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East
(East #1)
by
Rose has always been different.
Since the day she was born, it was clear she had a special fate. Her superstitious mother keeps the unusual circumstances of Rose's birth a secret, hoping to prevent her adventurous daughter from leaving home... but she can't suppress Rose's true nature forever.
So when an enormous white bear shows up one cold autumn evening and asks teenage
...moreGet A Copy
Paperback, 507 pages
Published
May 1st 2005
by HMH Books for Young Readers
(first published September 1st 2003)
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Ellie (ermreading)
Yes, North Child is the UK title
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The author wrote on her website under her FAQs that she was planning to write a sequel set 9 years after the first book.
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Start your review of East (East, #1)


This book was awesome! I have never heard of this fairytale, even though it sounded familiar. I’m glad one of my friends wanted to buddy read it, but now I want to get both books in paperback and the second one comes out in October. I always get scared about the cancer coming back if I get too excited about books on down the line 😫
Anyway, I recommend to those that love fairytales!
They journeyed far and the white bear said,
"Are you afraid?"
"No," she replied. "I am not afraid."

She would s...more

I absolutely loved this book. I've read it so many times and never has it grown old. I love how it shifts views and tells you what other people are doing and how it has many plots that all tie together in the book. I love the White Bear and I love reading what he has to say and the riddles and poems he speaks in. The chapters weren't long so you could just fly through the book with no trouble. I fell inlove with Rose and her personality from the beginning, the first few pages a a little slow, bu
...more

This novel is a retelling of "East of the Sun and West of the Moon" which is probably one of the most underappreciated fairy tales out there. Unfortunately, this retelling doesn't quite do it justice. The author chose to use multiple viewpoints, which felt more like a gimmick and less like the best way to tell the story (especially since I was only really interested in the stories from two of the five narrators). Also, no one ever seems to have given Edith that all important advice to "show and
...more

3.5*
a lovely retelling of Beauty and the Beast.
a lovely retelling of Beauty and the Beast.

I really wish I had read this in this age range. I would have been obsessed with this book. Such a captivating story!

Jan 11, 2020
Emer (A Little Haze)
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
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This book... oh I was utterly transfixed by it. I felt like a child again while reading. I lost myself in lands of ice and snow, magical white bears and troll queens... I loved every second.
North Child (I believe formally titled East or at least called that in other parts of the world) is a gorgeous traditional retelling of the Norwegian fairytale East of the Sun and West of the Moon. It tells the tale of Rose and her fated quest to rescue the White Bear Prince.
Rose’s mother had many superstiti ...more
North Child (I believe formally titled East or at least called that in other parts of the world) is a gorgeous traditional retelling of the Norwegian fairytale East of the Sun and West of the Moon. It tells the tale of Rose and her fated quest to rescue the White Bear Prince.
Rose’s mother had many superstiti ...more

$1.99 Kindle sale, Oct. 25, 2018. The sequel to this 2005 folktale retelling, West, was just published this week (it's still waiting on my Kindle).
East is a retelling of the Norwegian tale "East of the Sun and West of the Moon;" you can read one version of it here. In East, a teenage girl named Rose has a sense of adventure that her worried mother has always tried, unsuccessfully, to quell. One day a huge white bear appears at their door and offers to magically to fix the family's dire financial ...more
East is a retelling of the Norwegian tale "East of the Sun and West of the Moon;" you can read one version of it here. In East, a teenage girl named Rose has a sense of adventure that her worried mother has always tried, unsuccessfully, to quell. One day a huge white bear appears at their door and offers to magically to fix the family's dire financial ...more

Rating: 4.5 Stars
Ever since I read the tale of "East of the Sun, West of the Moon," I've longed to give one of its numerous re-tellings a try. Edith Pattou's version, East, practically fell into my lap when I discovered it in the hidden recess of my Kindle and within moments, I was sucked into the tale. For those of you who don't know, "East of the Sun, West of the Moon" is similar to "Beauty and the Beast," only instead of a beast, we have a polar bear, and instead of a wicked witch, there is a ...more
Ever since I read the tale of "East of the Sun, West of the Moon," I've longed to give one of its numerous re-tellings a try. Edith Pattou's version, East, practically fell into my lap when I discovered it in the hidden recess of my Kindle and within moments, I was sucked into the tale. For those of you who don't know, "East of the Sun, West of the Moon" is similar to "Beauty and the Beast," only instead of a beast, we have a polar bear, and instead of a wicked witch, there is a ...more

