Ice-Out

2017
Author:

Mary Casanova

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A young man’s future—and a budding romance—get caught up in bootlegging, blackmail, corruption, and murder along the U.S.–Canadian border in the 1920s

Ice-Out returns to the Prohibition-era borderland of Mary Casanova’s beloved novel Frozen, and to the characters who made it a favorite among readers of all ages. Inspired by real events in early 1920s Minnesota, it is a story of young romance against terrible odds and true grit on the border between license and responsibility, rich and poor, and right and wrong.

"With compelling detail, Mary Casanova weaves true historical characters and events with the fictional story of young Owen, a character determined to fight the odds. In this gripping adventure, Rainy Lake becomes a metaphor for life and possibilities: the deadly risks of the capricious ice in winter, the strength that comes from natural beauty."
—Polly Carlson-Voiles, author of Summer of the Wolves

Walking on thin ice: on Rainy Lake, in the northern reaches of Minnesota, it’s more than a saying. And for Owen Jensen, nineteen and suddenly responsible for keeping his mother and five brothers alive, the ice is thin indeed.

Ice-Out returns to the frigid and often brutal Prohibition-era borderland of Mary Casanova’s beloved novel Frozen, and to the characters who made it a favorite among readers of all ages. Owen, smitten with Frozen’s Sadie Rose, is struggling to make something of himself at a time when no one seems to hold the moral high ground. Bootlegging is rife, corruption is rampant, and lumber barons run roughshod over the people and the land. As hard as things seem when his father dies, stranding his impoverished family, they get considerably tougher—and more complicated—when Owen gets caught up in the suspicious deaths of a sheriff and deputy on the border.

Inspired by real events in early 1920s Minnesota, and by Mary Casanova’s own family history, Ice-Out is at once a story of young romance against terrible odds and true grit on the border between license and responsibility, rich and poor, and right and wrong in early twentieth-century America.

Mary Casanova is author of more than thirty books for young readers, ranging from picture books, such as Utterly Otterly Night and Wake Up, Island (Minnesota, 2016), to novels, such as Moose Tracks (Minnesota, 2013) and Frozen (Minnesota, 2012). Her books are on many state reading lists and have earned the American Library Association Notable Award, Aesop Accolades from the American Folklore Society, Parents’ Choice Gold Award, Booklist Editors’ Choice, as well as two Minnesota Book Awards. She speaks frequently around the country at readings and library conferences. She lives with her husband and dogs in a turn-of-the-century house in Ranier, Minnesota, perched on the Canadian border.

With compelling detail, Mary Casanova weaves true historical characters and events with the fictional story of young Owen, a character determined to fight the odds. In this gripping adventure, Rainy Lake becomes a metaphor for life and possibilities: the deadly risks of the capricious ice in winter, the strength that comes from natural beauty.

Polly Carlson-Voiles, author of Summer of the Wolves

Mary Casanova gives us the best of historical fiction: characters you love and love to travel with in a critical time in American history. Following Owen Jensen through his coming-of-age year in northern Minnesota during Prohibition is a rugged joy. This is a great book.

Chris Crutcher, author of Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes and Whale Talk

A historical novel that makes the past as fresh and compelling as the present, Ice-Out is a story of dreams, determination, loyalty, and the greys that infuse black and white issues. Mary Casanova has created a hero we cheer for as he struggles to surmount obstacles placed before him by the times, by place, and by his own choices.

Lorna Landvik, author of Best to Laugh and Mayor of the Universe

A unique look at a familiar period in history.

Kirkus Reviews

Mary Casanova has a sure touch when she describes the laconic exchanges between neighbors, the skin-burning cold of a Minnesota winter or the deadly consequences of misjudging an icy road.

Star Tribune

This novel has a perfect sense of place; readers can feel the cold, understand the fear of booze-runners who drive across dangerously thin ice. They can sympathize with Owen’s need to become an important man in a small town not far from Canada. His struggle with right and wrong will ring true to any teen.

Pioneer Press

The combination of period detail and relatable characters makes this book appealing to teens with an interest in the Prohibition era.

VOYA

Both a thought-provoking narrative and a fast-paced adventure await readers in this novel.

Cook County News Herald

Readers will be rooting for Owen to find a path forward at a time when the police were sometimes as dangerous as the criminals they chased down.

Star Tribune

Contents
Part I. Deep Winter
Part II. Slow Thaw
Part III. Dreams of Summer
Author’s Note
For Further Reading