The Hardest Hit (Sam the Hockey Player Book 1)
by Frank Scalise
Publisher: Frank Scalise
Published: July 8, 2011
ASIN: B005BYF1O0
Amazon Synopsis:
Eleven-year-old Sam Parker is a hockey player entering the
first year in which body checking is allowed. His natural fear of getting hit
is temporarily overshadowed by finding out his parents are getting divorced.
Determined to keep them together by being a hockey superstar, Sam instead
suffers a bone-crunching check from the school bully in his first game of the
season. The resulting pain and fear brings out the worst in Sam as one
difficulty after another piles on. Even his best friend, Jill, doesn’t always
seem to understand what he’s going through. Sam has to learn how to get up
after life knocks you down – both on and off the ice.
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My Thoughts:
Sam
has been playing hockey for his whole life and feels as comfortable on skates
as he does breathing. Now he is 11 years old and has just moved up to Pee Wee
level hockey where body checking is allowed. He has also just found out that
his parents are getting a divorce. Things are about to change.
During
one game Nate, the school/hockey bully checks Sam so hard that Sam gets a mild
concussion and is out of commission for a few days. When he comes back he's
afraid of getting hit again and keeps passing the puck instead of handling it
on the ice as he should. The coach benches him.
Sam
is in a quandary because he thinks if he stops playing hockey that will make
his mom happy but if he plays, that will make his dad happy. He doesn't want to
choose one parent over the other. He thinks the divorce is his fault.
I
liked how this story shows youth that divorce is never the fault of the child.
The child's actions cannot change whether or not the parents will divorce or
not. But a person is responsible for whether they do something even though they
are afraid to do it or not - in this case the example was to play hockey and
risk a body check - and chances are pretty good you will survive.
I
liked how Sam was able to transfer this life lesson over to his parent's
divorce. He realized he could survive the upheaval it would cause in his life.
He would be okay in the end
I
liked that The Hardest Hit also included a girl on this all-boy hockey team. I
think that all youth, boys and girls who enjoy hockey will enjoy this book. There
was lots of action on the ice and off the ice and the pacing of the book of the
book was very good. The story was interesting and would hold the attention of
any youth in the Middle Grade (9 to 12 age) category. I gave it 5 stars out of 5.
Thank
you to the author for providing a copy of the book in exchange for a fair and
honest review. A positive opinion was not required. All thoughts are my own.
About the Author:
Frank
was born and raised in Deer Park, Washington, just north of Spokane,
Washington. He served in the U.S. Army as a linguist in military intelligence
for five years. After working briefly for IBM in California, Frank returned to
Spokane. He joined the Spokane Police Department in 1993 and still serves in
that agency.
Around
1998, Frank discovered hockey. First as a spectator, then eventually as a
player, he quickly fell in love with the sport. To him, it exemplifies the
parts of life he values: hard work, teamwork, skill, courage and never
quit. It was no surprise that this love for hockey found its way into his
lifelong passion — writing.
Frank
writes both adult and young adult fiction with hockey as a backdrop for the
story. He remains a fan and a recreational player, along with his wife and
family. He also writes crime fiction under the pen name of Frank Zafiro.
Author
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