Review by Booklist Review
Ages 5^-8. Every budding athlete dreams of magically becoming a team's star, and that's just what happens to the young hockey player in this clever tale when her mother accidentally purchases Wayne Gretzky's hockey stick at a charity auction. As soon as the girl starts playing with it, she scores goals as effortlessly as Gretzky himself. Or rather, as effortlessly as Gretsky used to: "But while I was having this fabulous season, Wayne had stopped scoring and I knew the reason." Now she's faced with a moral dilemma: Should she continue to use The Great One's "magic" stick, or return it so he can end his slump? She decides on the latter, and soon discovers that doing the right thing has its own rewards: "In our final game we played well and won. Still I was more pleased with what I had done." The witty narration and ethical questions the story addresses make this a good choice for use with older children, but young ones will enjoy it as well, especially the rhyme and silly animated cartoon illustrations. A solid purchase. --Lauren Peterson
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-A young hockey player receives the ultimate gift when her parents accidentally buy Wayne Gretzky's hockey stick at a charity auction. However, her father insists that she keep the expensive collector's item displayed on pegs above her bed. Temptation overcomes, and the stick is smuggled to the ice rink inside a huge stuffed giraffe. With the autographed stick, the child scores goal after goal and her team has its best season ever. Meanwhile, Gretzky himself is in a scoring slump. The newspaper says he's lost his stuff. After a sleepless night full of guilty dreams, the protagonist hurries to Madison Square Garden determined to return the magic stick. The hockey pro is so touched by his young fan's generosity that he requests her autograph. A satisfying ending shows the famous stick displayed at the Hockey Hall of Fame. This story is told in humorous rhyme and is accompanied by delightful cartoon illustrations. Even children who have no knowledge of hockey will be entertained by this book and impressed by its message. Maloney and Zekauskas have scored a winning goal with this one.-Jackie Hechtkopf, University of Maryland, College Park (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Through her mother's accidental bid at a charity auction, a young girl wins an autographed Wayne Gretzky hockey stick. A consistent, although sometimes stiff rhyme tells how the new stick helps the girl in [cf2]her[cf1] hockey game while Gretzky's scoring falters. Sacrificing her prized possession, the girl returns the stick to her hero, who thankfully, gets his game back. Cartoonlike illustrations accompany the slight tale. From HORN BOOK Fall 2000, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
