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lillyluna's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
amber_hastings's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
A charming novel for anyone looking for a hopeful adventure story.
A few small issues;
I found it to be pretty engrossing if not a little rushed by the end. The fact there's a sequel makes more sense as to why there was quite limited interaction between humans and Yetis, though I thought Uncle Jack's 180-degree character shift still came too soon.
The other question I had was about the Yetis being so accommodating to each other, despite the fact that the yeti groups split apart many generations ago. I was expecting some hostility at least, especially as the book has some moral messages to make.
On the plus side, I was pleasantly surprised that I loved both the human and yeti main characters, and that both had distinct, lovable voices and story arcs. I also loved the yetis' language and greetings — and a great sense of humour is shining through in these parts too, which I didn't expect! It's so refreshing to have an original sense of humour in stories like these.
Did I come away thinking that the yeti were safe? Absolutely not! If anything it showed how precarious their position is, but I guess characters like Ella are there to show that the Yetis' lives can be kept in secret at least among some humans.
Finally, Katy Russell's artwork is beautiful and enhanced the story so much! I just loved her drawings of Tick and his mum especially!
Oh and another small thing ... The book left me wondering what exactly the author was trying to say about the connection between Yetis and humans: are we expected to believe we descended from Yetis? Though I don't think it was intentional to dwell on these types of questions!
A few small issues;
I found it to be pretty engrossing if not a little rushed by the end. The fact there's a sequel makes more sense as to why there was quite limited interaction between humans and Yetis, though I thought Uncle Jack's 180-degree character shift still came too soon.
The other question I had was about the Yetis being so accommodating to each other, despite the fact that the yeti groups split apart many generations ago. I was expecting some hostility at least, especially as the book has some moral messages to make.
On the plus side, I was pleasantly surprised that I loved both the human and yeti main characters, and that both had distinct, lovable voices and story arcs. I also loved the yetis' language and greetings — and a great sense of humour is shining through in these parts too, which I didn't expect! It's so refreshing to have an original sense of humour in stories like these.
Did I come away thinking that the yeti were safe? Absolutely not! If anything it showed how precarious their position is, but I guess characters like Ella are there to show that the Yetis' lives can be kept in secret at least among some humans.
Finally, Katy Russell's artwork is beautiful and enhanced the story so much! I just loved her drawings of Tick and his mum especially!
Oh and another small thing ... The book left me wondering what exactly the author was trying to say about the connection between Yetis and humans: are we expected to believe we descended from Yetis? Though I don't think it was intentional to dwell on these types of questions!
lmn9812's review against another edition
4.0
The first thing I adored about this story is that it was written from two perspectives--our human heroine, Ella, and a yeti, Tick. This INSTANTLY gave the troupe of the mythological creature a fresh twist--usually this type of story is told solely from human's perspective, and it was a really interesting take to see a yeti's reaction to mankind!
Following on from that point, Paul Mason created such a rich mythological basis for yetis--their traditions and culture bounced off the page! I enjoyed the little tidbits we found out about each yeti from their name alone, and the subtle differences between the differing yeti groups. Tick's narration felt distinctly different from Ella's, and this really helped ground the story.
Ella was a great protagonist--she was smart and brave and her love for nature and the environment was clear to see! It was so lovely to read a main character that's engaged with such an important issue of our times. I liked her approach to deciding whether or not yeti's existed--it almost felt scientific--which fit in with her character perfectly.
The plot itself was definitely gentle. The story rolled along at a nice pace, but I never felt as if either Tick or Ella were in danger of achieving their goals. This had the effect of the book sometimes feeling a tad slow, but I have to say I enjoyed this! The International Yeti Collective felt a bit like a hot cup of tea on a winter's day--soothing for the soul.
A super quick shout out to Katy Riddell, who did the beautiful illustrations for this book. Not only is her art gorgeous, but the illustrations scattered through the book really add something special to the story.
