Snow Summer

Even after her adoptive sister is frozen by an ice spirit in the form of a polar bear during a winter without end, high schooler Wyn March is reluctant to believe that she is the only one who can save her best friend, as well as restore the Earth’s seasons. Although Wyn knows she is different from others in her British village of Pateley, she finds it difficult to fathom that she is the reincarnation of Mugasa, one of a pair of dragons charged with keeping the Earth in balance. With snowstorms blanketing the land even in the height of summer, Wyn unlocks her powers—communicating with trees, animals, and wind—through the help of Tawhir, a wind spirit, and Thwaite, a Green Man archetype both fierce and nurturing. Debut author Peel coats his story in a dense mythology that can be challenging to follow as Wyn faces off against ominous spirits wishing to take over the world in its chaotic state, but lush imagery and a topsy-turvy plot should keep readers invested. Ages 12–up. (Oct.)