Maroo of the Winter Caves: A Winter and Holiday Book for Kids – A Gripping Ice Age Survival Tale for Kids

by Ann Turnbull, James Cross Giblin

This enduring survival story set at the end of the last Ice Age has been in print for over 20 years. When Maroo and her family become trapped on the Great Plain in blizzard conditions and with little food, they have only one chance of survival: for Maroo and her younger brother, Otak, to reach the winter camp and get help. The fastest trail to the camp is over the White Mountain, where there are treacherous glaciers, steep climbs, and mountain spirits. With the rest of their family depending on them, Maroo and Otak set out alone. But when Otak goes missing, Maroo is forced to make the most difficult of all decisions: to stay and search for her brother or to continue on to the camp in order to save the rest of her family. This modern classic offers readers a gripping tale of survival as well as a vivid portrait of prehistoric people.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, School, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Childrens, Prehistory

144 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1984

About the author

Ann Turnbull is an English author of numerous books for young readers, including No Shame, No Fear and Forged in the Fire. She was born in Hertford, was brought up in southeast London, and now lives in Shropshire, England.

Reviews

[Geordie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in the last ice age, Maroo is a young girl who struggles to save herself and her family after a series of disasters. The first half of the book sets out the setting and the family - especially expanding on Maroo and her younger brother, Otak. In the second half the family faces tragedies and hardships that force Maroo to push herself to persevere.

I loved this book, the writing was simple but descriptive, it was emotionally difficult sometimes, but I think it takes great writing to really get that kind of a raw emotion out of a person. I could relate to the characters, I enjoyed the setting, I felt the pacing was perfect - I don't think I had a single complaint about 'Maroo of the Winter Caves'.

Be advised, it is a very difficult book in places! Loved ones die, and people must make very hard choices. I read it with my daughter (who just turned six), and it came a little close to being too upsetting; on top of which, there were a lot of aspects of the book (the environment, superstitions, and more than anything, the hard decisions Maroo and her family had to make) that are too complex for young children to discuss. I'd recommend it for someone around nine or up really.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely little children's novel about prehistoric life during the end of the ice age for a girl named Maroo and her family. You follow her family from the end of winter into the beginning of the next as they travel, hunt, forage and explore their ice age landscape.

If you're a fan of the style of the Clan of the Cave Bear and Earth's Children series then this is very much along those same lines, albeit written to keep it age appropriate for the intended younger audience. Great for a read aloud option!

[Reptilian · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was okay for a old time book.This book had lots of cliff hangers that were suspenseful!There was many loses tricks and turns to the plot.It was really annoying each time there was a cliff hanger......This book really never had any good detail..the only thing that wanted me to keep reading was the cliff hangers...This book was overall great from the suspense and the thrill.













!Spoiler:There is snow :3!

[madison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly, teachers think our reading capability is so much smaller then it really is. I don't really remember this book, but I know there were parts that were pretty good. This isn't my type of story and I never would have chosen it on my own, but overall I don't think it was bad. But not incredibly good.

[Jess Searcy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of the best books we've read aloud this year! I have two boys, ages 8 and 10, and we had a hard time putting it down. Went along with our prehistory unit study we're doing right now.

[Megan Raymont · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed reading this to my kids! Such a sweet story of courage!

[Joebob Legitname · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okay, I personally disliked this book very much. The story was just dull, and lifeless. Pun intended (if you have read this book you'll get what I am saying). And the characters were flat out dumb. The only part that I like was when they found the dog (I am an animal fanatic). I absolutely hated this book so much. I don't understand how teachers can give us this unentertaining stuff. If I could rate this book at zero stars, I would in a heartbeat. I disliked this book so much, that when we had a test on it I didn't even bother to study, and I got a 66% on it (I kind of regret not studying now), but I still passed the class with a 85%, thanks a lot Maroo. I could have gotten a 4.0 GPA you dirty sock, but noooooo the teachers had to make us read this abomination so that I had gotten a 3.8 GPA, and my parents expect much more from me. Ooooohhhhhhhh, don't even get me started on the freaking signposts! The teachers made us do signposts on the stupid story. And just in case you are unfamiliar with signposts, they are when you have to look for certain things in the book (I'm not going to explain what they are), provide a valid explanation for it, and then cite in the book what page you found it on ex. (Turnbull 45) (Which I was partially okay with. Teachers expect so much from us these days! And we even had to answer questions on the story. So if you are forced to ever read this book, then may God have mercy on your soul, and if you are thinking of reading this book for pleasure, then just don't, and save yourself. Even if you buy this book to look smart in front of your friends, still don't waste you money on this horrific creation. You know on how people have fears of different things, such as Arachnophobia (the fear of spiders). I must have Marooaphobia. I mean honestly, it just makes me so butt hurt simply just talking about this book. I may just be over exaggerating, and if you think that then go ahead and read the book, I won't stand in your way. I expect more from this author (Ann Turnbull). As you can see-wait hold up this isn't an essay. So finally after this whole rant can't you see... that I absolutely love this book. Nah, nah, nah, get the heck outa here. I hate this book more than freaking Donald Trump and nobody likes him but himself. No joke, 100% accurate. See ya, if you are reading this book, wouldn't want to be ya.

