The snowman code

In this warm children's debut by Stephenson (Sometimes People Die, for adults), the longest winter in more than 300 years leads to a tween encountering a sentient snowperson. To avoid bullies, 10-year-old Blessing ditches school, passing the time by traversing the streets of London. She feels that this is the only solution to her problem, since she believes that she can't ask her mother for help; because Mom gets sad in the winter, Blessing worries that her finding out about the bullies could make Mom so sad that she'll be hospitalized again. During her wanderings, the youth discovers a lopsided snowperson with bottle-cap eyes and a potato nose--an icy being that, to her shock, can talk. Snowman Albert informs her that he has lived through 627 winters, often being reborn several times around the world within a standard year. According to the Snowman Code, he must help children in need, and Blessing requires aid--and so does Albert. Nature-centered whimsy and the duo's interpersonal banter brighten a somber plot that also touches on issues surrounding depression. Digitally rendered b&w illustrations by Brown (Specs) depict a racially diverse human cast across charming winter scenes. Ages 8--12. (Dec.)

Ten-and-a-half-year-old Blessing is experiencing the longest winter London has seen in centuries. It's March, but the heavy snow shows no signs of melting. Even worse, winter sometimes makes her mom so sad that Blessing has to stay with other families while she recovers in the hospital. Blessing has been skipping school to avoid her bullies, and one afternoon, while she's hiding in Victoria Park, she meets an eccentric 627-year-old talking snowman named Albert Framlington. The new friends set out to fix "the broken weather," so that spring can return to England and Albert and the other snowmen can follow their natural cycle of melting and reappearing in a wintry part of the world. This heartwarming and hopeful story moves at a brisk pace as Blessing and Albert race to complete their mission. Stephenson gently and honestly explores bullying, foster care, and seasonal affective disorder (the latter two aren't explicitly named as such in the text) through the eyes of a child in accessible language that is ideal for readers who are gaining confidence in reading longer novels. Blessing works to stop the bullying and support her mother. In a nuanced depiction of foster care, her placement family is kind but no substitute for home. Brown's charming spot illustrations show Blessing as a Black girl and Albert as stout, with angular stick eyebrows, bottle cap eyes, a potato nose, three jaunty leaves for hair, and a tattered scarf. A whimsical, enchanting adventure grounded in friendship and resilience. (notes to readers)(Fiction. 8-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.