Set at an elite hockey camp for thirteen to fourteen-year-old boys, the protagonist is a boy with Type 1 diabetes who needs to decide for himself what is right in spite of what a dominant group believes. In his attempts to excel and cope with his diabetes we see the complexities involved even in the lives of the outwardly successful. Early in this young adult novel we are introduced to his roommate, an outstanding Aboriginal player from the far north. He becomes a target for boys envious of his skills and suffers from the growing prejudice of those who only see differences. The story considers the issues of bullying, racism, difficulties with high level competition and coping with chronic disease.
This is the sequel to Interference and the introduction of the character Peter Kuiksak, an up and coming hockey star who is the protagonist in two successive novels, Against the Boards and Northern Star. This was a Canadian Children’s Book Centre choice.
Roughing
Set at an elite hockey camp for thirteen to fourteen-year-old boys, the protagonist is a boy with Type 1 diabetes who needs to decide for himself what is right in spite of what a dominant group believes. In his attempts to excel and cope with his diabetes we see the complexities involved even in the lives of the outwardly successful. Early in this young adult novel we are introduced to his roommate, an outstanding Aboriginal player from the far north. He becomes a target for boys envious of his skills and suffers from the growing prejudice of those who only see differences. The story considers the issues of bullying, racism, difficulties with high level competition and coping with chronic disease.
This is the sequel to Interference and the introduction of the character Peter Kuiksak, an up and coming hockey star who is the protagonist in two successive novels, Against the Boards and Northern Star. This was a Canadian Children’s Book Centre choice.
Source: The Association of Book Publishers of BC. Canadian Aboriginal Books for Schools. 2009-2010.