The Banished

October 1, 1999
Gr 4-6-In this prequel to Levin's Ice Bear (Greenwillow, 1986; o.p.), the people of Starkland have been banished from Thyrne for rising up against the king's raiders. Their ransom to gain reentry is an ice bear, and they are about to deliver one. Siri's Uncle Thorvald has brought the bear and her two cubs to the village, along with the Furfolk family who cares for them. When the elders of the village insist that the Furfolk children be used as hostages on the journey over the sea, Thorvald substitutes his niece for the Furfolk son so that he can remain behind to care for his mother and newborn sister. The bears arrive safely in Thyrne and it appears Thorvald will go home a hero, until the King demands the Furfolk as part of the bargain. Siri's growth is the story's strongest element. Like the rest of her people, she thinks of the Furfolk as subhuman creatures, and her forced contact with them on the long voyage repulses her. By the time she is forced to abandon them, she feels true grief at their plight. Unfortunately, strands of the story go nowhere. Readers are tossed about from Starkland to the Furfolk village to the ship, with no real sense of place ever being established. Without it, the breakneck plot has nothing on which to rest. It is never made clear why the settlers of Starkland are so eager to relinquish their freedom and get back to Thyrne. Most of the many characters are flat, adding to the dull tone. Readers of the sequel, will find the hopeful ending disappointing, since they already know that the Furfolk man and two of the bears are murdered early in that book. A disappointing offering.-Patricia A. Dollisch, DeKalb County Public Library, Decatur, GA

Copyright 1999 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 1999
Gr. 5^-8. Siri's grandmother tells stories of their people's homeland, an island of colors, fragrances, and verdant growth. But Siri knows only the Land of the White Falcons, a frozen settlement her people share with the feared, reviled, and primitive Furfolk. Only by delivering an ice bear to their homeland's king can Siri's banished people hope to end their exile. But when Siri is caught in a web of deceptions, and forced to make the dangerous sea journey to deliver the bear, she finds her loyalties and preconceptions challenged, as an uneasy alliance with a young Furfolk girl becomes a rewarding, heartfelt friendship. This prequel to "The Ice Bear" (1986) is an engaging fantasy, with wonderfully detailed, imaginative cultures and plenty of drama and suspense; Siri is a compelling, realistically evolving character, who gains appreciation and respect for those whose appearances and traditions initially appear foreign and intimidating. The book's open ending will lead readers right to the sequel for what happens next. ((Reviewed August 1999))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1999, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2000
In an adventure story filled with an atmospheric sense of place, Siri finds herself involved in her uncle's daring plan to free their people, banished years ago to a frozen settlement. The king has promised to lift the ban if an exotic ice bear is brought to him alive. The final suspenseful page turn will send readers on their own quest, to find this prequel's companion--Levin's 1986 book, "The Ice Bear".

(Copyright 2000 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)