[Ralphie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maroo of the winter caves is about a girl who lives with her family of Eskimos and travels to new places every season. In this book maroo experiences new places and the love of her family. In this story maroo and her family run into obstacles and dodge snowstorms, wild animals, and hunger to get to the place of her dreams for spring.

I think I can connect to maroo the most because of her love for travel and to see new places. I can also connect to her desire for adventure and how she loves to be with her family. However I can also connect to her overall attitude to meeting new people.

I give this book 4 stars because I like how the author captured the non-fiction facts but added their own story to the mix. I recommend this book to anyone who likes a mix between fiction and non-fiction.

[Regina · Rating 4 out of 5]

UPDATE for 2017. We're in the middle of a unit on the earliest humans with my 5 year old. So between books about mammoths, archaeology, and cave paintings, we decided to incorporate this novel as our nightly read aloud. I was looking for something that would bring the daily life of early people alive for my son. Flesh them out a little. The first half was, well, Little House on the Prairie-esque, if Laura and her family lived in a cave and feared cave bears and lions. You got a good sense of what life might have been like for these people. The story however takes a dark turn, again, teaching the very real struggle for existence. This was nerve racking for my son, but he was entranced by the action. We tried this story when he was 5 and it was a no go. Too scary. Now that he's 6, he seemed a little more ready for the story.

[Neel Ramesh · Rating 3 out of 5]

In my opinion Maroo of the Winter Caves wasn't very intresting compared to the many other books i have read. The reasons I think this to be so is because,its is called a adventure but there wasn't much action or adventure really. But there where some good parts that i have to admit did bring some action. An example of this is when Maroo had to fight the cave lion it was adventurous. Though what i didn't like and what i thought the author could easily change it was making the fight a little more longer,for it is part of the climax.So it is really a combination of good and bad.But all together I liked it but the author could make it more intresting.

[Chandler Corpus · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this was an exciting and suspenseful book. I loved each chapter. every chapter ended with an exiting part and ended which made me want to read more chapters. This book was basically about a girl named Maroo surviving with her family during the Ice Age. She faces many problems and every problem she faces gets bigger and bigger. I think this book is really enjoyable and that everyone should read it.

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great book for any kid who liked Little House on the Prairie. It tells the story of Maroo, a girl living at the end of the last Ice Age, who has to complete a dangerous journey to save her family.

My 6-year-old is fascinated with descriptions of how people lived before modern technology, and I love finding books with strong girl protagonists, so we were both happy with this selection as part of our homeschool unit on early humans.

[Sara Moran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maroo will be known as a legend within her people for a long time, she will for our family as well.

I read this aloud with my 5 & 7 year old for a prehistory unit study. This is written for slightly older kids but it did not stop us from loving it. We learned all about what it might have been like to live so long ago. A great story about the connection of family and the sacrifices they make for each other.

[Scarjo Blotter · Rating 2 out of 5]

I honestly didn't think this book was one of my favorites. The plot was way too predictable. One thing I did like about the book was how much conflict there was. I know this is going to sound like I am mean and nasty, but I enjoyed their hardships and their losses. Over all, I didn't really like this book AT ALL.

[Aidan Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maroo of the Winter Caves is a good book that I really liked. It had a lot of detail, and I think you should read it. If you like books that are adventerous then you should read this book. I gave it a 4/5 star review because it wasn't the best book, but it was a really good book. All in all, I think you should read this book!

[Willow · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 4 year-old really enjoyed this book from her Prehistory unit. We both got emotional at the end. The writing was good, the story was fast-paced, and the vocabulary was great. I would definitely recommend this book to others interested in prehistoric times.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Survival of a girl and her family during the Ice Age.

[Dylan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ehh it was ok Mrs. Price needs to choose a better book or have otak become a spirit and get revenge!

[Jeremy Manuel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have you ever wondered what a year in the life of a stone age nomadic family would be like? I'm guessing the answer to that is probably no. If you have, then this is the book for you. It follows Maroo and her family through one year of what could happen if you were living as nomads in the stone age.

It's not an in-depth book. The time goes by quickly and details are there, but not super in depth. I would say that this is true of the characters too. They are likable enough, but there isn't necessarily much character development or nuance to the characters. Maroo is the responsible courageous older daughter; Otak is the jealous, impulsive younger brother; Old Mother is the wise matron of the family. As a book that is probably more geared for the middle school area I think that's okay, but it is something to be aware of.

