In 1980s Flint, Mich., 11-year-old Evan, part of a youth hockey team called the Strikers, yearns to win at least one game. When their captain-both the coach's son and the team's strongest player, who's known for picking fights on the ice-suffers a season-ending injury, Evan assumes the role of captain. Evan does his best to encourage his ragtag team through a revolving door of new coaches, disappointing losses, and frequent bullying from other players, even as he manages his own personal issues: navigating his parents' divorce, enduring awkward encounters with his mother's unreliable boyfriends, and missing his absent father, who frequently travels for work. As the team bonds on and off the ice, however, they find support and stability in their relationships with one another while striving to get that elusive W. Phegley (Sonic the Hedgehog 2) parallels significant events in Flint's history with the boys' plight, as when the Strikers feel inspired by a news story about the 1936-1937 United Automobile Workers union's sit-down strike, all of which is heightened by cartoon illustrations rendered in muted, industrial-feeling color by Khouri (Mega-Dogs of New Kansas). Most characters present as white; twin brothers on the team are Black. * Publishers Weekly *
Ice hockey provides an outlet for young boys in a tough town, but the season comes with its own challenges.
The Strikers are a youth ice hockey team in 1980s Flint, Michigan, a club of misfits in a low-stakes league. Evan's slightly skeptical about signing on with this crew and tempers his hopes for a successful season. He's not wrong to doubt-the star player (also the coach's son) wrecks his ACL in game one, leaving the team without a coach or captain. The season stays bumpy, with frustrating losses, a knock-down fight, and a few moments of glory. Disappointments abound off the ice as well. Evan's mom's boyfriend is unemployed and unreliable when Evan needs coaching support, and though Evan's dad wants to coach, he has to leave town to work for extended periods. Other teammates face their own challenges, with their backgrounds detailed in trading card-style bios at the start of this graphic novel, but the central story is squarely Evan's. Angular illustrations express emotional interactions effectively but feel a bit stiff for conveying dynamic game play. Ultimately, however, the sense that sports can tenuously hold things together for the kids, their parents, and their struggling city is poignant and palpable. Although most of the athletes present white, the lineup includes Black twin brothers who are multisport athletes keeping busy in their off-seasons. Persistence in the face of defeat and disappointment defines a season of sports and adolescent life.
* Kirkus Reviews *
