*** 2021 Winner Gold Moonbeam Award: Best Chapter Book Series ***

 

Merry Christmas and Happy Ice Queen!

Fourteen-year-old Josey and her ten-year-old, video-game-obsessed brother, Mason, live in Baudette, Minnesota, the Walleye Capital of the World. Their family owns and operates Baxter’s Bait Shop, a town landmark.

Every year before Christmas, Baudette hosts an ice-fishing tournament called the Ice Queen that draws thousands of anglers and generates a lot of money for local businesses. First place prize for catching the largest fish is $10,000, but it’s the $20,000 grand prize that consumes everyone. To win the title of Ice Queen, the walleye must beat the Minnesota record of 18.6 pounds.

The current Ice Queen was caught 61 years ago by resident Augustus Moss. No one has been able to break the state record and claim the grand prize since then. Moss passed away several years ago, but his only granddaughter, recluse Winnie Moss, still lives just outside town.

The week of the Ice Queen contest, Josey and Mason learn heartbreaking news. Their family owes a large debt and will lose the bait shop at the end of the week unless they can repay it. The two seem to have no other option but to catch the new Ice Queen and win the money. But first they have to find the Lost City, a mysterious hidden spot where Augustus caught his record walleye.

Gigantic walleyes and a search for the legendary Lost City await the pair. The only person that can help them is a loner who hates everything about the Ice Queen. Can the two kids catch the Ice Queen and save the family bait shop?