Rhapsody Smith: Ice Angel

by Lorna Schultz Nicholson

"Lorna is making stories that revolve around women's hockey the norm to write, and she captures glimpses of its history with great stories like this mystery. This story featuring Rap also reminds me about my relationship with my Gram as she always supported me playing hockey." — Cassie Campbell-Pascall, Team Canada hockey captain, two-time Olympic gold medalist, and broadcaster

Rhapsody "Rap" Queen Smith lives with her grandparents and plays for the Ice Angels hockey team, a tight group of girls who spend time together outside of hockey and school.

Her focus is on improving her power plays and crossovers until she meets Marion, an older woman who spends her days sitting on a bench outside the arena. Nobody seems to know who she is, but there are two mysterious things about she has an in-depth knowledge of hockey strategy and she wears a 1990 Women's World Cup ring.

When Marion's ring goes missing, Rap and her friends are determined to find it. Who is Marion, and why does she know so much about hockey? The Ice Angels work together to find out.

Genres: Middle Grade, Hockey

210 pages, Paperback

Published October 7, 2025

About the author

Lorna Schultz Nicholson is an award winning author who has published over 50 books, including children's picture books, middle grade, YA fiction and sports non-fiction. Lorna divides her time between Edmonton and Penticton, where she and her husband share their homes with their Mexican rescue dog.
http://www.facebook.com/lorna.s.nicho...
www.lornaschultznicholson.com
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Reviews

[Pamela Hatch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rhapsody Queen Smith goes by the name "Rap". She leads a team of ice hockey girls known as the Ice Angels. After her parents died in a car crash she went to live with her grandparents which provides a nice multigenerational aspect to the story. This aspect is expanded when her Gram helps Marion find a room in the senior center that is across the street from the arena where Rap and her team practice.

It is a sad day when Rap finds Marion has been assaulted and her two most prized possessions - a diamond ring and a hockey championship ring -- are stolen. Rap understands the importance of having that physical item with memories back to love ones that have been lost. She is determined to find the rings, find Marion's family, and make a happy ending to this story.

Rap is a likeable character and has a solid group of friends that will stand by her and help her with her crazy ideas including sneaking into a hospital before visiting hours, seeking out help at the local police department, investigating a pawn shop, and standing up to the three local bullies.

This is also a sports about ice hockey and shares the story line without taking over the story completely. It turns out that Marion has links to ice hockey and that information helps to provide clues as to her past life.

I enjoyed the realistic dialogue of these 7th graders, very realistic. There is also a underlining message about homelessness as well as prejudging people based on stereotypes. There is the aftermath of an assault as well as one of the older characters smoking and a homeless man living in a trash bin.

The story takes place in Canada and has a few vocabulary words that are different than American - but nothing that would keep readers from the USA enjoying the story.

There is also the presence of lots of nicknames for most of the characters.

There is an indication that this is part one of a series. I will be looking for the next title in the series and may go looking for other titles by this author.

I was given access to a free PDF copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Anna Rosner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured Rhapsody Smith! Its main character, Raps, is feisty, strong, athletic and oh-so-likeable. She has a wonderful sense of compassion for the elderly woman she encounters, Marion, who is suffering from memory loss. As well as being an empathy-builder and a terrific hockey book, Rhapsody Smith is a whodunit! It will keep kids guessing and wondering, and best of all, reading. This will appeal to all readers who love sports, mystery, intrigue, and just plain great writing.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this intriguing 🇨🇦 middle grade novel, Rap (Rhapsody Smith) and her Ice Angel hockey teammates band together to win at the rink and solve a mystery connected to the 1990 Women's World hockey Championship.

⭐️ friendship and empathy in action
⭐️ engaging story
⭐️ well-rounded characters
⭐️ U13 Female hockey
⭐️ suspenseful

Highly recommended for young readers whether or not they play hockey!