Once Upon a Time in the North

Pullman, Philip. Once Upon a Time in the North. Illus. John Lawrence. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2008. Print.

Annotation
Pullman tells the adventure of Lee Scoresby in the far north, getting involved between hostile factions in a small Arctic town where humans interact with daemon animals, outcast polar bears, and rudimentary technology. A prequel to Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, this short book can serve as a nice draw into that world, or stand alone as an appealing story.

(The book includes small etchings, some ephemera related to Pullman's fantasy world, and a foldout board game.)

Booktalk
Once upon a time in the north... a sharpshooting Texas aeronaut named Lee Scoresby and his daemon jackrabbit, Hester, find themselves in a ragtag mining town on the edge of the Arctic Ocean. The town is split between rival factions, the civil servants of the Customs Office and the heavily armed guards of the Larsen Manganese corporation. On the eve of a suspicious election for mayor, Lee gets involved in the fight, encountering a murderous Wild West outlaw, rebellious polar bear warriors, and a new invention: an armored tank.

It's the 1900s as they never quite happened, once upon a time in the north....

Awards
2008 Book Sense Children's Pick List

 Snapshot of the accompanying game,
"Peril of the Pole"

(Image credits: Wikimedia, Super Punch)