In Flint, Michigan, 1986, hockey--and life--keep handing Evan and Bobby losses, but together, they find reasons to keep taking the ice. - (Baker & Taylor)
Evan just wants to win a game. Bobby would rather fight than win.
Hockey—and life—keep handing them both losses. Their team, the Strikers, has a roster of rejects in hand-me-down coats but lacks good equipment, a deep bench, and a coach who shows up on time. Their town of Flint, Michigan, has been down on its luck their whole lives.
The boys may not understand each other, but together, they’ll find their reasons to keep taking the ice.
Strikers is a hilarious, hard hitting, and moving story about how to stay on your skates when you only see L’s in your future.
- (
Lerner Pub Group)
Booklist Reviews
When hockey team leader Johnny goes down with an injury, alternate captain Evan must rally his team to finish the season. Unlike some sports fiction authors, Phegley is less interested in what it takes to win than why the characters play in the first place, especially when the odds are so heavily stacked against them. Flint, Michigan in the 1980s is a fitting setting for this underdog story—the Flint Spirits are destined to relocate, and the memory of sit-ins from the 1930s in the region lingers in the background. While the story spends a lot of time on the ice with both games and practice, the interpersonal relationships, razzing, and camaraderie among the characters draw more attention. A brief epilogue for each team member paints a bittersweet portrait of his future, which feels genuine to the time and themes. Khouri's artwork nicely differentiates among the characters during matches, but the rosy cheeks and happy expressions don't always match tone. Readers who like their sports comics with both lots of action and vivid emotional dynamics are the best audience for this. Grades 5-8. Copyright 2023 Booklist Reviews.