Review by Woodrow Phoenix

Wake the Ice Man is the second in Luke Pearson’s new series of books about his child hero Hilda, who lives in a small cottage in the middle of the Scandinavian countryside with her mother. As seen in Hide from the Rain, Hilda’s pet Twig is a very unusual creature, a ‘deerfox’: a doglike creature with a large tail like a fox, and tiny antlers on his head. Together, Hilda and Twig have encountered a range of mythical beings and animals over the six books of Hilda’s adventures in large-format albums.

These smaller books are designed for younger readers and the ‘Hilda and Twig’ title is because they are told from Twig’s perspective. He’s an equal partner in these stories, with readers able to read his thoughts about everything, including the points when he goes off by himself without Hilda. They are also flashback adventures, taking place before Hilda and her mother moved to the city of Trolberg.

This book opens with Hilda trying to hide from a scary silhouetted giant. “Okay Hilda…” She thinks to herself, a single drop of nervous sweat running down her forehead, “Just keep quiet and she won’t see you…” It’s actually a game of hide and seek she’s playing with her new friend Burku the Giant. Burku is big, but she’s not as big as her enormously tall parents, who have felt a chill in the air. It makes Hilda impatient for the snow to arrive, and when Twig decides to try and help that happen, he wakes up the Ice Man, the spirit who brings an early winter. But when the snow starts piling up far beyond what anyone can handle, how can he get the Ice Man to go back to sleep again?

Anyone who enjoyed the previous book will love this one too, with a satisfying conclusion that will be a big relief to children wondering how Twig will solve this problem.