Review Detail

To the Ice is a survival story of 3 children who got lost when they went to play one day. Jack, Max, and Ida end up on an ice floe out to sea. They survive for unknown days when they come upon a little shack built by shipwrecked explorers over 100 years ago. There they cry and worry but also survive and form a deep bond. This story is perfect for older children who love survival stories such as Hatchet by Gary Paulson. The illustrations are simple but powerful. The black water, in the beginning, communicates the danger and unknown that they are trapped within. Then towards the end, as they try to make it home the water is a much calmer and friendlier color. The book is not long and the writing does not go in-depth but it has just the right amount of description to feel believable and to pull you into the characters’ plight. It is utterly compelling without feeling overwhelming and graphic. Overall, this is a great survival story for children not quite ready for the length of a Middle-Grade book but ready for something more mature and longer than most picture books.