This is not Sophie Anderson’s best known book, but it is my first experience with her and super adequate to the season.
12 year old Tasha and her parents have recently moved to her grandfather’s farm, following both the grandfather’s health decline and an incident a year prior that has traumatised Tasha. Tasha has become anxious and keeps to herself more, unable to trust people or make friends. At the grandfather’s farm, she sees snow for the first time ever and is delighted.
Tasha is aware of how alone she feels and how much she has changed over the last year and is consciously rejecting invitations from other kids who want to get to know her and befriend her; despite feeling safer in her solitude, she misses contact with other people regardless of how much she loves her family, especially her grandfather, who tells her folk tales about a snow girl.
So it is in that sense of safety that, when building a snowman - a snowgirl, in fact - with her grandfather one day, she wishes for a friend and starts seeing an imaginary friend in the snow sculpture, whom she wishes would become alive. And this is exactly what happens that evening - her wish comes true and the snow girl statue comes alive as Alyana, a beautiful snow sprite, becoming her friend and showing her the forest surroundings to her grandfather’s farm, as well as all the creatures who live there.
Their friendship quickly blossoms, but these magical night expeditions are taking their toll on Tasha as the weather gets increasingly cold. The descriptions of the weather make the reader chill to the bones.
Tasha is not sleeping well at night, so she stops helping as much on the farm; her loving grandfather takes over her tasks, but the cold is ruining his already weak lungs. Tasha is torn - on the one hand, of course she wants her grandfather to get well. On the other, that will only happen come Spring - which will take Alyana away from her.
It is sad how much Tasha longs for a friend, yet cannot bring herself to meet people due to her fears. She has to learn how to let go, and when to - as well as how to ask for help and how to connect and accept other people in her life. The beauty of the book is in how she finds her strength again, with community, family and friends.
This is a retelling of the Russian fairy tale Snow Maiden/Snegurochka. The Slavic atmosphere is definitely there and makes the story feel very special.
This book is maybe a bit too slow and maybe a bit too moralistic; the physical book itself, with Melissa Castrillón’s illustrations which help bring Tasha and Alyana to life, is very beautiful, but I do always love images of snow.
If you’re in Portugal, you can get a physical edition via wook, in Portuguese or in English.