Feeling guilty for breaking the spell that allowed the queen to capture him, Rose determines that she will find where he has been taken and rescue him.Ĭritical Evaluation: This creative retelling of the fairy tale “East of the Sun, West of the Moon” is given realistic depth because it is set in medieval Europe.

When she finally discovers who it is, an evil Troll Queen takes him away intending to force him into marriage.

A mysterious visitor comes into Rose’s room and sleeps on the other side of her bed every night, but she cannot speak to him, touch him or even light a candle because of an enchantment. She stays with him for months in a castle built into a mountain. Confused and hurt, Rose decides to leave with the white bear. During the next week, Rose accidentally discovers that her true birth direction was North – and her parents had lied to her. If Rose will leave with him, Sara’s good health will return and the family will become prosperous. The family sinks deeper into poverty, and Rose’s sister Sara (South born) falls extremely ill, when a white bear appears at the farm and says that he will return in a week. Rose tries hard to be a gentle and obedient East, but feels more natural wandering the surrounding countryside than doing domestic tasks at home (with the exception of weaving, one of her favorite activities). Rose’s mother is obsessed with the notion that the direction of a child’s birth will determine their traits and destiny, and has intentionally birthed each of her seven children for a different point on the compass – all the directions except North. Plot Summary: On a farmstead in medieval Scandinavia, a girl named Rose lives with her six siblings, her loving father, and her very superstitious mother.

East pattou