Reading Level: Ages 9-12

In First Light, Rebecca Stead gives the reader two worlds so contrasting in nature that one cannot envision the other. In one world, Peter enjoys a comfortable, uneventful life in New York City with his loving parents, both of whom are scientists. His daily activities are pleasant, safely routine and spent mostly with his longtime friend, Miles. But a disturbing element is gradually taking control of his otherwise predictable life: headaches—headaches that transmit visions of things he’s never seen before. In the other world— far away in Greenland—the author introduces us to Thea and her extended family, who are part of a thriving civilization that exists under the arctic ice. Thea’s frozen world, Gracehope, is threatened by overpopulation, and she is determined to lead her people, like her foremother before her, to a grander site where they can prosper once again. These two engaging characters share the story line, and it is within the intersection of their young lives that First Light reveals its full power as a tale of adventure, mystery, and fantasy.

Stead is at her best when describing Greenland’s harsh environment and the requisite skills needed to survive there. Peter’s excursions into the biting cold make one shiver in sympathy while Thea’s realm, equally frigid but much less forbidding, is brought to life by Stead’s creative writing and imaginative detailing. Supporting characters are well written, with the exception of Peter’s mother and father who are surprisingly flat. Emotions run higher in matriarchal Gracehope, however, and Stead fills these characters with the passion, fear and hope appropriate to a civilization on the brink of great change. Additionally, Peter and Thea are believable heroes, impulsive and headstrong, and kids will rally behind them in their fight to succeed.

Stead is less effective when explaining Gracehope’s origins. She offers only a few, unsatisfying details on how the engineering genius created this city under ice, and the motivation behind its existence reads like a latter-day pilgrim story without the religious slant. But it’s a minor flaw and does not detract from the overall excellence of the book.

The publisher has positioned Stead’s novel, inaccurately I believe, as an exploration of global warning. Yes, the melting ice is the reason for Peter’s expedition to Greenland, but the phenomenon is never examined in anything but a cursory manner and, in fact, Gracehope’s citizenry is wholly unaware of the threat. Make no mistake, hard science plays no real part in First Light, but the book could certainly be useful as a discussion starter for interested boys and girls.

—Janice Corker, Youth Services Librarian, Chandler (AZ) Sunset Library