Thank you @netgalley and Usborne for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Sophie Anderson is a very talented writer, with a lyrical sensibility and the ability to find new and exciting ways of describing the characters and settings of traditional folk tales.
Intense and compelling, full of beautiful images and a magical narrative, this book will be a great companion to her many fans in our library this winter.

The Snow Girl
By Sophie Anderson
Published by Usborne Publishing


Sophie Anderson, celebrated author of The House With Chicken Legs delivers another mesmerising tale of magic and friendship in a winter wonderland.

When Tasha builds a showgirl and asks her life at home with her grandpa to be made that little bit extra special, she doesn’t think her one wish can be granted. But feeling lonely only makes her wanting stronger and Tasha becomes friends with winter herself.

'I wish the snow girl would come to life. Then I would have a friend, a real friend I could trust, and I wouldn't feel so alone.'

This fairytale adventure is full of ice and snow, love and loss, starlight and mystery.
A perfect accompaniment to a cold winters night for the whole family to enjoy.

As Tasha and Alyana, a friend made of wishes, explore the unthinkable together, the courage to do what looks impossible becomes possible. But when your best friend is made of winter, what do you do when spring comes?

A beautifully written tale that reflects what’s truly important, especially when it’s gone. Such an important message in our fast moving world of change.

Joanne Bardgett - teacher of littlies, lover of Children’s literature.
#Netgalley

An enchanting winter's tale woven with magic and hope. A stunning, snowy reimagining of a Russian fairytale and one that is sure to delight young readers.

There is only one word needed to review this book - Wow.
How Sophie Anderson weaves this magic with words, swoops the reader up, transporting them to far off places, meeting such a diverse range of characters on the way is awe-inspiring.
One of the authors you can feel 100% confident with recommending every book she writes and this one is a cracker.

I have read and loved all of Sophie Anderson’s books and this was no exception. A lovely retelling of a Russian fairy tale. I have read a couple of versions of it, but this is definitely one of my favourites. Well written and a page-turner with likeable characters. I particularly liked Tasha’s relationship with her grandfather. Looking forward to Sophie’s next one already! I will be adding this one to my bookshelves once it’s published. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers.

Sophie Anderson has done it again! This is certain to become a classic which is enjoyed by adults and children alike. I absolutely loved this book and could not put it down once I'd started reading. From the very first page, Sophie's description of Tasha experiencing the first snow of winter just filled me with awe and delight because the description was so spot on. I loved the inclusion of a certain house and it's chicken legs. I can't wait to share this with my children who will be as captivated as I was.
I can't wait to see what Sophie writes next.

A really beautifully told story of the power of family love and friendship and the descriptions of the snow and ice are so good that you can feel the cold seeping into your bones. My preview ecopy doesn't have illustrations but I imagine that in the published book the illustrations will be the icing on the cake and definitely warrant 5 stars. This will be an amazing Christmas present for an older child.

The epitome of perfection when it comes to children's books, Sophie Anderson has done it again with this enchanting, magical stunner!

Another great book by Sophie Anderson. This is a great fairytale for the winter or Christmas period. I would use this book for an English unit on alternative fairytales. I think the illustrations would be great to inspire in art lessons especially in winter.

To be published 26 October. This is such a gorgeous wintry read for 8-12 year olds. The cover is just beautiful and I look forward to seeing the physical book because I am sure the illustrations will add that extra sparkle. Tasha and her parents have moved to live with her grandfather as he is finding it difficult to cope with his farm. Tasha, following an incident in her home town, finds it difficult to trust or make friends. She stays within the boundaries of the farm, feeling very isolated. When it snows, she is enchanted and after hearing a story about a snow girl from her grandfather, together they build one. Tasha makes a wish for her snow girl to come alive. That night she does. A lovely friendship develops between Tasha and the snow girl, Alyana. They meet at night and Alyana takes Tasha on magical expeditions. However, the winter is taking its toll. Her grandfather's health is suffering and the community are finding it difficult. Tasha wants her grandfather to get well but knows that only the spring can cure him and once spring arrives, Alyana will disappear. She is torn. This is a novel about friendship, reaching out to those who care about you and accepting their help. It's a novel full of wintry magic and I adored the relationship between Tasha and her grandfather. A perfect book to curl up and read together on a wintry night.

Sophie Anderson has done it again and I’m so grateful that I was accepted as an ARC for this book! She truly is the master of children’s fiction, seamlessly and beautifully weaving traditional tales into children’s stories packed with action and magic! As a primary school teacher, I love to read children’s books and believe that the sign of greatness is if the book can hold my attention and keep me eager to read on - this book most definitely does that from the outset and does not ease up as the story progresses.

Tasha is not quite what you would expect from a main character, making the story all the more endearing as it goes on. She avoids people outside of her family as much as possible, following a traumatic event that has seen her become a shadow of her former self. But, after one snowy night and a wish made from the heart, Tasha’s whole world is quickly turned upside down. As the story goes on, Tasha realises that her wish may be hurting the ones that she loves and she is the only one who can save their village. But can she do it in time? Will she survive it?

