Tundra Telegram: Books that are Top Shelf

Hello, and thanks for joining us at Tundra Telegram, the column where we skate into the topics at the very top of readers’ minds and recommend some recent great books to check out.

In reality, the topic everyone is talking about is the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade case that legalized abortion nationwide. We recommended our list of books for all ages connected to that subject back on May 12, when a leaked draft of this decision (which proved to be very accurate) was made public . . . we feel like it’s certainly a great week to revisit it! (And you can find ways to donate to help ensure safe abortion access in the United States here.)

Also happening this past weekend: the Stanley Cup Finals concluded, the National Hockey League’s championship series to determine the best team in professional ice hockey in North America. The Colorado Avalanche cross-checked their way to victory, four games to two, over last year’s winners the Tampa Bay Lightning.  So, we’re strapping on some blades and hitting this ice, with books about ice hockey or – more generally – skating!

PICTURE BOOKS

Not many better ways to celebrate the Stanley Cup than by books connected to a hockey player who held that trophy more than one time. Great, and its followup, Great Too, are picture books written by Glen Gretzky (brother to Wayne), and Lauri Holomis, and illustrated by hockey fan (and celebrated children’s author-illustrator) Kevin Sylvester. Both books celebrate teamwork and building on the ice, featuring depictions of a young Wayne Gretzky and Coach Wally (Wayne’s late beloved dad, Walter Gretzky). We follow Taylor, who plays hockey with The Great One as a kid, and learn the important lessons that Coach Wally imparts. Both books feature a foreword from four-time Stanley Cup winner Wayne Gretzky himself!

Bobby Orr only won a mere two Stanley Cups (which is far more than I ever will!), but he also wrote a great picture book based on his own childhood called Bobby Orr and the Hand-Me-Down Skates, co-authored by Kara Kootstra and illustrated by Jennifer Phelan. Young readers will learn that even future hockey legends start with hand-me-downs, as young Bobby, at first disappointed, grows to love the used blades he receives for a birthday.

And while Zachary Hyman hasn’t made it to the Stanley Cup championships (yet – he’s still young!), he’s certainly an NHL star with a few playoff appearances. He’s also an accomplished children’s author to boot, with his most hockey-themed book being Hockey Hero, illustrated by Zachary Pullen. In it, an awkward young player who finds his hockey chutzpah in the midst of a Pee Wee tournament.

Of course, you can’t talk about hockey picture books – or even Canadian picture books – and leave out Roch Carrier and Sheldon Cohen‘s classic The Hockey Sweater. The quintessential hockey book is also the quintessential book about the English-French Canada divide. If you’re unfamiliar with this story of a boy in small-town Quebec who gets a Toronto Maple Leafs sweater instead of one from his beloved Montreal Canadiens, the 30th anniversary edition is readily available for your reading!

From the “the Wayne Gretzky of hockey writing” Roy MacGregor and Geneviève Després comes The Highest Number in the World, in which 9-year-old Gabe (Gabriella) Murray is disappointed to not get the jersey number 22 (her hero Hayley Wickenheiser‘s number). But her grandmother informs her of the storied history of Number 9 in hockey (including its connection to another author on our list, Bobby Orr).

And the Governor General’s Award-winning When the Moon Comes by Paul Harbridge and Matt James proves you don’t need a league or a rink or a jersey to enjoy hockey. All the kids need in this lyrical and atmospheric story is a frozen lake and a full moon.

And finally, we’ll recommend a few picture books about non-humans on the hockey rink. Like Glory on Ice by Maureen Fergus and Mark Fearing, in which a centuries-old vampire (Vlad) brings his crushing-and-destroying skills to the ice in this hilarious story about the newest (and oldest) member of a local peewee hockey team.

Haven’t been interested in vampires since Twilight? Well, how about a polar bear playing hockey? Like Lorna Schultz Nicholson and Kelly Findley‘s Puckster books, in which a hockey mascot experiences the dizzying highs and crushing lows of junior hockey. There are eight books in the series, but perhaps the most relevant one to last weekend’s events is Puckster’s First Hockey Tournament.

And what about the machines on the ice? Clean Sweep: Frank Zamboni’s Ice Machine by Monica Kulling and Renné Benoit tells the story of how one skating rink owner, with the help of his brother and cousin invented the now-famous (and ubiquitous) ice-resurfacing machine.

CHAPTER BOOKS & MIDDLE GRADE

Need a crash-course in this whole NHL championship thing? What Is the Stanley Cup? by Gail Herman and Gregory Copeland is here to help! Young readers can learn about the oldest sports trophy in the world, from the formation of the leagues and the crowning of the first championship-winning team, to the Rangers’ Stanley Cup curse and more.

Though the title of Jay Versus the Saxophone of Doom by sometime-Bobby-Orr-collaborator Kara Kootstra (and illustrated by Kim Smith) may sound more about music than slapshots, we assure you Jay is all about hockey and is very good at it. If only playing woodwinds was as easy as handling a hockey stick!

