Beyond the Frozen Horizon

In 2030, the world leaders pledged a coordinated and unprecedented response to the Climate Crisis, introducing strict Climate Laws and establishing World Wilderness Zones, including the High Arctic. Rory's mum is an environmental geologist whose new job with Greenlight, a company which claims to have developed new ways of 'mining' in the Arctic using bacteria, offers mother and daughter the chance of a lifetime opportunity to travel to Svalbard - and Rory the chance to escape the misery of school.

On arrival, instead of a ghost town, they find a tiny community still inhabiting Pyramiden, living in harmony with nature and its wildlife. Initially, Rory is treated with suspicion and shunned by the locals until she makes friends with Mikkal, and together, they uncover some disturbing truths about the Greenlight project.

Nicola Penfold has quickly become one of my favourite authors. Her writing is completely absorbing, superbly crafted and thought provoking - and I think Beyond the Frozen Horizon is her best work yet. The importance of caring for our world is at the absolute core of this book and yet nothing about it is 'preachy' or patronising. The respect and care shown for the natural world by Mikkal and his people stands in harsh contrast to the real actions and purpose of those in charge of the Greenlight project. Rory stands between these two camps - she longs to believe in the company her mother is working for and yet is forced to face the realities of what she is seeing, taking the reader on a thought-changing journey about climate crisis, human impact on the planet and the need for change.

Evocative descriptions of the stark, yet stunning Arctic environment create a dramatic backdrop to the story. The perils of this environment, the fragility of human existence amid the cold and creatures which make it their home, is captured so vividly as Rory explores her new home, encountering danger and beauty in equal measure. Beyond the Frozen Horizon is a compelling adventure with a hint of the supernatural- I love the reference to Michelle Paver's Dark Matter (which gave me nightmares), another stunning novel set in the Arctic.

Any of Nicola's books would make an excellent key text to study and enjoy, but Beyond the Frozen Horizon is an absolute gift to any UKS2/ KS3 teacher in many ways. At story time, it would keep a class completely enraptured and absorbed; as a guided reader, it offers endless possibilities for rich, challenging work both guided and independent; as a class key text, it has the power of an engaging plot, the richness of language, interesting characters, links to other curricular areas and a satisfying conclusion to keep children absorbed and to inspire them to produce quality work in response. It is a fabulous book deserving great success!

320 pages / Reviewed by Sue Wilsher, teacher

Suggested Reading Age 9+