When True Winter comes, once in a lifetime, teams on sledges pulled by animals take part in the Great Northern Race across the snow, of which there are fifty kinds, to the Snowfather’s palace at the top of the world. Cabin boy Shen, cast adrift from his ship with 66 pug dogs, meets Sika who is desperate to take part in the race. They join forces and exhilarating adventures ensue involving the Kraken, yetis and trolls, not to mention the other participants in the race. This is Sarah McIntyre and Philip Reeve’s third collaboration and is the most powerful yet for its combination of excitement, humour and emotion.