Connor McDavid. (Amazing Hockey Stories). Lorna Schultz Nicholson. Illustrated by D. A. Bishop. Toronto, ON: Scholastic Canada, 2017. 64 pp., trade pbk., $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4431-5778-0. Subject Headings: McDavid, Connor, 1997- -Juvenile literature. Edmonton Oilers (Hockey team)-Juvenile literature. Hockey players-Alberta-Edmonton-Biography-Juvenile literature. Grades 3-6 / Ages 8-11. Review by Tanya Boudreau. ***½ /4

excerpt:

When Connor was just three years old, he asked his mother to sew a "C" on his T-Shirts. At first she thought it was because his name started with a C, but then he told her it was because all the good hockey players on television had a "C" on their jerseys, and he wanted one too. Together they cut out little Cs, and his mother sewed them on his shirts. Maybe he was predicting his future.

Connor McDavid has been skating since he was two years old. His rise to become the youngest captain of a team in the NHL is featured in this early nonfiction chapter book in the "Amazing Hockey Stories" series.

      With input from McDavid and his family, Nicholson follows Connor from the time he was a young boy admiring his brother and dad on the ice, to his first NHL playoff experience, and into 2017 when, at the NHL Awards ceremony, he won the Hart Memorial Trophy, an annual award given to the player judged to be the most valuable to his team.

      The early years are divided into five sections. They tell, among other things, how his parents lied about his age to get him into hockey one year early. McDavid faced challenges always being the youngest on a team, even as he advanced to higher leagues. The hardships he faced by going away to school and being called a weirdo are featured in the labeled photographs and short comic strips, both of which appear throughout the book. His family is included in many of the segments (his dad was his coach), and so are his first managers who were involved with the Otters and the signing of the first contracts.

      The second half of the book is divided into McDavid's being drafted into the NHL, highlights from his games, and his time playing with Team Canada. When he does have a set-back, like when he broke his collarbone, or when he lost an important game, the author shows how McDavid is able to persevere and continue to work hard to be the best hockey player he can be – not only for himself, but for his team and his fans.

      Hockey fans should enjoy this book because it is filled with hockey highlights and stats and lots of love for the game. I would recommend this book to both male and female child hockey players because Connor McDavid is someone Canadians should be proud of and know.

Highly Recommended.

Tanya Boudreau is a librarian at the Cold Lake Public Library in Cold Lake, AB.

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