Creator Spotlight - Kiran Millwood Hargrave

I wanted The Way Past Winter to feel like a myth, a story that could have, and possibly did, happen. When you look hard enough at the natural world, amazing things really do exist: islands do float, forests do freeze, eagles do grow to the size of dogs. All these things you’ll find in the story, and maybe you’ll also find someone you recognize. Though it’s set in a distant and snowy past, in lots of ways it’s about the world now: about fighting with your sisters, and not understanding your brother, about feeling trapped in a time and place, and wanting answers to family secrets. My main character Mila is not an extraordinary person – in lots of ways she’s just like me, or maybe like you – but when her brother goes missing and her home is threatened by an ancient and powerful creature, she finds she is capable of extraordinary things. She crosses mountains and frozen seas, battles bears and wolves - and that’s what I believe any of us would do to save the people we love. I hope when you curl up with The Way Past Winter, you'll come to love her as much as I do.