Ann Turnbull’s novel Maroo of the Winter Caves (1984) is a work of historical fiction for middle-grade readers. The book is an adventurous and educational introduction to life during the last Ice Age that immerses readers in the challenges faced by Paleolithic hunter-gatherers. The story centers on Maroo, a young girl from a semi-nomadic tribe whose family becomes isolated after her father is killed, her uncle is injured, and an early blizzard traps them in the mountains. Maroo and her younger brother, Otak, must undertake a perilous journey over a feared, spirit-haunted mountain to find help. Through their ordeal, the novel explores themes of Coming of Age Through Shared Responsibility, Human Adaptability as the Key to Survival, and Tradition as an Emotional Anchor.

Upon its publication, Maroo of the Winter Caves earned critical recognition, being named a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year and appearing on the International Board on Books for Young People Honour List. Turnbull is a respected British author of historical fiction for children and young adults. Her other works include No Shame, No Fear (2003), which was shortlisted for the Whitbread Children’s Book Award. A standalone novel, Maroo of the Winter Caves has remained popular in educational settings for its depiction of prehistoric life and survival.

This guide refers to the 2004 Clarion Books edition.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of death and animal death.

Plot Summary

Maroo, a young girl of the Madeleine people at the end of the last Ice Age, wakes hungry in her family’s crowded winter cave. Her father, Areg, and her uncle, Vorka, soon return with the other hunters, bringing a bison that provides a celebratory feast for the entire tribe. With the spring thaw underway, the semi-nomadic people prepare for their annual migration, following the reindeer herds to their summer hunting grounds. The tribe splits into smaller family groups, with Maroo’s family—Areg; her pregnant mother, Tikek; her younger brother, Otak; her little sister, Nimai; and her grandmother Old Mother—setting out on their own. As they travel across the Great Plain, Maroo and Otak discover a dead wild she-dog and a pup with an injured foreleg whimpering beside her. They bandage the pup’s leg and carry him back to camp, although they expect the adults to object. After some convincing, the family agrees to let him stay. Following Old Mother’s advice, they wait to name the pup until they leave the gorge and see whether he chooses to follow them. The pup gradually becomes tame and follows them when they break camp, so they name him Rivo, a name meaning “friend.”

The family travels east, eventually joining a group led by a man named Sovi and reaching the Mediterranean Sea. They make their camp in a seaside cave, where they watch the seals, whom they call the “Seal People,” and gather shells. There, Tikek gives birth to a baby boy. As autumn approaches, they know that they must begin the long journey west to the autumn camp at the Crossing Place. Sovi’s group departs first, with Maroo’s family following a few days later, their pace slowed because Tikek is still weak after childbirth. They lose sight of the other group’s signal fires. They camp one night near a high rock wall that echoes their voices, a place that Old Mother fears is home to a calling spirit. They leave an offering of fish, which disappears during the night, leaving a catlike smell that Areg believes is the spirit appearing in animal form. After Old Mother reluctantly agrees, Areg and Vorka decide to hunt a group of ibex nearby. The men do not return that night. The next morning, Maroo, Otak, and Old Mother follow their trail, with Rivo guiding them. They discover Vorka trapped on a cliff ledge with a broken arm; at the bottom of the precipice, Areg lies dead.

Maroo lowers herself down the cliff on a rope to splint her uncle’s arm. Vorka explains that his brother fell to his death during the ibex hunt and that he fell trying to save him. The family mourns Areg, burying him under a cairn of stones with his spear, harpoon, and drum to ensure that his spirit doesn’t walk. Vorka initially refuses food and drink. After the family resumes its journey, Tikek names the baby Areg after his father. Now without an able hunter and traveling with an injured man and a newborn, the family struggles onward. Winter arrives early, and a fierce blizzard forces them to build a snow house for shelter. Their food runs out, and they face starvation. Just as hope fades, Maroo and Otak see a pack of wild dogs kill a deer. Using burning torches, they courageously drive the dogs away and claim the carcass, securing enough meat to survive. Realizing that they’re too late to take the long, safe trail around the foothills of the White Mountain, Old Mother decides that Maroo and Otak must take the short, treacherous path over the mountain to get help from the autumn camp at the Crossing Place. She names Maroo the leader and orders the children to continue alone if the other is injured or lost so that at least one of them can reach the camp.

Maroo, Otak, and Rivo begin their journey over the White Mountain. While crossing a glacier, Maroo falls into a deep crevasse. Otak braces the rope around his staff and body while Maroo climbs the crevasse wall. He then catches her wrists and helps her over the edge. They’re soon caught in a blizzard and build a snow house on the plateau, where they remain for several days while their meat supply dwindles. When the storm subsides, they continue toward the Pass of the Spirits and find fresh tracks of a cave lion. After crossing the Pass of the Spirits, they shelter among a group of leaning rocks. While Otak is away gathering firewood, a hare appears near the shelter. Maroo seizes Otak’s spear and kills it, securing them a meal. Otak is furious that she has used his spear and insists that hunting is a boy’s role. The next morning, Maroo wakes to find that Otak and Rivo have vanished. She concludes that he has gone out to hunt in the snowstorm. Maroo searches desperately but can find no trace of him. Recalling Old Mother’s command, she decides to continue alone so that she can reach the autumn camp and bring back help for her family.

Lost and terrified in the blizzard, Maroo walks in circles before stopping to study her surroundings and find the way down the mountain. The storm finally breaks that night, and the full moon illuminates the snowy landscape. As she continues, her path is blocked by an enormous cave lion that she believes is the mountain spirit. She lights a torch with the embers she carries in her fire horn. She stands her ground, thrusting the blazing torch at the beast and forcing the great cat to retreat into the rocks. After the lion retreats, Maroo sleeps briefly. At dawn, she wakes and sees her people’s autumn camp at the Crossing Place. A rescue party is immediately dispatched, and Maroo guides them back to the snow house, traveling on a sledge because she’s too exhausted to walk. The rescuers find Maroo’s family hungry but alive and bring them back to the autumn camp. The family mourns Otak, whom they believe is dead. During the homecoming feast, a dog wanders into the firelight—it’s Rivo. He’s followed by a weak and injured Otak, who staggers into the circle of his family. He explains that he fell and sprained his ankle but survived because Rivo caught enough small animals to keep both of them alive and later helped him find the camp. The elders agree that Rivo may accompany the group to the winter caves. The reunited family walks toward the winter caves as the great herds of reindeer stream across the plain.