Ice Storm

Ice Storm
by Penny Draper
Published by Coteau Books for Kids
Review by Donna Gudjonson
ISBN 13:9781550504514

Twelve year old girls have complicated lives at the best of times, but for two cousins in Quebec during the devastating ice storm of January1998 everything most certainly changes without warning.

Alice, a talented young figure skater from Montreal, finds herself stranded at home all alone during the first days of the crisis. She must quickly learn some grown up skills in order to survive in the cold and dark during the extended power outage caused by the storm. Later she heroically saves the life of one of her neighbours and finds ways to help out at the crowded shelter where she must wait out the storm.

Sophie, her country cousin, finds herself pitching in to keep her family and their dairy cows from perishing in the extreme conditions and must function like an adult in a very difficult situation. Both girls’ priorities will be changed forever after the experience.

The story begins just before the storm hits to give a snapshot of normal life for the two girls. Then as quickly as the storm front rolls in, the reader is taken through the days that follow to experience the havoc caused by the massive freezing rain storm. Author Penny Draper has done a great job of researching and depicting the events of this natural disaster and includes an informative note at the end of the book.

Grab some hot chocolate and find a cozy corner to curl up in with this book, because Ice Storm is hard to put down!

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