Stopping the Shots

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STOPPING THE SHOTS

Is there room in a family for two hockey stars?In this companion book to Taking the Ice, goalie Mike Krieger (aka Tree) takes centre stage. Although Mike is known to be calm and collected, his home life is more difficult than it seems.His younger brother, Eric, is a hockey hotshot, already playing on the top U13 team. And their parents are so focused on Eric’s game that Mike’s success in net is barely noticed — except by his older brother, Liam, who was born with Down syndrome and is Mike’s biggest fan. Mike’s parents dismiss a suggestion that he could be good enough to attend a top goalie camp, and while Mike is used to living in Eric’s shadow, the tension between the two brothers increases when Mike is asked to play goal for Eric’s team.When an accident threatens Eric’s hockey career, and money troubles threaten his parents’ farm, Mike worries he might also have to give up the sport he loves. He decides to risk his reputation — and more — for the new goalie pads he desperately needs. But when the truth comes out, can Mike find a way to make things right?

Reviews

CM Magazine - May 2018

“One of the strengths of “A Time to Run” is the voice. The perspective changes back and forth from Stuart to Sam, and the individual characters speak in very specific, distinct voices. Stuart’s is especially interesting; short, choppy sentences reflect his impulsive nature and give him a childish quality, despite his age of fourteen. Longer, rambling sentences let readers into his jumbled thoughts. The changeover to Sam’s perspective in alternating chapters is smooth but distinct. His chapters show more reflection and successfully display the inner thoughts of a teenage boy who is in the middle of a huge life upheaval.

Everything in the story is believable; the clear and linear plot allows the focus to remain on the characters, and that’s where the real value is in this novel. Nicholson’s characters are familiar and relatable, but rarely stereotypical. Sam’s love interest is an athletic and level-headed girl, and his interest in her isn’t connected to her beauty—in fact, his first description of her describes her as “sweaty”. It’s refreshing to see one fictional character notice another based on personality traits as opposed to appearance.”

Kirkus Reviews - July 2018

“The latest in the author’s One-2-One series (inspired by a real program that matches students with intellectual disabilities with their neurotypical peers), the story of Stuart and Sam’s friendship is sweetly and sensitively told. Both characters are white; Stuart’s adoptive family is black, while Sam’s family immigrated from Bosnia. The book’s best scenes feature the friends together as Stuart strives to make the track-and-field team, and the relationship between the boys is presented authentically.”