Reviewed by Margo Dill, www.margodill.com, margodll@aol.com

Young adult sports novel, Contemporary
16-year-old boy as main character
Rating: I had trouble putting this book down and kept thinking about it when it was over.

Short, short summary: Nick Taglio is a high school hockey stud with a hot girlfriend, sort of cool parents, a goody-two-shoes younger brother, and a future in college hockey until. . . his fourth concussion. This book opens with a scene that is both painful and sad due to Hughes’s wonderful writing, and through the rest of the book, the reader watches Nick’s downward spiral as his parents forbid him to play hockey, the one thing that he believes keeps him going. This book is not for people who believe most teenagers are still Leave It To Beaver types–there’s cussing, sexual relations, drinking, pot smoking, and utter defiance of authority–all realistically handled. There’s also a character, who the reader can relate to and love, who is working to get his act together, and who realizes what is actually important in his life. This would be a great book for independent reading, especially for a teen who loves sports novels.

So, what do I do with this book?

1. What are the different grades of concussions, and what do they mean? This is a research project teens can do with this book, and research will also help them understand more about the story. What are some complications athletes can have from concussions? Who are some athletes who have had concussions? Did they quit or keep playing? In order to understand Nick’s anger and behavior and his parents’ decision, a little research in this area, or even a doctor as a guest speaker, may help students or your teen better understand the characters in this book.

2. A great journal writing assignment to go with this book would be for students to choose one side–either Nick’s opinion that he should still get to play hockey or his parents’ and doctor’s opinions that he should quit–and then defend their beliefs in an essay. Teens can also write about their personal experiences or opinions in their essays to make some personal connections with the text.

3. This is a great book to practice summarizing, especially if students have to do a report on their independent reading books. Since the book is divided into three sections, like hockey is divided into three periods, and an overtime (instead of an epilogue), students can write a paragraph summarizing each section. Having smaller sections to summarize in a novel will help students who struggle with this skill, and when they are finished with each section, they will have a good retelling of the story.

If you have used this book with your students or your teen at home, please leave a comment here about your experiences.

If you have a suggestion of a book for me to read and review, please email me at margodll@aol.com or leave a comment here.

photo by Pink Beret www.flickr.com