________________ CM . . . . Volume XVI Number 19. . . .January 22, 2010

cover

Tough Guys: Hockey Rivals in Times of War and Disaster. (Recordbooks).

Eric Zweig.
Toronto, ON: James Lorimer, 2009.
138 pp., pbk. & hc., $9.95 (pbk.), $16.95 (hc.).
ISBN 978-1-55277-423-6 (pbk.), ISBN 978-1-55277-428-1 (hc.).

Subject Headings:
Stanley Cup (Hockey)-History-Juvenile literature.
Influenza Epidemic, 1918-1919-Juvenile literature.

Grades 5-8 / Ages 10-13.

Review by Betsy Fraser.

*** /4

   

excerpt:

Play began with Frank and Newsy taking the opening faceoff. Frank got to the puck first, and pulled it behind him. Cully Wilson scooped it up and raced towards the Canadiens end. He fired a shot, but Vezina handled it. Then Newsy led a rush on the Mets net, but Holmes blocked his shot with no trouble. Odie Cleghorn had a good chance, but Holmes stopped him too. He was having another good game. This time Vezina matched him save for save.

 

Eric Zweig presents a history of the early days of the Stanley Cup in Canada, long before the NHL as we know it today. The format of the book is the same as in his earlier book, Long Shot. Tough Guys is narrative nonfiction in 11 short chapters with a sidebar in each that highlights information about notable hockey players, including Georges Vezina, Newsy Lalonde and Scotty Davidson, or a pertinent historical fact, such as the teams of the day and the length of the season. Readers will be introduced to the difficulties that the league faced, including conscripted players during World War I, players at loggerheads and the Spanish influenza. Zweig's background as a newspaper writer is readily apparent in his descriptions of the Cup games; a casual reader may almost see the action. Overall, Tough Guys is a very readable history which is better suited as an overview than for research but will find a home both in public and school libraries.

Recommended.

Betsy Fraser is a librarian with Calgary Public Library and the author of Reality Rules: A Guide to Teen Nonfiction Reading Interests.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.
Published by
The Manitoba Library Association
ISSN 1201-9364
Hosted by the University of Manitoba.
 

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