Ice Whale

Gr 4–6—A final, posthumous nature story from the Newbery Award winner. This dreamy, epic tale entwines the life of Siku, a bowhead (or ice) whale of the Arctic Ocean, with the lives of several generations of two human families, the Toozaks and the Boyds. Toozak the first, who witnessed Siku's birth, is sworn to protect the great whale, a mission that influences the fate of his family from 1848 through a speculative 2048. Chapters alternate the points of view among members of both families, and of Siku himself, whose name and other whale sounds are rendered in transcribed vibrations. The writing, completed with the help of George's children Craig and Twig, is uneven and sometimes a bit stilted—only one or two characters fully realized. The nature writing fares better, especially the whale's eye-view narrative and the detailed descriptions of underwater travel and sound. Ice Whale is not the author's finest work, but it's a bold, wistful, and heartfelt coda to a distinguished career.—Katya Schapiro, Brooklyn Public Library