FIRST LIGHT
by Rebecca Stead
Yearling/Random House Children’s Books
Hardcover: 0375840176
Paperback: 9780440422228
Ages 10-14
308 pages

Twelve-year-old Peter is excited when he learns that his father, a glaciologist (a scientist who studies glaciers), is planning to take him, along with Peter's mother and a graduate student named Jonas, on an expedition to Greenland. Peter looks forward to time away from school and hopes that the change of scenery from noisy New York City to remote Greenland will help his mother overcome her debilitating headaches and lengthy periods of sadness.

Shortly before they leave, Peter begins to have mind-numbing headaches of his own and experiences visions that frighten him. He fears that if his parents learn about all this he won't be allowed to accompany them, so the only person he confides in is Miles, his best friend since kindergarten.

After arriving in Greenland, Peter's headaches start up again. His father and Jonas are busy with their scientific projects, and his mother's headaches appear to be getting worse. She slips even farther away --- searching for something she can't seem to find and retreating into a private world where she furiously writes and draws in a red notebook. In the isolated environment, Peter becomes close to Sasha, one of the guide dogs used to pull the expedition party's sleigh across the rough terrain. Peter quickly learns the hazards of wandering too far from the base camp and comes to rely on Sasha, not only for companionship but also for his safety.

Fourteen-year-old Thea lives beneath the Earth's surface at the top of the world. Her forbearers, driven from their native England because of ignorance and fear, settled in a secret world, beneath the icy regions of the north. Thea has never seen the sun and dreams of finding a way to the surface. Although her grandmother, Rowen --- the leader of the hidden colony --- forbids it, Thea and her cousin Mattias nevertheless strike out on their own, with two sleigh dogs to help lead them to find the passage to the "wider world."

One day, while out exploring the frozen wilderness with Sasha, Peter encounters a strange phenomenon embedded in the ice. A circle of twisted scarlet strands appears to be the same symbol as one of his mother's sketches. While examining it, Peter hears a noise from beneath the ice. Sasha becomes agitated and drags him towards the source of the noise. She leads him to Thea, who has found the secret passage but needs assistance rescuing Mattias, who is near death.

When Peter ventures beneath the icy surface to help save Mattias, he uncovers hidden truths, not only about Thea and her world but also about himself.

Rebecca Stead has sculpted a haunting and creative story that combines science, adventure and fantasy. Peter and Thea, the main characters in FIRST LIGHT, will linger in the reader's mind long after the final page is turned.

    --- Reviewed by Donna Volkenannt (dvolkenannt@charter.net)

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