I Am the Ice Worm

by Maryann Easley

Also published under the title Alone in the Ice World, fourteen year-old Allison from suburban California is in a bush-plane flying to visit her mom in a small village in Alaska--and the plane crashes with her as the sole survivor. Rescued by an indigenous hunter who luckily happens upon the crash, she lives and travels with Iñupiat Alaskans, struggles with her withdrawal from her past life as a mall-rat, and gains insights into the virtues and value of the indigenous culture.

Genres: Young Adult, Childrens, Adventure, Realistic Fiction, Fiction, Juvenile, Action

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[Shanna · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was horrible from the get-go, and if not for my curiosity about the title, I would have given up by the third page. The main character, Allison, is a spoiled, disrespectful, self-centered brat. Her parents are a cliche. The fact that she survives the plane crash, while sitting unsecured among a load of unsecured cargo, while the pilot, who would presumably be belted in, was not the first or the last eye-rolling forced plot device. Allison is rescued by an Eskimo man, and once he brings her to his village, it's just "well I guess you live here with us now" and there is no attempt to return her to her family. What?!? Easley's portrayal of the Eskimo felt cringingly racist, stereotypical, uninformed. At one point Allison off-handedly dismisses her host's culture, then on the same page says, "I felt like an outsider." Hellllloooo... you ARE a total outsider, you idiot. Of course she is able to teach these "backward" villagers a valuable lesson of acceptance /s. The title comes from some Eskimo children teasing Allison about being an ice worm because she is white. The scene is completed in eight sentences and is never referred to again. Considering it was the title of the book, it seems that it would have more significance, but nope.

[Amanda Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really neat coming of age story about an all american girl who learns what's really important in life when her plane wrecks in Alaska. The main character develops beautifully, the story is poignant, and the ending is satisfying.

[Lucas Dennis · Rating 1 out of 5]

i don't like this book that much or at all kind of

[Jena Gardner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again, this one makes me shiver. Must stop reading cold books in the winter. A spoiled Ca girl ends up stranded in the Arctic after a tragic plane crash. SHe experiences the rigors of Arctic life and native cultures that seem to be from another time. Of course by the end, the protagonist prevails with a new way of looking at life. I like that this adventure story has a female protagonist.

[Elsabet · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was short and that was the only good thing about it.

[Tyler Reynolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grabbed this out of a Little Free Library in my neighborhood because it had such a weird title. But, once I started reading it, it grabbed me back. The story is about a 14-year-old girl named Allison, who’s in a plane crash in Alaska and gets rescued by the Inuit (they are native people who live in the arctic). Living with them is totally different than her life in California or really anyone else’s. I mean, night lasts all day, and you can actually just die from the cold there. And there are no schools or doctors or 9-1-1. They are totally off the grid, so no bathrooms or electricity. And everybody eats frozen fish and seal oil. It’s wild. And there is this mystery too, about a girl who everybody hates and a fire that’s started on purpose. And what will Allison do if the mail plane never comes to take her to her mother? If you read this, you won’t be bored.

[old autumn soul · Rating 2 out of 5]

Even though I thought that Allison was an over exaggeration and stereotype of a teenage girl, she did grow as a character. The fictional story of a 14-year-old girl who got stranded in Alaska, and rescued by the Iñupiat people. It is a rough change, but she adapts, and even uses sign language skills to help a disabled girl in the village. Though at first she is strongly disliked by nearly all of the members of the community, she is determined to find her mother, while trying to fit in to a new way of living in the cold tundra. Self-discovery, acceptance, courage, action, light humor.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bouncing between 2.5 and 3 stars. I want to rate it lower for some issues with portrayal but I can't ignore that it was written in the 70s. I did enjoy it and I appreciated that difficult topics were not glossed over but also weren't spun into cliche lessons every other page. You could read and interpret meaning as you saw fit. The middle and last part were great- would have given it 3 or 3.5 stars but then the ending is so abrupt and really ruined it for me. I'd still recommend it overall as a thought provoking story- sometimes books can't end the way you want and that's the point.

[Hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good kids book!

Will write a full review soon!

[Paige · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok

[Connie Wold · Rating 1 out of 5]

Good book about Alaska life.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the book and It was really good for my age group when I read it so I would recommend this book to a 5th or 6th grader!

[Rylie Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in February earlier this year and forgot about it. It was a really good book

[Jude · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad but not the best.

[Maggie the Muskoka Library Mouse · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short little diversion.

[Mark Geisthardt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick read about a 14 year old southern California girl who finds herself lost in the north of Alaska. It is a fun, insightful and good read.

[The Farmer's Wife · Rating 1 out of 5]

This one really wouldn't get past the DEI police today. But not only that, the first person point of view fell pretty flat as she was trying too hard to sound young.

[Wendy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I appreciate that the author has lived and taught in Inupiat villages, and enjoyed the cultural aspects of this book. However, I really disliked the main character and struggled to care about her.

[Peyton Challender · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was the worst book in the world! I would give it 0 stars but I can't. So I had to give it one star. I do not recommend this book to anyone!

