The Ice House

This heartfelt book explores what it means to cope with change on both a global and personal level.

Louisa feels trapped. There's a global temperature drop, and her family's been snowed into their apartment building for months. Her parents are overwhelmed. Her little brother is driving her up the wall. She's barely seen her friends, so they're growing apart. But her neighbor and former friend, Luke, has been around a lot after his dad's scary ice-related accident. The universe is out of whack, and all she wants is for "normal" to return-fast.

Everything changes when Louisa and Luke build an ice house as a getaway from their stressed-out families. But when they discover a mystifying window to what could lie ahead, it sets them on an impossible mission to restore the world to its rightful order.

Full of heart and sparkling with a touch of magic, this story of emerging from a certain kind of quarantine resonates profoundly during these extraordinary times.

“"Sherwood...successfully captures the turmoil of living far apart and unbearably close."-- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books”

"A sensitive, authentic hero's journey through the unexpected, cumulative grief that life can bring and the resilience on the other side."

--Melissa Savage, author of Lemons

"A beautiful reminder that sometimes, things that break can't be pieced back together exactly as they were--but they can be made anew."

--Kate O'Shaughnessy, author of The Lonely Heart of Maybelle Lane

"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."

--Dusti Bowling, author of Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus

"A gentle and thoughtful story about the magic that can be found in resilience, art, and most of all, friendship. A very prescient book...Genuine and heartwarming."

--Jasmine Warga, Newbery Honor-winning author of Other Words for Home
"A timely exploration of climate, grief, and change."--Kirkus Reviews
"Sherwood...successfully captures the turmoil of living far apart and unbearably close."--Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Monica Sherwood grew up on Long Island and currently lives in New York City. She is a former elementary school teacher with a master's degree in Childhood and Special Education from Hunter College and currently works in educational technology designing digital products for teachers and kids. The Ice House is her debut novel.

Louisa feels trapped. There's a global temperature drop, and her family's been snowed into their apartment building for months. Her parents are overwhelmed. Her little brother is driving her up the wall. She's barely seen her friends, so they're growing apart. But her neighbor and former friend, Luke, has been around a lot after his dad's scary ice-related accident. The universe is out of whack, and all she wants is for "normal" to return-fast.Everything changes when Louisa and Luke build an ice house as a getaway from their stressed-out families. But when they discover a mystifying window to what could lie ahead, it sets them on an impossible mission to restore the world to its rightful order.Full of heart and sparkling with a touch of magic, this story of emerging from a certain kind of quarantine resonates profoundly during these extraordinary times.

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