Unlike Jay, Miles Lewis is not into hockey – he’s more into science and sports that don’t involve skates. But in Miles Lewis: King of the Ice by Kelly Starling Lyons and illustrated by Wayne Spencer, Miles may have to learn how to ice skate when is teacher announces a class field trip to a rink to learn about physics – and that’s just the beginning of his troubles!

The fifth installment of kids’ sports writer extraordinaire Mike Lupica‘s Zach and Zoe Mysteries is The Hockey Rink Hunt, and – as you may have guessed – it follows the eight-year-old twins as they try to find the missing lucky necklace of the Boston Bruins’ star player. It’s a perfect book if you love Stieg Larsson as much you do Steve Stamkos.

And there are literally dozens of books in Roy MacGregor‘s Screech Owls series, which read like a team full of Hardy Boys and Nancy Drews who know how to deke. But the one to read to celebrate the Stanley Cup is Screech Owls: The Ghost of the Stanley Cup. The book follows our favourite junior hockey team as they travel to Ottawa to play in the Little Stanley Cup peewee tournament, and find it pestered by a phantom! Or check out Screech Owls: The Night They Stole the Stanley Cup, in which the team uncovers a plot to lift the trophy from the Hockey Hall of Fame!

YOUNG ADULT

Being Sloane Jacobs by Lauren Morrill features two girls named Sloane Jacobs: one a high-anxiety figure skater, the other an aggressive hockey player. When they meet on their way to skating camps in Montreal, they decide to switch places and escape their lives for a summer – with flirty results!

So, it’s not hockey, but it’s YA on ice! On Top of Glass by Karina Manta is an insightful memoir from a figure skating champion about her life as a bisexual professional athlete. A story about ice athleticism that spotlights queerness, as well as struggles with body image, panic attacks, and first crushes – that’s a hat trick most people would rather avoid!

Finding Her Edge by Jennifer Iacopelli is also more about figure skating – we don’t have too many YA novels about hockey – but we think you’ll have few complaints about this sweeping romance that follows elite ice dancer Adriana Russo as she finds herself drawn into an (ice) love triangle with dance partners old and new. If you love it, make sure to check out our Q&A with the author from earlier this year!

Tundra Reading Club: The Highest Number in the World Reviews

Hi everyone!

It’s time to share the Reading Club reviews for The Highest Number in the World!

TundraReadingClub

The Highest Number in the World

The Highest Number in the World
Written by Roy MacGregor | Illustrated by Geneviève Després
Hardcover | 32 Pages | Ages 6-9
ISBN: 978-1-77049-5753

“MacGregor’s writing packs an emotional punch without relying on sentimentality…Expressive pencil drawings, brightened with color washes, perfectly capture the characters’ feelings…A memorable, intergenerational picture book perfect for sharing.”- Starred Review, Booklist

  • Adrienne at BooksandBassets likes that it’s about “girl power and historical context.”
  • Lee-Ann at Goodreads thinks the book does “a wonderful job at showing how if you look at disappointment a different way it is possible to see it as an opportunity to discover something else and just as thrilling.”
  • Mary-Esther at Sister’s Library calls it a “sweet story that warms the heart.”
  • Stephanie at The Nomadic Reader felt the story “resonated with [her] as a Canadian and of course as a lover of hockey.”
  • Ann Marie at a dainty dish calls it a “hat-trick – in its story, words and images!”

If you read the book as well, please let us know what you thought about it in the comments below! Are there any other inspirational hockey stories you love?

I’m also very excited to announce our April reading club book: Outstanding in the Rain by Frank Viva! Make sure you check back here next Monday to sign up for your chance to win a review copy.

Thanks for participating and see you next week!

Tundra Reading Club: March 2015

Hi everyone!

Another month, another book!

Just to remind you:

Each month, we’ll post a book and a sign-up form for bloggers. Then we’ll randomly choose the lucky five who will receive a copy (in some cases, an advance copy) in exchange for a review on their blog!

Of course, everyone is free to participate via tweets (@TundraBooks) or in the comment section on the monthly post.

To make it easy to work into your busy schedules, we’ve chosen picture books so it shouldn’t take you too long to read the book of the month (or like me, you might pore over it for hours and be distracted by the illustrations).

TundraReadingClubSince the hockey season is ending next month, our pick for March, The Highest Number in the World by Roy MacGregor, is perfect for any hockey fan. It’s also a lovely inter-generational tale about a grandmother and her granddaughter, and includes wonderful illustrations by Geneviève Després.

The Highest Number in the WorldNine-year-old Gabe (Gabriella) Murray lives and breathes hockey. She’s the youngest player on her new team, she has a nifty move that her teammates call “the Gabe,” and she shares lucky number 22 with her hero, Hayley Wickenheiser. But when her coach hands out the team jerseys, Gabe is stuck with number 9. Crushed, Gabe wants to give up hockey altogether. How can she play without her lucky number? Gabe’s grandmother soon sets her straight, though – from her own connection to the number 9 in her hockey-playing days to all the greats she cheered for who wore it, she soon convinces Gabe that this new number might not be so bad after all.

