First Light, Rebecca Stead
Science fiction
First line: “Most boys his age had never touched paper.”
Booktalk: When Peter finds out that he’ll get to tag along with his parents on a work trip to Greenland, he’s hugely excited. He knows that adventures await him there: dogsleds, glacier walks, helping his dad with his study on global warming. And maybe, away from the noise of New York City, his terrible recurring headaches will finally stop. In remote, icy Greenland, anything seems possible.
And just about anything is possible: including the incredible underground world where Thea lives. Hundreds of years ago, Thea’s ancestors escaped persecution and built homes deep inside the ice, and ever since, they’ve lived in fear of the world outside. But life is hard under the ice. There’s not enough food and they are running out of space – and something terrible is happening to the ice that has always protected them.
When Peter’s headaches turn to prophetic visions, he and Thea are drawn together to face down their families’ histories and lead the people they love toward a better future. Told in alternating chapters by Peter and Thea, First Light is a fascinating sci-fi adventure, perfect for an icy cold week.
Similar titles: City of Ember (Jeanne DuPrau), The Golden Compass (Phillip Pullman)