seems like an interesting character, and I was hoping to read more about him and his scenes when the bear attacked him. For some reason, the story felt a bit incomplete because I felt like I really didn’t know the characters to really understand them.

But apart from that, I really enjoyed this tale. If you like to read a good fantasy, adventure middle grade novel, you will enjoy reading this book.

The Way Past Winter is a middle grade wintery fantasy tale that is super warm and inviting. It starts off as three sisters looking for their brother Oskar who believes he has been kidnapped. With a help of a mage, they have an adventure going North to save him. I enjoyed the book from the beginning to the end.

Thank you #netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Way Past Winter is a literary fairy tale filled with vibrant description, interesting characters, and a sense of magic and wonder. I highly recommend this as a read aloud book, as it could lead to a lot of interesting conversations as you read.