Bartlett and the Ice Voyage

Bartlett and the Ice Voyage by Odo Hirsch Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2003, 168 pp., $14.95 Human Nature/Adventure ISBN: 0-7475-46142

An impatient young Queen, a ruler of seven countries, demands one thing that seems unavailable to her: a fresh melidrop.

In this whimsical story of a long ago time, we learn that no way has yet been found to bring this most delectable of all fruits to this young Queen in an edible state. Yet this is what she desperately wants.

Then an unpretentious explorer by the name of Bartlett is brought before the Queen. Bartlett is different from than most of the Queen's subjects: he does not fawn over her. Instead, Bartlett ignores the Queen's demands to find this "precious fruit," until she reluctantly strikes a deal with him.

This delightful and inventive story of the adventures of Bartlett, which includes towing an iceberg by a ship, and of his challenging search for the divine edible melidrop, is a wonderful tale. Poking gentle fun at human foibles, this easy read would make a wonderful choice to share aloud with middle schoolers.

Diana Mitchell

Williamston, MI

Copyright Assembly on Literature for Adolescents -- National Council of Teachers of English Fall 2002
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