book cover

The Ice Bear Miracle

by Cerrie Burnell

Interest age: 9 to 11
Reading age: 8+

Published by Oxford University Press, 2020

  • Adventure

About this book

When Marv Jackson was little, he survived a polar bear attack out on the frozen River Raven, deep in the frozen north of Canada. He knows that he saw a fierce, curly-haired baby in a basket out on the ice that night, and protected her from the bear cub. Yet, no baby was ever found, and no-one in his village believes a baby was ever there.

Fast forward eight years and Tuesday, an ice skater, and Promise, her skating polar bear, are part of a travelling carnival. When ice hockey-mad Marv finds out about Tuesday and her bear, something clicks. Could Tuesday be the baby he saw on the ice so many years ago? And is she really safe under the protection of her wolfish grandma, the fierce and strict Gretta?

Full of fairy tale magic and snowy mystery, The Ice Bear Miracle spins together legend and real life into a fantastical and heartfelt tale of family and belonging. Tuesday’s loyalty to her bear is written with love by Burnell, who has an immense talent for infusing the magical with warmth and affection. Perfect for any child who has wished for an animal best friend, Promise is a companion to Philip Pullman’s (slightly fiercer) Iorek Byrnison.

About the author

Cerrie Burnell is an actress and writer best known for her work on CBeebies, a role that has earned her critical recognition and a devoted fan base. Alongside this, she works very closely with a number of charitable organisations linked to childhood and diversity, as Cerrie is passionate about these subjects.

In 2011, Cerrie was named in the Observer’s top ten children’s presenters and in the Guardian’s list of 100 most inspirational women. Cerrie is author in residence for Great Ormond Street hospital and a patron of Polka children’s theatre.

She trained at Manchester Metropolitan and her credits prior to CBeebies include Eastenders, The Bill, Holby City, and Comedy Lab for Channel Four and various plays, including Winged, an original play she wrote and starred in at the Tristan Bates theatre.

Cerrie’s one-woman show The Magical Playroom opened in Edinburgh in 2013 and she has published seven books for children with Scholastic. Harper and the Sea of Secrets was a World Book Day title in 2016. Cerrie recently adapted her picture book Snowflakes for the stage, which was performed at the Oxford Playhouse in December 2016. Harper and the Night Fox was published by Scholastic in 2017, and her novel, The Girl With the Shark’s Teeth, was published by Oxford University Press in January 2019. Her novel, The Ice Bear Miracle, was published in February 2020.

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