The Ice House

With shades of When You Reach Me, The Thing About Jellyfish, and Bridge to Terabithia, and a big, timely climate hook at its core, here is a heartfelt middle grade debut about the inevitability of change that will resonate profoundly during these extraordinary times.

With a deft combination of heartfelt prose and a touch of magic, Monica Sherwood's affecting debut novel is a relatable story of families grappling with—and emerging from—a different kind of quarantine.

The Ice House Best Middle Grade Books in the snow

Kind words for The Ice House

  • "A gentle and thoughtful story about the magic that can be found in resilience, art, and most of all, friendship."

    Jasmine Warga,

    Newbery Award Winning Author

  • “A beautifully written novel about a world of mostly physical isolation and virtual connection that seems all too familiar [and that] readers will strongly relate to.”

    Dusty Bowling,

    Author of Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus

  • Colby Sharp, Literacy Advocate + 5th Grade Teacher “You’re going to love it. Your readers are going to love it. It’s so fascinating. It’s so timely. But I think it’s a great book that kids are going to read for a really really long time. ”

    Colby Sharp,

    Literacy Advocate + 5th Grade Teacher

Woman painting at a table with art supplies

I’m Monica Sherwood, an author & illustrator based in Brooklyn.

Nelly_Cover 2.png
A girl with blonde hair and a red dress playing with a brown dog on a stone pathway in a green yard with bushes and trees, and a red barn in the background.
Illustration of a person partially seen standing next to a cute dog sitting on the floor, with colorful tennis balls in a container and various ribbons hanging on the wall.
Illustration of a girl with long brown hair holding tall grass, standing on a pink floating device in a large bowl of water, with stylized flowers in the background.

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