Rhapsody Smith Ice Angel Blog Post

 
Junior Library Guild is excited to feature Rhapsody Smith: Ice Angel by Lorna Schultz Nicholson, a new Hi-Lo Middle selection arriving and ready to unbox this Winter 2025! This story combines the fast-paced excitement of hockey with a gripping mystery, perfect for middle-grade readers who love action, teamwork, and uncovering secrets. 


Our selection team was drawn to the book’s mix of sports, suspense, and historical context, making it an ideal addition to any library’s middle-grade collection. As a Hi-Lo title, Rhapsody Smith offers high-interest storytelling at a slightly lower reading level, making it accessible, approachable, and irresistible for readers ready to dive into a story full of heart and action. 
We can’t wait for readers to discover Rhapsody Smith and experience the thrill of the rink. Special thanks to Lorna Schultz Nicholson for contributing the blog below, offering insight into her inspiration and the story behind the book. 
 
Rhapsody Smith, Ice Angel is a middle grade novel that was written to show young girls that being part of a team is fun and rewarding. Playing a sport like hockey can also teach perseverance, dedication and commitment. But, that said, the novel is more than a sport novel, and hockey is just the vehicle I used to develop the themes of judging someone too quickly and intergenerational love.  


Now, about the hockey element. Women playing hockey is nothing new; there are photos of teams with women in long dresses and sticks, dating back to the late 1800’s. But the struggle for recognition as “real hockey players” has been ongoing. I grew up playing in the mid-seventies and was told that “hockey was for boys.” But I loved my time in the dressing room, the friends I made (many I am still friends with), chalk talks, trying to improve by shooting pucks and taking power skating classes, and competing.  At that time there was nowhere for me to go with hockey beyond recreation. Girls didn’t make national teams, because there weren’t any, and there certainly wasn’t a professional league.  


BUT things did start to change when the first sanctioned IIHF Women’s World Hockey Championships was played in 1990 in Ottawa, Ontario. The Canadians wore pink jerseys and not the traditional red jerseys with the iconic maple leaf because the organizers were worried no one would come to watch. It was a marketing ploy. That worked. I know because I went to all the games. For the final game featuring Canada and the USA, the stands were packed with fans dressed in pink. Canada won. This event led to discussions about women playing hockey in the Olympics. In 1998 at the Olympics in Nagano, Japan, there was a women’s event, and the USA beat Canada for the gold medal in a dramatic final. 


Women’s hockey may have suffered ups and downs, but currently it is a growing sport for players and fans. A recent study showed that in the United States four out of 10 National Hockey League (NHL) fans are female. Numbers for women watching are also rising across the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network (ESPN) and the Turner Network Television (TNT).  
 Players can now work to get a Division 1 scholarship or a spot on a National Team or… they can play professionally. The recent launching of the Professional Women’ s Hockey League (PWHL) in 2023 – first puck drop was in January 2024 – has been a milestone. The league started with teams in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Minnesota, New York and Boston. The games were fast and furious, the competition level high, and they were televised. The first two years showed success, (fans flocked to the games and merchandise was sold), so the league has expanded for the 2025/26 season, adding teams in Seattle and Vancouver. Many other efforts to create a professional league had started and failed. But now the world is ready, and young girls have their own heroes. Literature needs to be written for these girls. 


Thank you for choosing Rhapsody Smith, Ice Angel as a JLG Gold Standard selection!