Jack Frost (Guardians of Childhood)

by William Joyce (Author) William Joyce (Illustrator)

Reading Level: 4th − 5th Grade

Before Jack Frost was Jack Frost, he was Nightlight, the most trusted and valiant companion of Mim, the Man in the Moon. But when Pitch destroys Mim's world, he nearly destroys Nightlight too, sending him plunging to Earth where, like Peter Pan, he is destined to remain forever a boy, frozen in time.

And while Nightlight has fun sailing icy winds and surfing clouds, he is also lonely without his friend Mim. To keep the cold in his heart from taking over, he spreads it to the landscapes around him and earns a new name: Jack Overland Frost.

But a true friend always comes through, and on one particularly bleak night, Mim shines down and shows Jack a group of children in great peril. Through helping them, Jack finds the warmth he's been yearning for, and realizes bringing joy to others can melt his own chill. It is this realization--that there will always be children who need moments of bravery, who need rosy cheeks, who need to build snowmen, and who are then eager for a spring day--that makes Jack realize why he is a forever boy, and worthy of becoming a Guardian of Childhood.

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Publishers Weekly

This third picture book in Joyce's Guardians of Childhood series, following The Man in the Moon (2011) and The Sandman (2012), recounts the backstory of Jack Frost, the only "Guardian who is a child himself." As Joyce tells it, Frost was originally a creature called Nightlight, who protected the young Man in the Moon from Pitch, the Nightmare King. After defeating Pitch, Nightlight transformed into Jack Frost, his loneliness bringing winter weather. Joyce's cinematic artwork continues to captivate, but the narrative covers so much ground so quickly that neither the stakes nor Jack's redemption carry much emotional weight. Ages 4-8. Agent: Michael Siegel, Michael Siegel & Associates. (Oct.)

Copyright 2015 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.
William Joyce
William Joyce does a lot of stuff but children's books are his true bailiwick (The Guardians series, Dinosaur Bob series, George Shrinks, and the #1 New York Times bestselling The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, which is also his Academy Award-winning short film, to name a few). He lives in Shreveport, Louisiana. Talk to William Joyce and see upcoming work on Instagram.
Classification
-
ISBN-13
9781442430433
Lexile Measure
870
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Publication date
October 27, 2015
Series
Guardians of Childhood
BISAC categories
JUV039060 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Friendship
JUV001000 - Juvenile Fiction | Action & Adventure
JUV012030 - Juvenile Fiction | Fairy Tales & Folklore | General
Library of Congress categories
-

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