DRIFTING SNOW

A fine author returns to the Arctic with the story of a modern teenager rediscovering her Inuit heritage. Elizabeth— early separated from her parents, her vital records and even her name lost—decides to leave the familiar but lonely comforts of southern Canada to search for her family, accepting an invitation to stay at a remote camp off Baffin Island. Her new Inuit friends' language and customs strike a chord within her; gladly accepting what they have to offer, she participates in the pleasures and perils of migratory life. When Elizabeth finally finds her parents, the reunion is uneasy: they have become town dwellers, and—faced with a choice—she opts for the old ways. Despite unnatural-sounding dialogue (``I dread feeling my way through December's icy gloom''), Houston expertly establishes a sense of place and fills the story with danger, authentic detail, and sharp emotions. An easier, more conventional take on themes explored in George's Julie of the Wolves. B&w illustrations not seen. (Fiction. 11-13)