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"If you want to join the action, grab your skates and head for the rink."
Participation, teamwork, basic skills (skating and puck handling), and
fair play are promoted in this entertaining and informative how-to manual
for young hockey players. Straightforward narrative effectively conveys
the intricacies of the game, while cartoon-like illustrations and accompanying
texts – "What plays hockey and quacks?... Donald Puck" – are sure to amuse.
The emphasis here is on good sportsmanship rather than winning, and teams
are made up of both boys and girls. A note to parents stresses the importance
of good supervision.
Godfrey Jordan, author of The Official Kids' Book of Baseball, has decided to tackle another ball game – basketball, that is. Hoops: The Complete Guide to Basketball and the NBA, covers almost every aspect of the Canadian-born game, from the equipment, the rules, and the positions to score-keeping and statistics. Readers are also provided with a detailed history of basketball and of the National Basketball Association. Interspersed throughout the text are interesting bits of basketball trivia, exceptional photographs, and instructional illustrations. The book includes a glossary of basketball terms and an NBA team directory, complete with addresses, logos, and team colours. Appealing to both the novice and the expert, Hoops is an excellent resource for basketball fans, players and coaches.
When Ivan moves to a new neighbourhood, he decides that becoming a star is easier than making friends. He soon discovers that Hollywood is too far away, and organizing a rock concert is a lot of work for an audience of three people and a cat. When a group of neighbourhood kids invite him to join their game of scrub, Ivan opts for baseball because a baseball star "could play outside and be home for dinner". Although Ivan strikes out at his first attempt at baseball – balls drop to his right, left, and on his head – the neighbourhood kids don't mind. In a double-header, Ivan combines his dream of becoming a star and making friends, when he names his team the West Side All-Stars.
When the team arrives at the Dome, their manager gives them some advice, "Don't eat hot dogs when you're up at bat, eat ‘em on deck or on base... No dancing in the dugout, no yo-yos in the pen, and absolutely no bungee jumping with less than two outs." Matthew is beginning to enjoy this game. Turkeyball is a lot like baseball, only there are fewer rules; in fact, there are NO rules! In young Matthew's dream adventure, his daytime fantasies about baseball are transformed into night-time fun when he joins the Toronto Turkeys and helps them win "the Champeenship of the Century." The book's vibrant and comical illustrations mirror the energy and hilarity of the text.
When Melody turns six, she decides that she wants to take lessons and become "good at something special". Each month she tries new activities – skating, ballet, gymnastics, soccer, horseback-riding – but Melody can't seem to find anything she likes. Only after much trial and error, does she discover her passion – tuba playing! Young children will relate to Melody's curiosity and enthusiasm as she tries new things and will empathize with her many blunders along the way. The well-defined, brilliantly coloured illustrations juxtapose Melody's expectations and reactions to the activities she tries from month to month. While enjoying Melody's antics, children will also learn about the calendar, pictured humorously on every other page, and about many sports and hobbies.
Danny can't believe his ears. How can the Wolves, Willow's first real hockey team, reject him as a player? Danny loves to play hockey; but because of an impaired leg and foot, he cannot wear skates and plays the position of goalie in a pair of leather moccasins. Danny mourns the loss of his chance to wear a uniform and play "real" hockey until, one day, the Wolves' goalie is injured just before an important game and Danny takes his place. Finally, a chance to prove that, even though he can't skate, he can still play the game! This heartening story is accompanied by brilliant illustrations which effectively convey the bitter cold of a prairie winter and the play of sunlight against snow and ice.
It is time for the Muskoka Summer Hockey School! The girls' team, staying at the island camp, and the boys' team, on the mainland, get together daily for dry-land training, skating practice and other traditional camp activities – marshmallow roasts, singsongs, water skiing, canoeing – and lots of practical jokes. Best of all, at week's end there is a winner-take-all single match, Screech Owls (boys) vs. Aeros (girls), Summer Hockey Camp World Peewee Championship. Add to this idyllic setting a miserable hockey coach whose foul mouth, covert racism, and penchant for violence disturbs the equilibrium of the camp from day one and you end up with an exciting, easy-to-read mystery novel which will appeal to reluctant readers, avid readers and sports fans.
Wick often feels that he has no control over the events which shape his life. If only he could exude the same control over his personal life as he does over his opponents in wrestling matches. Maybe he could have prevented his father from leaving years ago; or, at least, could demand an explanation from his mother about his father's disappearance. How could a father leave a ten-year-old child? Tired of all of the unanswered questions, Wick must find his father and, to do so, he must wrestle with his past. While focusing on Wick's relationships with family and friends, this young-adult novel also deals skillfully and compassionately with issues such as adult illiteracy and homosexuality.
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