The Horn Book Guide

OLDER FICTION

Pullman, Philip

Once upon a Time in the North

104 pp. | Knopf/Fickling | April, 2008 | Trade ISBN 978-0-375-84510-9 $12.99

(2) YA Illustrated by John Lawrence. Before the events of His Dark Materials, twenty-four-year-old Lee Scoresby crash-lands on the island of Novy Odense. There, he's sucked into a political struggle and meets the fearsome, inscrutable Iorek Byrnison. This adventure exudes the breezy charm of an old-fashioned Western thanks to its fast-talking, straight-shooting hero. Engraved spot illustrations add to the tapestry of Pullman's fully realized alternate world.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2008