4 - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
East is a retelling of the Norwegian fairytale called East of the Sun and West of the Moon which I found out was the original inspiration for the beloved fairytale of Beauty and the Beast
• The setting of the story was beautifully crafted. The world-building was extremely atmospheric along with the vivid imagery of the lands Rose visits throughout her journey. I can almost smell the frost and feel the little tingles of coldness seeping into my bones. The experience almost felt real.
• ...more
East is a retelling of the Norwegian fairytale called East of the Sun and West of the Moon which I found out was the original inspiration for the beloved fairytale of Beauty and the Beast
• The setting of the story was beautifully crafted. The world-building was extremely atmospheric along with the vivid imagery of the lands Rose visits throughout her journey. I can almost smell the frost and feel the little tingles of coldness seeping into my bones. The experience almost felt real.
• ...more

This reimagining of East of the Sun and West of the Moon has a very good beginning, enhanced by the not so frequent technique (in retellings) of showing both sides of the story: the girl, her family, the enchanted bear and the Troll Queen. Quite intriguing, isn't it? Plus, it's historical fantasy rather than plain old-school fantasy, as the setting is 16th century Scandinavia, and the author uses a historical event from a century prior that's somewhat mysterious and apt for reinterpreting in fic
...more

What a GREAT young adult fantasy! I loved everything about this book! Although it is almost 500 pages, it is a quick read. (Short chapters, larger print.) The story is based on the Norwegian fairytale "East of the Sun and West of the Moon" which I didn't know until I read the author's notes at the end. I liked that even though it was a fantasy, it took place in a real time and place-16th Century Norway. (Read the glossery in the very back for modern names) I loved the mother's superstition, her
...more

Nov 18, 2019
Ashleigh (a frolic through fiction)
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
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*3.5/5 stars


4.5 stars
I never would have thought that there could be a whole chapter book retelling of a classic fairy tale other than Shannon Hale’s “The Goose Girl.” Well, I have just recently stumbled upon this book called “East” that happens to be a great retelling of a classic fairy tale! “East” is a retelling of a classic Scandinavian folktale called “East of the Sun West of the Moon” by Edith Pattou and anyone who is a huge fan of fairy tales will definitely get a kick out of this book!
Rose is the you ...more

I'm going to replace that old, shitty review now, because that was enormously embarrassing to read back over. SORRY, EVERYONE WHO READ IT! I APOLOGIZE PROFUSELY!
Anyway, my opinion hasn't changed, just my method of delivering it. I still think that this was a horrendous novel, badly plotted with shoddy characters.
In fact, I think the lack of development from the characters was the novel's biggest downfall. Rose is such a blank protagonist. I spent 200 pages with her (before I gave up), and throug ...more
Anyway, my opinion hasn't changed, just my method of delivering it. I still think that this was a horrendous novel, badly plotted with shoddy characters.
In fact, I think the lack of development from the characters was the novel's biggest downfall. Rose is such a blank protagonist. I spent 200 pages with her (before I gave up), and throug ...more

5☆
They journeyed far and the white bear said, "Are you afraid?"
"No," she replied. "I am not afraid."
Once upon a time there was an "east-born" beautiful girl who was named Ebba Rose. She was one of the eight children of a poor farmer and his supertitious wife, and the family reside in a village called Andalsnes in Njord. One day, a white bear showed up at their home and demanded to take Rose with him in exchange for a good fortune for her ill-fated family. Of course her family, except for her ...more
They journeyed far and the white bear said, "Are you afraid?"
"No," she replied. "I am not afraid."
Once upon a time there was an "east-born" beautiful girl who was named Ebba Rose. She was one of the eight children of a poor farmer and his supertitious wife, and the family reside in a village called Andalsnes in Njord. One day, a white bear showed up at their home and demanded to take Rose with him in exchange for a good fortune for her ill-fated family. Of course her family, except for her ...more

Aug 23, 2010
Morgan F
rated it
liked it
Shelves:
romance,
otis-library,
adventure,
good-sized,
2000s,
myths-retellings,
multiple,
fiction,
fantasy,
magic
East was written when fantasy could still be fantasy. When young adult books weren't required to have a love triangle, a sexy love interest, and a heroine with low self-esteem. Rose, this novel's main character, is intelligent, resourceful, and courageous. She has a strong drive and a true moral compass. The plot reminds me of more classical fantasy that involves epic journeys over several countries over the course of years. The book is chaste and simple, which makes me think its more suited to
...more

