AEM Library - Publishers

Once Upon a Time in the North

From School Library Journal

Grade 7 Up—In this prequel to the "His Dark Materials" trilogy (Knopf), Texas aeronaut Lee Scoresby meets armored bear Iorek Byrnison for the first time. In this short, fantastic adventure, young Scoresby finds himself on the Arctic island of Novy Odense, a community set in an alternate past world. The rich mining company Lars Manganese is trying to control the town, Ivan Dimitrovich Poliakov is a corrupt mayoral candidate, and Captain van Breda is prevented from unloading his cargo unjustly. Scoresby takes on the captain's cause, resulting in an Old West-style shootout. Many readers will likely enjoy this book because of its quick pace and action-filled plot, but some Pullman fans may be disappointed when comparing this short text to the trilogy. Characters are less developed, and events sometimes happen a bit too quickly. The ending is neat and tidy, though it does leave the door open for future adventures. The inclusion of documents and black-and-white engraved illustrations add a nice touch, and the board game Peril of the Pole is tucked into the back inside cover as a bonus.—_Jennifer D. Montgomery, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green_
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From

Starred Review As he did in Lyra’s Oxford (2004), Pullman returns to the world of His Dark Materials trilogy in this story of how aeronaut Lee Scoresby meets and befriends bear Iorke Byrnison. Pullman is as fine a writer as there is for young people, and this book is a small gem—literally—it’s 112 pages and the size of a paperback. The story begins as Lee’s cargo balloon drifts into the Arctic, landing in the icy environs of Novy Odense. The town is about to elect a new mayor, Ivan Poliakov, who wants to rid the place of bears, and Lee (along with daemon rabbit Hester) finds himself embroiled in local controversies. When Lee learns one of Poliakov’s allies is a vicious criminal with whom he once had a run-in, he knows he must choose sides. Beautifully crafted and spilling over with action, the novel has the feel of an old western (one can almost see Gary Cooper as Lee). Matching Pullman’s carefully calibrated prose is the book’s thoughtful design. Everything works together—from the sturdy, blue cloth cover to the the back matter, which features a miniature board game. Lawrence’s stamp-sized ink engravings set the tale somewhere between fantasy and history. Grades 7-10. --Ilene Cooper

1873 Press

1983 Viking

A Bantam Spectra Book

A.A. Knopf

ABC Books

Ace Books; Berkley Publishing Group

Acrobat Distiller 4.0 for Windows

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Alfred A. Knopf

Allen & Unwin

anonymous

Archive of Our Own

ARROW

Atom/Little, Brown Book Group

Atria Books

Avon

B E Trice Pub

Baen Books

Baker & Taylor, CATS

Ballantine Books

Bantam Books

Berkley Books

Bloomsbury

Bloomsbury Publishing

Bloomsbury Publishing Inc.

Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Bloomsbury USA

Bloomsbury USA Childrens

Bloomsbury_US

Blue Box Press

Bonnier Publishing Fiction

C.J. Archer

Center Point Pub

Century

ChAIR Entertainment Group, LLC

Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed

Corgi Audio

Crafty Games

Crown

Del Rey

Delacorte Press

Disney Hyperion

Diversion Books

Doubleday

Dragonsteel Entertainment, LLC

EgmontUSA

Entangled Publishing

Entangled Publishing, LLC

Entangled Teen

ePub Bud (www.epubbud.com)

ePubLibre

FanFiction.net

Fawcett

Fawcett Gold Medal Books

Flatiron Books

G. P. Putnam's Sons

G. P. Putnam's Son's

G.P. Putnam's Sons

G.P.Putnam's Sons

Gallery / Saga Press

Gallery Books

Gallup Press

Gigantic Weapons Corporation

Gollancz

Grand Central Publishing

GWC

Hachette Book Group USA

Hachette UK

Harlequin

Harper Collins, Inc.

HarperCollins

HarperCollins Publishers

HarperCollins Publishers Ltd

HarperCollins US

HarperTorch

HarperVoyager