Chris Isaac P7 Book review 8 – ‘Ice Palace' by Robert Swindells

[Cisaac]

‘Ice Palace’ by Robert Swindells

‘Ice Palace’ tells the story of Ivan, a boy on a mission to find his lost brother who has been kidnapped by Starjik, the evil winter king. The village has been plagues by the disappearance of a number of children during the long winter and Ivan takes it upon himself to free the children and free the village from its winter grip. Along the way, Ivan, encounters many perils which leave students wanting to read on to find out how Ivan will overcome his challenges and what will happen to him next.
This story provides a good opportunity for teachers in year 3 to introduce students to a different genera of story. Although it has a happy ending, students are taken on a journey which at times can be quite dark and macabre. Teachers are given the opportunity to expose students to the idea that enjoyment for reading can be found through feelings of suspense, apprehension and fear; which many texts in KS1 do not expose student to.
Although this is a short story, some of the vocabulary in the story is quite challenging for students to pick up, particularly those students with EAL. Furthermore, the illustrations do not always lend themselves to enhancing students’ visual understanding of the text. I would therefore recommend this book with a caution of the accessibility of this text for specific children or classes.