This book reads like a future classic. Its themes are timely and important, but it's message of friendship across borders and kindness and empathy are universal. Knowing just how engaged the kids I know are with issues of climate change and sustainable living, this book is an absolute corker! I will definitely be lending my copy out!
Following on from that point, Paul Mason created such a rich mythological basis for yetis--their traditions and culture bounced off the page! I enjoyed the little tidbits we found out about each yeti from their name alone, and the subtle differences between the differing yeti groups. Tick's narration felt distinctly different from Ella's, and this really helped ground the story.
Ella was a great protagonist--she was smart and brave and her love for nature and the environment was clear to see! It was so lovely to read a main character that's engaged with such an important issue of our times. I liked her approach to deciding whether or not yeti's existed--it almost felt scientific--which fit in with her character perfectly.
The plot itself was definitely gentle. The story rolled along at a nice pace, but I never felt as if either Tick or Ella were in danger of achieving their goals. This had the effect of the book sometimes feeling a tad slow, but I have to say I enjoyed this! The International Yeti Collective felt a bit like a hot cup of tea on a winter's day--soothing for the soul.
A super quick shout out to Katy Riddell, who did the beautiful illustrations for this book. Not only is her art gorgeous, but the illustrations scattered through the book really add something special to the story.
This book reads like a future classic. Its themes are timely and important, but it's message of friendship across borders and kindness and empathy are universal. Knowing just how engaged the kids I know are with issues of climate change and sustainable living, this book is an absolute corker! I will definitely be lending my copy out!
stegobookosaurus's review
Sadly, it didn't capture me... think it's too young a middle grade
amysbookishlife's review against another edition
3.0
This was a real feel good book, that made me feel all warm inside. I loved the concept of the Yeti's and how they got their names and found it to be one of the most interesting aspects of the entire book. I also enjoyed how unique they were and their whole originality.
However, I found the plot quite slow to start off with and I was expecting a bit more interaction between the humans and the yeti's. From what I'd heard I thought this was going to happen, and was slightly disappointed. Mind you, I found the last part of the story to be quite thrilling and I was invested in what was going to happen to all characters.
This was a good read and one that I did enjoy. I feel that children aged 8 - 12 will get the most from it. It's entertaining, original and exciting.
However, I found the plot quite slow to start off with and I was expecting a bit more interaction between the humans and the yeti's. From what I'd heard I thought this was going to happen, and was slightly disappointed. Mind you, I found the last part of the story to be quite thrilling and I was invested in what was going to happen to all characters.
This was a good read and one that I did enjoy. I feel that children aged 8 - 12 will get the most from it. It's entertaining, original and exciting.
charlottesomewhere's review
4.0
A gorgeous, fun read about a young girl and a young yeti, both trying to learn more about their families and about the other species. Absolutely loved the Yeti names. Really looking forward to more of these.
goldenbooksgirl's review
4.0
This is the story of a yeti named Tick and a girl named Ella, who catch sight of each other when she is visiting the Himalayas with her TV star uncle and set off a catastrophic chain of events. Tick and Ella are both great characters with the very best of intentions, and I liked them both a lot. While it did take me a little bit longer to get into the plot as I found the beginning quite slow paced, I ended up really enjoying that too, and towards the end things got to a high enough level of excitement that it was pretty unputdownable. My favourite thing about this was definitely the worldbuilding of the yeti community- I found all the different setts really interesting, their naming system was so fun and learning about their customs and traditions was great as well. The way the theme of conservation is worked in and dealt with is also really well done, and very important. A lovely fantasy that I think fans of the Missing Barbegazi will really enjoy. 4/5
cosygirlreads's review
4.0
Comes out Oct 17th - little tiger very kindly sent me an ARC of this.
Oh my goodness, I loved this book. The world was so interesting and diverse. The characters were brave and kind. There’s so much wisdom in this book. I just adored it.
Sequels please!!!!
Oh my goodness, I loved this book. The world was so interesting and diverse. The characters were brave and kind. There’s so much wisdom in this book. I just adored it.
Sequels please!!!!
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