The Snowman Code

In this “whimsical, enchanting” (Kirkus Reviews) winter story, a six-hundred-year-old snowman and a ten-and-a-half-year-old girl strike up an unlikely friendship as they try to bring an end to the longest winter ever.

Article II of the Snowman Code: A snowman always helps a child in need.

It’s March, but the London ground is still covered in snow, the lake in the park is still frozen over, and ten-and-a-half-year-old Blessing has three problems:

Problem #1: Blessing hasn’t gone to school in months. She just can’t stand those bullies, the Driplet Triplets, so her only solution is avoiding them by pretending she and her mom moved to Australia. Problem #2: Blessing’s mom gets sad in the winter. So sad she doesn’t go to work and sometimes doesn’t get out of bed. Problem #3: The city is experiencing its longest ever winter, with no end in sight. And the longer it goes on, the longer her mom’s sadness does too. If spring doesn’t come soon and other grown-ups find out her mom is too sad, they’ll be separated again.

Just as Blessing starts to lose hope, she meets an unexpected new friend: Albert Framlington, a six-hundred-year-old snowman who just might hold the key to solving all three of her problems. But Albert has a problem of his own that may require a human’s help.

Can this unlikely duo find a way to defeat Blessing’s bullies, win back Albert’s long-lost love, and overcome the never-ending winter before it’s too late? They have to try—that’s the Snowman Code after all.