Also, if you know any middle grade hockey lovers, make sure you check out Roy’s successful Screech Owls series.

Visit your local library or bookstore to get reading! If you’re interested, fill in the form below and we’ll randomly select five bloggers to read and review a copy of The Highest Number in the World and join our discussion. You have until Monday March 9 at 3 pm EST to sign up, so don’t delay!

SIGN-UP FORM CLOSED!

UPDATE: Congratulations to Lee Ann, Mary-Esther, Stephanie, Adrienne, and Ann Marie! We look forward to your reviews!

Check back in on Monday, March 23, 2015 for our reading club discussion of The Highest Number in the World!

2014 Winter Olympics

The 2014 Winter Olympics are taking place from February 7 to 23 in Sochi, Russia. We are looking forward to the 98 events for the next two weeks! We are especially looking forward to . . . HOCKEY! Read these books with your little ones about this amazing winter sport.

The Highest Number in the WorldThe Highest Number in the World
Written by Roy MacGregor
Illustrated by Geneviève Després
Hardcover | 32 Pages | Ages 6-9
ISBN: 978-1-77049-575-3
“The story’s ending, in which Gabe dreams of her number 9 retired and raised to the rafters, is uplifting in every way. MacGregor’s writing packs an emotional punch without relying on sentimentality…. Expressive pencil drawings, brightened with color washes, perfectly capture the characters’ feelings. From the moment Grandma begins to share her past and her passion for hockey, the story’s context becomes broader, more complex, and more meaningful. A memorable, intergenerational picture book perfect for sharing.” – Starred Review, Booklist

SplintersSplinters
Written by Kevin Sylvester
Hardcover | 40 Pages | Ages 6-9
ISBN: 978-0-88776-944-3
“Sylvester’s puckish (sorry) take on the Cinderella story is reflected in squiggly, exaggerated watercolor-and-ink pictures. Most of them float on the page as if on the ice, and this works wonderfully, from Cindy’s parents’ frozen basement apartment to the wide rink. The Fairy Goaltender, by the way, works her magic by whacking Cindy across the legs with her magic hockey stick. Goal!” – Kirkus Reviews

The Hockey SweaterThe Hockey Sweater
Written by Roch Carrier
Illustrated by Sheldon Cohen
Translated by Sheila Fischman
Hardcover | 24 Pages | Ages 7-9
ISBN: 978-0-88776-169-0
Paperback: 978-0-88776-174-4
“It’s a classic… you can’t really be a Canadian and not read it. It’s become part of our cultural lexicon.” – Canadian Children’s Book News

Ice TimeIce Time
The Story of Hockey

Written by Michael McKinley
Hardcover | 80 Pages
ISBN: 978-0-88776-762-3
“From the nostalgic cover photos to the colorful action shots inside, this history of ice hockey is a winner. Tales of early hockey legends…and superb photos, some vintage…add enormous appeal. The author’s enthusiasm for ice hockey is infectious, giving the book widespread appeal especially for fans and former players. It is a highly recommended purchase for school and libraries in areas where hockey is played.” – VOYA

Real Stories from the RinkReal Stories from the Rink
Written by Brian Mcfarlane
Illustrated by Steve Nease
Trade Paperback | 96 Pages
ISBN: 978-0-88776-604-6
“Read this book and you will sweep the hockey category at the next Jeopardy challenge.” – TV Guide

Learn All About HockeyHockey Canada’s Learn All About Hockey
Color and Activity

Written by Al Huberts
Illustrated by Frank Bailey
Trade Paperback | 176 Pages | Ages 4-8
ISBN: 978-1-77049-436-7
“Since Learn All About Hockey Coloring and Activity Book really doesn’t have a plot and there is no real characterization, who would choose to ‘read’ it? The answer – Newbies to the game of hockey, especially those who don’t know/understand how the sport is played, how teams are structured, the equipment players, including goalies, need to wear . . . the hockey rink and its ‘parts’, the game’s rules, and especially hockey’s vocabulary, including the visual ‘language’ or hand signals used by the on-ice officials.” – CM Magazine

Screech Owls Series by Roy MacGregor
Mystery at Lake Placid The Night They Stole the Stanley Cup The Ghost of the Stanley Cup Sudden Death in New York City Peril at the Worlds Biggest Hockey Tournament Face-Off at the Alamo Panic in Pittsburgh The Mystery of the Russian Ransom The Boston Breakout

Puckster Series by Lorna Schultz Nicholson
Puckster's First Hockey Sweater Puckster's First Hockey Game Pucksters First Hockey Tournament Pucksters New Hockey Teammate Pucksters First Hockey Tryout Puckster Goes to the Olympics

My First NHL Book by Christopher Jordan
Hockey 123 Hockey ABC Hockey Animals Hockey Colours Hockey Opposites Hockey Shapes

NHLPA
We Are the Goalies We Are the Goal Scorers

Tundra Book Group