Nov 29, 2020
Olivia | Liv's Library
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
favorites,
holiday-winter
THE PERFECT WINTER READ! Obsessed. ❄️😍

Rose has always been different.
Since the day she was born, it was clear she had a special fate. Her superstitious mother keeps the unusual circumstances of Rose's birth a secret, hoping to prevent her adventurous daughter from leaving home... but she can't suppress Rose's true nature forever.
So when an enormous white bear shows up one cold autumn evening and asks teenage Rose to come away with it--in exchange for health and prosperity for her ailing family--she readily agrees.
East is a retel ...more
Since the day she was born, it was clear she had a special fate. Her superstitious mother keeps the unusual circumstances of Rose's birth a secret, hoping to prevent her adventurous daughter from leaving home... but she can't suppress Rose's true nature forever.
So when an enormous white bear shows up one cold autumn evening and asks teenage Rose to come away with it--in exchange for health and prosperity for her ailing family--she readily agrees.

East is a retel ...more

This was a retelling of East of the Sun, West of the Moon, a story I'd never heard before, although it had some inklings of Beauty and the Beast mixed in, with a maiden required to break the curse of a prince transformed into a bear.
This had the welcome feel of a classic fantasy story, built upon magic, legend, and superstition. Rose was born a North born child, meant to wander, with a prophesy over her head that she will die, buried in snow and ice in the frozen North. As such, her mother does ...more
This had the welcome feel of a classic fantasy story, built upon magic, legend, and superstition. Rose was born a North born child, meant to wander, with a prophesy over her head that she will die, buried in snow and ice in the frozen North. As such, her mother does ...more

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.

Nov 19, 2018
Jen (The Starry-Eyed Revue)
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2018-faves,
2018,
reimaginings-retellings,
favorites,
fairytales-revisited,
library,
audiobooks,
fantasy
Full of enchantment and wonder, this East of the Sun, West of the Moon retelling was exactly the kind of fantasy story I've been missing in my life lately. The original story is very akin to Beauty and the Beast, but this particular retelling allows for more trolls, more white bears, more questing...more everything. I can't believe I never knew this book existed, not until I saw people talking about
West
. I have seriously been missing out because Rose is kind of the perfect heroine: fierce a
...more

*Very mild spoilers are present throughout the review*
First book completed in 2020! 🎉
I admit that I am not terribly familiar with the tale that this was based on - East of the Sun and West of the Moon. All I knew at the start was that there would be a white bear who was under some sort of enchantment and a girl who goes with him to a magical home. Needless to say, I was rather surprised to discover that this only described part of the full story. While I can't say how close to the source materia ...more
First book completed in 2020! 🎉
I admit that I am not terribly familiar with the tale that this was based on - East of the Sun and West of the Moon. All I knew at the start was that there would be a white bear who was under some sort of enchantment and a girl who goes with him to a magical home. Needless to say, I was rather surprised to discover that this only described part of the full story. While I can't say how close to the source materia ...more

Apr 23, 2018
ℓуηη, ℓσкιѕℓутнєя¢ℓαω
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
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duologies,
girlpower,
favorites,
fantasy-ya,
seriously-underrated,
need-to-own-asap,
retellings,
russian-vibes
Let me start off by admitting I've never actually read the original fairytale this retelling is based off of, something I intend to remedy soon (I hope).
Going into this book I was thinking it was the same retelling I had DNFed years ago & was willing to give it another chance. I'm so glad I wanted to give it a "second chance" because in doing so I discovered a book I hadn't actually tried before, and it turned out to be a really good one besides! It was a lucky surprise :D My rating for this on ...more
Going into this book I was thinking it was the same retelling I had DNFed years ago & was willing to give it another chance. I'm so glad I wanted to give it a "second chance" because in doing so I discovered a book I hadn't actually tried before, and it turned out to be a really good one besides! It was a lucky surprise :D My rating for this on ...more

Why did I read this book? New cover pretty.
I'm glad that I stuck around to the end of this one. It is very different than what I usually read, and I'm being generous with my rating because I was extremely bored during a large portion of this book.
This dr a g g e d.
It was simply too long to hold my attention.
I liked the story and the Norwegian mythology associated with it. I liked having multiple perspectives. The POV of the Troll Queen was something that made me want to continue- so that I c ...more
I'm glad that I stuck around to the end of this one. It is very different than what I usually read, and I'm being generous with my rating because I was extremely bored during a large portion of this book.
This dr a g g e d.
It was simply too long to hold my attention.
I liked the story and the Norwegian mythology associated with it. I liked having multiple perspectives. The POV of the Troll Queen was something that made me want to continue- so that I c ...more