This is a story that shows the power of friendship, believing in yourself, taking risks and fighting for what’s right, even when it’s a hard decision to make. I will most definitely be recommending this to my pupils at the very least; I will definitely be purchasing this when it is released and there is a very strong possibility that I will be reading it to my class! (In fact, I would recommend any of Sophie Anderson’s books - they are magical! And I’m pretty sure there was reference to one of them at the end of this story!)

Thank you to NetGalley, Sophie Anderson and Usborne for an ARC of this in exchange for my honest review.

A beautiful magical winter tale of finding courage, friendship, family and letting go. The sense of place was perfect, the characters had depth and strength and the pace of the story telling was sublime. Perfect for anyone aged 8 and above and a wonderful winter read.

Ive been slowly consuming this because Sophie writes with such beauty and magic that I didn’t want it to be over. This is full of longing - for friends, family, winter, spring, to do the right thing. Tasha is a gorgeous main character, yet at the same time she’s so full of juxtapositions. I loved the other characters in this and the sense of community. As a not winter lover, this definitely brought a lot of wintry magic to my life!

Thank you to the author and publisher for the opportunity to read The Snow Girl. It was truly an incredible book.. It’s a perfect wintry tale, with themes of friendship, fear, adventure and loss. Tasha was a delightful heroine and her snowy friend was intricately written..Her relationship with her grandfather and his grief is also, beautifully done. I love all of Sophie Anderson’s books and The Snow Girl is another instant classic for me.

As a big fan of Sophie's books, I had high expectations for this and it did not disappoint.
Tasha has lost confidence and become isolated. She builds a snowgirl with her grandad and wishes her to life
There is darkness in the story but it also a story of love and hope

I look forward to the finished copy including the illustrations.
A magical, wintery tale.

Not that we judge books by their covers (we totally do), it is such a Christmassy cover and gives off all the nostalgia.

Like a lot of magical stories, there is a darkness here, a worrying undertone that this magic cannot live forever, and with that comes sadness and anger and fear.

In the real world, you become a bit blasé about snow. It can hinder your driving, getting to work, it can shut schools, it makes you cold and sometimes unwell, and in large quantities, can stop you even leaving the house and may become unsafe. But as a child, especially one who has not seen it before as in this book, you revisit its wonder. You don't see the negatives, only the fun. And it was great to revisit that feeling once again that I haven't had in many years.

Knowing the historical story of the snow girl, I did wonder whether 8-12 would be too young to read this, because it is quite scary. But I think it's actually a good age range. Yes there are some worrying bits and scary moments. But it's about overcoming them, about accepting help, about believing in yourself, and they're good messages to be reaching children.

I really loved the relationship between Tasha and her grandpa. That intergenerational relationship is so precious and we don't always value it but I'd say that's the most important relationship in this book for me. There's lots of other characters, parents, neighbours, friends etc. And they're all perfectly acceptable characters and I liked them, but I must say, her grandpa was my favourite. He was this perfect old man and I just wanted to give him a hug like I haven't been able to do to my own for many years.

I thought the descriptions of the ice and snowstorms were brilliant, it actually made me feel cold. You can practically feel the cold. It would be a perfect read for a night in the depths of winter.

I haven't read a book by Sophie before, although I have heard of some and been intrigued. I know they are usually children's books. But this book I think fits perfectly in the middle of kids and adults. Kids will love the magic and the fantasy and the adventure, but adults will appreciate the family and friendship and community. And together they make for a warming cosy story.

Because I had a digital version, it didn't have any illustrations in it. I assume there will be in the finished copy. So I was a little disappointed that I didn't get to see them as they would have made the story come more alive, but I will definitely keep my eye out in the shops to have a little nosy at.

I think it might be a good stepping stone for children to read older fable stories and fairy tales.

The Snowgirl is a story that warms your heart despite being set during the depths of winter. Following an incident at Claw’s Edge, Tasha loses her spark and retreats into her inner world full of doubt, fear and hesitation. That world has no room for friends until she carves a girl out of snow, who comes to life, and they have many adventures together. Will this endearing friendship cure Tasha’s loneliness and empower her to reach out to other children or will it cause even more heartache for Tasha…

The atmospheric descriptions are so vivid that they made my skin tingle many a time as I was transported back to my own childhood in a part of the world where winters were harsh and frost unforgiving. The readers who weathered similar icy-cold seasons will draw comfort from the sense of familiarity and the ones who have never experienced them will have a chance to inhabit the protagonist’s world through masterful writing that brings this tale to life.

ps. It’s the kind of a story that you need to get into - it starts off quite slow and eventually picks up the pace.

How exquisitely alluring is this cover to match an equally exquisite story. It is so beautifully written, with vivid descriptions that whisk you away to a majestic, winter wonderland as you read. The Snow Girl is a divine tale filled with magic, friendship, love and adventures to find ones place in the world. ❄
Following a traumatic incident Tasha has withdrawn from the world and despite feeling lonely and longing for a friend, her fear holds her back, that is until one winters night when Tasha and her beloved Grandad create an enchanting snow girl. As the story progresses, Tasha's friendships grow, as does her confidence and her sense of adventure, but when it is time to say good bye to her new friend, Tasha refuses and this has near devastating consequences. It is a wonderfully captivating read and just right to warm your cockles on a chilly winters night. 🦊❄❤️I highly recommend it.