Pugs of the Frozen North

Gr 2–4—The third "Not-So-Impossible Tale" by Reeve and McIntyre is about a race through magical snow in a once-in-a-lifetime winter. Whoever gets to the North Pole first has their wish granted by the Snowfather (not to be confused with Santa Claus). Shen, a shipwrecked young sailor, and his friend Sika, who lives at the "Po of Ice," have 66 pugs to pull their sled for the duration of the week-long race. They may have the best reason for wanting to win the Great Northern race, but they have to get past the faster sleds being pulled by robot dogs and polar bears. Just as in the other two stand-alone books in the series, this installment has several unexpected twists. People turn into Yetis, noodles become addictive, and snow can echo, form bridges or were-snowmen, and fall upward. Compared to the previous installment, Oliver and the Seawigs (Random, 2014), the ending here is a bit predictable. Nevertheless, chapter book readers and fans of the series will enjoy this winter romp.