Yeah, so honestly. I didn't hate this, but the author stated in the "Authors Note" that she had really researched and done her homework with this in terms of setting it in Norway and all. And for some of the parts, I agree. She had done her homework but there were so many things that annoyed the shit outta me that I wanted to scream. I know you have to adapt to the English language for this, and she a whole fucking lot better than I would have done but it annoyed me.
Some things are:
It's not As ...more
Some things are:
It's not As ...more

Oct 30, 2018
christina
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommended to christina by:
fans of Spinning Silver + The Bear & the Nightingale
*retelling: East of the Sun West of the Moon*
★ true rating: 3.5 stars ★
I have been on a big retelling kick lately, so when I saw that this book got a cover redesign and a sequel I had to pick it up. This is an older YA that a lot of my goodreads friends read when they were younger -and loved, so I was pretty excited to see what this was all about. I really enjoyed the story overall -the MC was strong, smart and loyal to herself and her family. I also enjoyed the narrator change for each chapter ...more
★ true rating: 3.5 stars ★
I have been on a big retelling kick lately, so when I saw that this book got a cover redesign and a sequel I had to pick it up. This is an older YA that a lot of my goodreads friends read when they were younger -and loved, so I was pretty excited to see what this was all about. I really enjoyed the story overall -the MC was strong, smart and loyal to herself and her family. I also enjoyed the narrator change for each chapter ...more

For a re-telling this was very good. In many ways, other than just expanding on the original, this version seemed to try to add some realism to the tale. Fortunately it wasn't realism at the cost of magic. There was still plenty of magic. Don't look for anything staggeringly innovative here and the writing isn't perfect, but this is very readable.
The novel delineated an ordinary world from a magical world by making Rose's home life somewhat more mundane as well as keeping from her many of the ma ...more
The novel delineated an ordinary world from a magical world by making Rose's home life somewhat more mundane as well as keeping from her many of the ma ...more

It's been quite a while since I read this, so I will leave a proper review until my eventual re-reading but I will say that as it is based on my favourite fairytale, I can remember being particularly harsh on this retelling. I recall it being good but not quite living up to my memories of the original tale, and as I don't know if anything really will live up to those memories it may be wise to add a star in your mind to whatever review I finally do give.
...more
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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What's the Name o...: SOLVED. Children's book. Girl (MC) and her father who's a cartographer, mother died. Girl travels to castle and given gifts. Cover: blue with a compass rose. Title: Northern Lights? (not Pullman) [s] | 7 | 36 | Dec 15, 2020 05:40PM | |
What's the Name o...: SOLVED. Fantasy: young woman ventures out on quest with some dresses made of a very unique fabric, they can be folded up incredibly small and never wrinkles. [s] | 9 | 37 | Jul 22, 2020 08:15AM | |
What's the Name o...: SOLVED. A girl on a journey north. There may be a bear or some other animal involved. I remember the cover was blue and has a girl and snow ...? [s] | 4 | 21 | Dec 03, 2019 09:10PM | |
Fantasy Buddy Reads: East [1st January 2019] | 141 | 41 | Jan 21, 2019 09:01AM | |
Giselle's Random ...: East by Edith Pattou | 2 | 11 | Feb 28, 2018 10:17AM | |
Off the Books: What did you think? | 2 | 9 | Jan 11, 2018 10:46PM |
Edith Pattou is the author of several fantasy novels, including East, an ALA Top Ten Best Book for Young Adults. She is a graduate of the Francis W. Parker School, Scripps College (B.A., English), Claremont Graduate School (M.A., English) and UCLA (M.L.I.S.). She is married to Charles Emery, a professor of psychology at The Ohio State University. They have one child, a daughter.
For more informatio ...more
For more informatio ...more
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“That's the trouble with loving a wild thing: You're always left watching the door.”
—
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“East of the sun and west of the moon.' As unfathomable as the words were, I realized I must figure them out, reason it through. For I would go to this impossible land that lay east of the sun and west of the moon. From the moment the sleigh had vanished from sight and I could no longer hear the silver bells I knew that I would go after the stranger that had been the white bear to make right the terrible wrong I had done him.... All that mattered was to make things right. And I would do whatever it took, journey to wherever I must, to reach that goal.”
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