First Light

This remarkable and acclaimed debut novel, by the Newbery-winning author of When You Reach Me and the new instant classic The List of Things That Will Not Change, introduces readers to a captivating, hidden world below the ice. Peter is thrilled to join his parents on an expedition to Greenland. But when they finally reach the ice cap, he struggles to understand a series of frightening yet enticing visions. Thea has never seen the sun. Her extraordinary people, suspected of witchcraft and nearly driven to extinction, have retreated to a secret world they’ve built deep inside the arctic ice. As Thea dreams of a path to Earth’s surface, Peter’s search for answers brings him ever closer to her hidden home in this dazzling tale of mystery, science, and adventure at the top of the world. “A mystic thriller.” —Entertainment Weekly “Optimistic science fiction that highlights human ingenuity and survival under dire conditions.” —The Wall Street Journal

peter Is Thrilled To Leave New York City To Accompany His Parents On An Expedition To Greenland To Study Global Warming. There He Has Visions Of Things That Should Be Too Far ...

publishers Weekly

stead's Debut Novel Rests On An Intriguing Premise-that A Group Of People With Unusual Powers Was Forced To Flee England Generations Ago To Live Peacefully Below The Ice In The Cold World Of Greenland. Fourteen-year-old Thea Is A Strong-willed Resident Of Gracehope, Named After The Woman Who Sacrificed Her Life To Fulfill Her Dream Of Resettling Her Community Safely Under The Glaciers. However, Thea, The Last Woman In Grace's Direct Bloodline, Insists That Her Ancestor's Intention Was Never To Stay In Gracehope Forever, But To Rejoin Life On The Surface. Her Life Is Forever Changed The Day She And Her Cousin Find A Secret Tunnel To The World Above And Meet Peter, The 12-year Old Son Of Two Scientists From New York Who Are Ostensibly Researching Global Warming. Peter Is A Reticent Child Who, Like His Mother, Suffers From Headaches And Unusual Ailments. After A Long Build-up, Including A Seemingly Ancillary Scientific Puzzle About Dna, The Story Takes On A Livelier Pace As The Central Mystery Unfolds-the Connection Between Peter And Thea. It Is A Testament To The Storytelling That The Existence Of This Parallel World And The Convergence Of Peter And Thea's Stories, Told In Separate Chapters, Are Both Credible And Absorbing. Young Readers Will Find This A Journey Worth Taking. Ages 9-12. (june)

copyright 2007 Reed Business Information

Peter is thrilled to join his parents on an expedition to Greenland, where his father studies global warming. Peter will get to skip school, drive a dogsled, and--finally--share in his dad's adventures. But on the ice cap, Peter struggles to understand a series of visions that both frighten and entice him. Thea has never seen the sun. Her extraordinary people, suspected of witchcraft and nearly driven to extinction, have retreated to a secret world they've built deep inside the arctic ice. As Thea dreams of a path to Earth's surface, Peter's search for answers brings him ever closer to her hidden home. Rebecca Stead's fascinating debut novel is a dazzling tale of mystery, science and adventure at the top of the world.From the Hardcover edition. Peter is thrilled to join his parents on an expedition to Greenland, where his father studies global warming. Peter will get to skip school, drive a dogsled, and?finally?share in his dad?s adventures. But on the ice cap, Peter struggles to understand a series of visions that both frighten and entice him. Thea has never seen the sun. Her extraordinary people, suspected of witchcraft and nearly driven to extinction, have retreated to a secret world they?ve built deep inside the arctic ice. As Thea dreams of a path to Earth?s surface, Peter?s search for answers brings him ever closer to her hidden home. Rebecca Stead?s fascinating debut novel is a dazzling tale of mystery, science and adventure at the top of the world. From the Hardcover edition Peter is thrilled to join his parents on an expedition to Greenland, where his father studies global warming. Peter will get to skip school, drive a dogsled, and finally share in his dad's adventures. But on the ice cap, Peter struggles to understand a series of visions that both frighten and entice him. Thea has never seen the sun. Her extraordinary people, suspected of witchcraft and nearly driven to extinction, have retreated to a secret world they've built deep inside the arctic ice. As Thea dreams of a path to Earth's surface, Peter's search for answers brings him ever closer to her hidden home. Rebecca Stead's fascinating debut novel is a dazzling tale of mystery, science and adventure at the top of the world. When twelve-year-old Peter and his family arrive in Greenland for his father to do research, he stumbles upon a secret his mother has been hiding from him all his life, and begins an adventure he never imagines possible When twelve-year-old Peter and his family arrive in Greenland for his father's research, he stumbles upon a secret his mother has been hiding from him all his life, and begins an adventure he never imagines possible.