The Snow Merchant by Sam Gayton

Hurrah for Lettie Peppercorn! This is her story. A story full of magic, action and adventure. The most imaginative tale I’ve read in a very long time. We join Lettie in what first appears to be a Cinderella sort of scene. She lives in a house on stilts and her days are filled with cooking, cleaning and attending to demanding guests. Her only friend is a pigeon made of stone, Periwinkle. Her father is a gambling drunk and they’re both grieving for the loss of her mother who mysteriously vanished long ago. Enter the Snow Merchant! This conspicuous character claims many things, one of which is that he’s an inventor of something that will change Lettie’s life forever – snow. And so begins a fantastical escapade, we’re flung into Lettie’s world as she discovers family secrets, makes friends as well as enemies, encounters danger and faces her fears. You simply must join Lettie, I love her and you will too. I promise.