Hat Tricked

Based on the ending of the last book, On Thin Ice (www.cmreviews.ca/node/2333)
readers knew it was coming: the third instalment of Sylvester’s “Hockey Super Six” series which features a crew of hockey-playing superheroes who work together to defeat the bad guys, save the world, and vanquish a giant evil bunny. In this adventure, the Super Six learn that one of the animals used by villain Clarence Crosscheck in his experiments has turned evil. Mr. Fuzzywinkle (a.k.a. Fuzzy) is determined to seek revenge on humans for the way he was treated. He outsmarts the Super Six time and time again, always being one step ahead of them, but, as usual, the combined skills of the Six help to save the day.

Underground tunnels, explosives, and the return of the Sizematron 200 (and an Ice Squid) help keep this plot racing forward. Hat Tricked is non-stop action, and non-stop puns too! Like the first two books, Hat Tricked is loaded with puns and wordplay. Because the first book featured hockey specific puns and the second had both hockey and robot puns, I was curious to see what the new addition would be. I didn’t have to wait long to read about people being “bunny-ficial” to Fuzzy’s diabolical plan which was described by some as a “hare-brained” scheme. These jokes elicited tons of giggles from my eight-year old reading buddy.

I’m still not in love with the overused technique of wacky fonts, oversized lettering, and bold/capitalized letters. That said, it’s fairly easy to get used to, and, as this is now the third book, I barely noticed it anymore. Something that I did notice in this particular book, which may have been present all along but perhaps is more pronounced now, is the constant breaking of the fourth wall. This, I think, is a technique that is used very well throughout this book. The same goes for the interspersed comic-book style panels called “Concepts Illustrated” where some of the more complex concepts in the book are, well…illustrated.

I can see the “Hockey Super Six” series taking its rightful place on bookshelves and in elementary school libraries, right beside “The Bad Guys” series by Aaron Blabey and the “Bad Kitty” series by Nick Gruel.