An inspiring story, especially for hockey fans—and not just for reluctant teen readers.
While playing hockey on backyard rinks in Anahim Lake, British Columbia, as a boy, Carey Price (Ulkatcho and Nuxalk) was readying himself to become a champion NHL player.
It was Carey’s father, Jerry, once drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers himself, who sacrificed so that his son could play. Drives to practice took three hours each way, and as Carey improved, Jerry purchased a small plane to cut down on the transportation time. Between the ages of 9 and 15, Carey played on a Minor Hockey Association team, leading them to a provincial championship. By age 15, he had been drafted by the Tri-City Americans of Kennewick, Washington. This meant Carey had to leave home and stay with a host family. By age 20, he was playing for the NHL. Though he went through several years of injuries, Carey’s tenacity always seemed to catapult him back into record-setting play, including a gold medal win for the Canadian team at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Carey Price is the story—enhanced by black-and-white photos and text boxes with hockey-related anecdotes and information—of a First Nations kid who continually pushed through obstacles to become the best hockey player he could be. Deeply rooted in his Indigenous heritage and devoted to First Nations youth, Carey now supports many community endeavors.
An inspiring story, especially for hockey fans—and not just for reluctant teen readers. (glossary, career highlights, index) (Biography. 12-18)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4594-1276-7
Page Count: 152
Publisher: James Lorimer
Review Posted Online: May 14, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2018
A truth-is-stranger-than-fiction story about a lost soul finding her way.
Navigating high school is hard enough, let alone when your parents are CIA spies.
In this graphic memoir, U.S. citizen Glock shares the remarkable story of a childhood spent moving from country to country; abiding by strange, secretive rules; and the mystery of her parents’ occupations. By the time she reaches high school in an unspecified Central American nation—the sixth country she’s lived in—she’s begun to feel the weight of isolation and secrecy. After stealing a peek at a letter home to her parents from her older sister, who is attending college in the States, the pieces begin to fall into place. Normal teenage exploration and risk-taking, such as sneaking out to parties and flirtations with boys, feel different when you live and go to school behind locked gates and kidnapping is a real risk. This story, which was vetted by the CIA, follows the author from childhood to her eventual return to a home country that in many ways feels foreign. It considers the emotional impact of familial secrets and growing up between cultures. The soft illustrations in a palette of grays and peaches lend a nostalgic air, and Glock’s expressive faces speak volumes. This is a quiet, contemplative story that will leave readers yearning to know more and wondering what intriguing details were, of necessity, edited out. Glock and many classmates at her American school read as White; other characters are Central American locals.
A truth-is-stranger-than-fiction story about a lost soul finding her way. (Graphic memoir. 13-18)Pub Date: Nov. 30, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-316-45898-6
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: June 10, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2021
A winner.
The trials of a high school basketball team trying to clinch the state title and the graphic novelist chronicling them.
The Dragons, Bishop O’Dowd High School’s basketball team, have a promising lineup of players united by the same goal. Backed by Coach Lou Richie, an alumnus himself, this could be the season the Oakland, California, private Catholic school breaks their record. While Yang (Team Avatar Tales, 2019, etc.), a math teacher and former National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, is not particularly sporty, he is intrigued by the potential of this story and decides to focus his next graphic novel on the team’s ninth bid for the state championship. Yang seamlessly blends a portrait of the Dragons with the international history of basketball while also tying in his own career arc as a graphic novelist as he tries to balance family, teaching, and comics. Some panels directly address the creative process, such as those depicting an interaction between Yang and a Punjabi student regarding the way small visual details cue ethnicity in different ways. This creative combination of memoir and reportage elicits questions of storytelling, memory, and creative liberty as well as addressing issues of equity and race. The full-color illustrations are varied in layout, effectively conveying intense emotion and heart-stopping action on the court. Yang is Chinese American, Richie is black, and there is significant diversity among the team members.
A winner. (notes, bibliography) (Graphic nonfiction. 13-18)Pub Date: March 17, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-62672-079-4
Page Count: 448
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: Dec. 20, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
