This is the story of 11 year old Tessa, seeking out the fabled barbegazi while mourning the death of her beloved grandfather, and Gawain, a barbegazi and young at a mere 154 years old, searching for his twin sister Maeg who went missing after an avalanche. Fortunately Tessa and Gawion meet up and with the help of Tessa’s cousin, Felix, join forces to search for the missing barbegazi, who, I should mention, has been abducted.
This is a charming delightful story with enough tension and a satisfying conclusion. I have to confess I never heard of barbegazi before I read this book. In case you are in the same situation, they are a type of snow-elf who love to ride avalanches and keen to help out humans in trouble. If you need more information than that, I will have to refer you to Professor Bahne’s book, Habits & Habitats: A Historic Account of Alpine Elves quoted throughout the book.
Tessa is a lovely character, living with her grief-stricken mother and grandmother in a ski-resort in the Austrian Alps. She is clever, resourceful, and brave. Cousin Felix, intent though he is on winning his ski races, proves himself when it comes to the point, and Gawion is endearing.
The book is very well written and the story flows well. I have to say I enjoyed the skiing aspect too, not enough to venture out on the slopes perhaps, but it was fun reading about it (that’s as good, right?). The impact of the loss of a loved one on all members of the family (and its repercussions on others) is touched upon, and adds depth to the relatively simple story. All in all, a delightful story of friendship and family, one I think younger readers will enjoy.
TOTP and I award it an enthusiastic 9 out of 10 Diamonds.
We also recently reviewed The Hungry Ghost by H.S. Norup – see my review here.
Valinora Troy 
13 responses to “Book Review: The Missing Barbegazi”
It sounds like a charming book. I didn’t know what a barbegazi was either. Well, now I do!
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It is charming, and a fun read, and packs quite a lot into a simple story 🙂
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This does sound very interesting. I will have to check it out!
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I really liked it 🙂
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What a delightful tale. Like you, I’ve never heard of the fabled barbegazi. This sounds like a great book to escape into. Love to ski, but not the Alps.
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It was a fun story. Skiing sounds fab but terrifying!!! 🙂
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I too was miffed at the title. A Barbegazi? Thanks for clearing this up and your review captured my interest in reading this title. Thanks also for featuring your post on MMGM.
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Thanks for having me on MMGM, Greg! I’m glad I wasn’t the only word who never heard of the barbegazi! 🙂
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Sounds like a neat book–and nope. Have never heard of elves like that before!
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I enjoyed reading about though I wouldn’t like to be one (far too cold!) 🙂
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I don’t read a lot of fantasy, but I might make an exception for this book. It sounds perfectly charming. Thanks for telling me about it.
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It is! I hope you like it if you get a chance to read it!
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[…] week I am delighted to be joined by the lovely and very talented author, H. S. Norup, author of ‘The Missing Barbegazi’, ‘The Hungry Ghost‘ and most recently ‘Into Faerie […]
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