Even though the depth of characters or details about the life weren't super deep the story was enough to keep me engaged. The life of a stone age nomad would not have been easy and it shows in these pages, and even then I bet this makes it out to be a lot easier than it would have actually been. It was interesting to see the struggles and victories of Maroo and her family. I really enjoyed the wild dog they found and domesticated he was a fun addition.

Overall, Maroo of the Winter Caves was an interesting taste of what a year as a prehistoric nomad would have been like. It's a fairly light book that's more meant for middle school age, but I found it an enjoyable book to read together as a family even if it does have its share of emotional moments.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this with my 7 year old as part of our exploration of prehistoric peoples, and I really love that it brought history to life for her. Maroo, as a main character, is relatable and made it easy to connect to that time in history. The plot is engaging and it was overall a very quick, satisfying read.

There was a fair amount of historic detail and we got a real sense of what it might have been like to live during that time period. However, where I found the book lacking is the character development of, well, anyone, and there being no true thematic elements.

This is not a deep book, or one that’s especially emotionally gripping (strange, because one of the first plot twists is that the family patriarch dies), but it does partially satisfy that curious itch some of us have to imagine what the world was like 30,000 years ago.

If you’re looking for a quick intro to prehistoric times with a kid between 6 and 11, I’d recommend it.

[siriusedward · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was out bedtime read aloud
.

We enjoyed going on the journey with Maroo and her family.Over the weeks, we felt their heartbreak ,their hunger and their fears .We went on that last harrowing journey that Maroo and Otak undertook.
We rejoiced at the end and felt Maroo's joy and happiness with her.

And , that means we are going to miss Maroo for a bit as we move onto the next book , the next read , another adventure.

We learned a lot about Ice Age along the way.. we looked up many things and loved knowing about that time in the past.. which was made so real to us by this Living Book.

Thank you for the wonderful book.

We , all of us, Mom and kids loved it.👍

[Jennifer Bohnhoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in southern France during the last Ice Age, Maroo of the Winter Caves is a story about the Madeleine people, a group of semi-nomadic hunter gatherers. When multiple tragedies strike her small band, Maroo and her younger brother Otak must leave her family and strike out on their own to get help. Their route, over the mountains during a blizzard, is fraught with danger. I really appreciated how historically accurate this book is. There was no magic, no fantasy silliness like riding mammoths or the like. The people's spirit beliefs were believable. This is a short and easy read for younger middle grade readers who want to experience what life might really have been like.

[Selena Recoder · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was great I was really sad that Maroo's dad Areg Sr. died and that she left her brother Otak to go and find the other half of the tribe and tell them that the tribe in the blizzard needs help on getting back to the sea for their summer vacation. In addition on their journey Maroo's mother Tikek had a baby and she named is Areg Jr. after her father when he died. Also on that journey Maroo and Otak come across and injured dog, they took it and renurised it back to health they named it Rivo.

[ChloeRules22 · Rating 1 out of 5]

We have too read this book in class and it's about a girl named maroo who lives in the last ice age sand her father(the hunter) dies and she and her brother have too help lead and hunt.Its dull,the characters are boring and it's just not eye catching on my opinion it's like when you start a movie and can't finish it because your ot amused.

[Janie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maroo and the Winter Caves is a short and captivating story; it’s certainly a favorite for this year. I read it with my elementary aged daughters as part of our homeschool learning. This book kicked off our ancient history unit. We were never bored with Maroo’s story and learning about how she and her family survived in prehistoric Europe.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this with my 11 year old as part of a homeschool curriculum to help teach about ancient civilizations. For that, it was helpful. As a stand alone book, to read on your own, there was a lot of context missing and the plot could have been better.

[Maggie Panning · Rating 5 out of 5]

We loved this book. This is a great historical fiction book filled with adventure and familial love. There were moments of tension, moments that made me cry and moments that made our hearts sing with joy. I am so glad that our studies brought this book to our attention.

[Michael Ben Silva III · Rating 5 out of 5]

Only wish there was more. But it was perfectly told—Maroo and Otok and Reevo can continue their story beyond the book itself. (Oops! Their names are spelled Otak and Rivo! I only heard their names read aloud by CG.)

[Cara Noyes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a well-crafted tale. I can see why 5th graders at CV read it yearly.
I have not read many tales set in prehistoric times.
Carrying fire 🔥 fascinated me. How ingenious to take hot coals from camp to camp.

[Sage · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars.

This was a good book overall but it just didn’t entertain me personally to no fault of the book. I can see how it could be a really good book I personally just didn’t like the characters or story.