Here is a review I did of a novel written for 9-12 year olds. I had to be overly positive about the book, it is more of a blurb. So, addendum…I thought that men interested in 1960’s hockey would read this book. The descriptions went on way too long for a kid to stay engaged. I have taught long enough to know that to go into detail about the 1960’s is going to bore the average reader. Just my .02.
“The Adventures of Caraway Kim…Right Wing”
by Don Truckey
Published by Thistledown Press
Review by Kim McCullough
$10.95 ISBN 978-1-897235-43-0
Set in the dead of a 1960’s Alberta winter, “The Adventures of Caraway Kim…Right Wing” is the story of eleven-year-old Kim and his race to become Top Scorer of the Caraway hockey team. To win, he has to beat Brad Rooks, the local troublemaker. The boys’ rivalry continues off-ice, forcing Kim to confront his own sense of right and wrong, as well as stand up for himself against Brad’s overbearing ways. In Kim, Truckey has created a likeable young hero who makes realistic choices.
Truckey’s clear rendering of a time he calls “before now” makes life in the 1960’s come alive. Young hockey fans interested in the old days of the Original Six will be thrilled with the detailed descriptions of the difficulties players faced back in those days: the rough ice; the biting cold; and the thin, not-so-protective equipment that left heads, knees and throats vulnerable to injury. The play-by-play action of the hockey games will keep young readers engaged and interested.
“The Adventures of Caraway Kim…Right Wing” is more than just a sentimental journey back to “the good old days” before indoor rinks and Zambonis. Truckey weaves the weightier issues of bullying and shoplifting into the story, challenges that are still relevant to today’s youth. He does not whitewash Kim’s struggles with Brad, but allows him to work through and resolve them in a way that is both satisfying and believable.
THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE AT YOUR LOCAL BOOKSTORE OR VISIT WWW.SKBOOKS.COM
Fresh Fish and Foolishness 