Column: ‘Frozen’ star melts hearts at Holy Angels School in Aurora

Even before I stepped into Holy Angels School in Aurora, I could almost feel the excitement.

Definitely I could hear it, much of the enthusiasm coming from a van full of preschoolers who were returning to Holy Angels to join the other 400-plus students about to meet the authors of a new children’s book “Proud Mouse.”

But these weren’t just any authors, and when I stepped into the lobby of Holy Angels around 12:30 p.m. Friday, I knew this was not just any school assembly.

I can only describe it as a distinct buzz in the air as everyone waited for the arrival of the special guests. And when those visitors, sisters Cara Mentzel and Idina Menzel, walked into the gymnasium, that hum became an explosion, with students whooping and hollering as if they were welcoming a rock star.

That’s because Tony Award-winning Idina Menzel is, indeed, a rock star.

Certainly she is to every kid below the age of, say, 21, who grew up singing over and over (and over and over and over and over) her hit song, “Let it Go,” which she performed as Elsa in the 2013 Disney animated blockbuster “Frozen.”

For those stuck in ice the last decade, that movie and that song pretty much became the anthem of kids worldwide.

No, make that an obsession, much to the amusement-turned-annoyance of every parent who heard it in their home, if not their head, through a huge chunk of their parenting years.

So yes, the kids were pumped. But so were the adults, including Principal Tonya Forbes, whose college-age daughter Emme came home from Augustana College just for this event, as well as Holy Angels librarian Diane Rodriquez, who gets credit for making this happen, thanks to her relationship with Anderson’s Bookshop in Naperville, which put together the Chicago tour for the sisters.

Idina, three years older than Cara, a reading specialist who also wrote “Loud Mouse,” have appeared on a number of TV shows promoting this latest book, including “Good Morning America” and “The View.” But they truly seemed to enjoy every minute of their time in Aurora at Holy Angels.

For starters, the guests were treated to the song from the hit musical “Rent,” which Idina Menzel,also starred in. “Seasons of Love,” performed by Holy Angels’ advanced choir and under the direction of Jodi Taylor, earned a standing ovation from this Broadway star and her sister, as well as a shout-out to soloist Luke Wirtz, who was pulled from the bleachers for a special greeting that I doubt he will not soon forget.

Then the authors took turns reading their new book – Idina, as big sister mouse Dee, Cara as little sister mouse Cara Lee – which included some banjo playing by Cara, who taught the students a delightful ditty called “I’ve Just Got to be Me.”

The pair even shared several stories about what it was like growing up as sisters, including the time Idina mixed up a mud concoction and had her little sister taste it.

The students, quiet as mice while the book was read, got plenty animated again on several occasions, like when the authors led the group in singing “Happy Birthday” to the handful of kids celebrating their big days.

But the place really went bonkers when, after the “Frozen” star patiently explained to “the littles” why she does not look like the braided blond ice queen Elsa, she asked them to close their eyes as she began reciting a couple of lines from the show.

“Hey Anna, do you want to build a snowman?“ Which led into the showstopper.

Idina Menzel began singing “Let it Go.”

She quickly invited one and all to join in, easy to do because there likely was not one person in the room who did not know every word to this song.

It was enough to melt even the coldest of hearts.

Judging by the tears I saw in quite a few eyes – adults too – and the smile on Principal Forbes’ face later as the students filed out of the gymnasium, this meet-the-author event could only be described as pure magic.

“We have been so excited” since learning Holy Angels had been selected to be on this book tour, said Forbes, noting that once word got out there was a tsunami of offers from parents to volunteer for this event.

“It was the biggest news in years,” she added. “And a blessing.”

Which the staff decided to share by inviting third-graders from the other Aurora Catholic schools: Annunciation, St. Rita and John Paul II.

Afterward the two celebrated sisters not only signed copies of “Proud Mouse” but milled around with the adults “just like two other moms,” noted Tricia Heinle, president of Holy Angels Home and School Association.

“The kids cried every time she sang,” she added. “It was fantastic … just such a lovely experience.

“To see the reaction on their faces … they will never forget it.”