[ProfCurrier · Rating 3 out of 5]

The main plot of this story is very similar to that of "Hatchet" by Gary Paulsen, in that both protagonists are left stranded in woods after a plane crash. In this story, the main character is a female named Allison and ends up being saved by a trapper who lets her into his home and to stay with him until her mother comes. I really did enjoy the book because I feel like it empowered females; Allison grew up in a privileged lifestyle in California, so for her to have to adjust to wilderness life and adventures she was not used to was probably difficult, but she did it! I would recommend this book to older students (grades 4-5) because of the length and content material, but also because I think at that age girls are starting to identify themselves and some become "tomboys," some become "girly-girls," so I like how this book shows that you can be both. I think it's also interesting for boys to read because it's a similar situation to "Hatchet" so it can give them a females perspective as well.
(Neda Khan)

[Sandy D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting kid's book about a 14 y.o. girl whose plane crashes in Alaska in the 1970's, where she is rescued by an Inupiat (Eskimo) hunter and spends several weeks in small villages before being re-united with mother. It's written in a rather flat style, and the story is rather adult for kids under 10 (divorce, alcoholism, domestic violence, death, a deaf and lame village outcast, and culture shock all play a role) and yet it's rather short and simply written for older kids/young teens. I think it's a more realistic look at Native Arctic people than most kids will encounter elsewhere, though, and it's probably a good adjunct to "Julie of the Wolves" or other kid's books about the Arctic. Recommended for older kids looking for something short that might make them think a bit.

[10lees · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an excellent little story about a 14 year old who crashes in Alaska and learns about the native culture. This was written based on the author's own memories from the late 1970s and is very descriptive of how Native Alaskans live(d). It is sad to see the culture in such decline and I can't believe too much has changed for the Natives.

I am not sure if it's because I grew up in Alaska, but I really loved this book and would recommend it strongly for the age group (8-14 I would guess). The heroine is 14, but the book is short and easy to read. It does deal with alcohol use and there is a scene of rather violent spousal abuse, but I don't believe it would be hard for a younger child to process.

[Gabby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I Liked this book alot.It did remind me of the hatchet,but it was different.It all starts when she leaves to go visit her mother in Alaska,when her plane crashes,killing her pilot and leaving her stranded in the freezing weather of the artic plain for hours until, she is rescued by an Inupiat Trapper.He takes her back to his village;Where she is now know as the outsider.Over time they began to talk to her; But, not only does she makes in impact on their life,they make a impact on hers showing her that life is not all about materialized things and what a true meaning of a hard earned dollar.She also, learns survival skills that she will always remember.

[couurtneeey * · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this book was well writen. Marayann Easly expressed each character with a different feeling. The description of some parts of the book weren't as good as it should be. I guess this book wasn't written for my age level, but i still liked it. I expected more out of it. The setting changed a few times which was good because I dont like books that have the same setting throughout the whole book. The pace of the book was very fast. It felt like I finished the book in 1 hour.
Overall, I would give this book 3 out of 5 stars. I liked it but it wasnt my absolute favorite book.

[Cornelia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I Am the Ice Worm is a story about a girl who goes down in a plane crash in the arctic on her way to visit her mother. After being saved by a passerby, she gets to know the local culture, giving the read a glimpse into the challenges of many first peoples. Allison quickly discovers what's important in her life and is open to life in a new way at the end of the book. I enjoyed the book, even though it was somewhat predictable. I think that for what this books shares, I can look past its somewhat formulaic pieces.

[Cornelia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I Am the Ice Worm is a story about a girl who goes down in a plane crash in the arctic on her way to visit her mother. After being saved by a passerby, she gets to know the local culture, giving the read a glimpse into the challenges of many first peoples. Allison quickly discovers what's important in her life and is open to life in a new way at the end of the book. I enjoyed the book, even though it was somewhat predictable. I think that for what this books shares, I can look past its somewhat formulaic pieces.

[Katie van Langen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a very interesting book. Its the story of a girl who has to move to the arctic to live with her mother, but she is in a terrible plain crash and must learn to survive the bitter cold of the arctic.

I thought that the book was well written. I probably would have loved it more when I was younger. I do love that the main character is a girl against nature instead of the typical boy against nature.

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. Quite an interesting tale.

The beginning is VERY intense, with a man having a heart attack, but the rest, will have you at the edge of your seat. The last scene, it's a little droopy feeling. You read all that great stuff, and it's like him happy at home eating speghetti. Hm. Upsetting I suppose.

[Medina]

I would have never read this if I had not needed and I book but I really enjoyed it. I liked how it showed how changes in culture can be both positive and negative simultaniously. Through the eyes of a child and then through the experiance of an adult. It would actualy be a good book to use to show how western influences changed Africa, Asia, Australia, N. and S. America.

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was good I think but the beginning wasn't very exciting. The rest of the book was nice though, but the resolution could have been better too. Maybe in the end Sikik and them could have been not mad with Allison and realize that she was telling the truth. But Sikik was brave when Asquk punched her and she's a pretty strong person. I liked that part.