fenella | don't you know when to roll over and play dead?

imelford has been telling me to read Scott Young's Scrubs On Skates books for a while now (there are three of them as far as I know, the second of which seems to be... missing?) and because she's Imo, and I trust her in these things, I finally did. I'm not entirely sure why I hadn't already. I mean, the cupboard they come from is in my bedroom, and I've read virtually everything else in there. The only explanation I can fathom is that in my younger YA reading years, animal stories, young-girl-growing-up (see also: embarrassing sixteen year old girl anecdotes from the 1960's; Cleary, Beverly) stories and Murder in [insert Canadian tourist trap here] stories (i.e. the other genres in that cupboard - without disclosing the fact that our collection of Saddle Club books is too thorough to pass off as insignificant, and yet, somehow, not near thorough enough for some seriously horse crazy tween girls... or their very impressionable baby sister, apparently. Um, what? I said nothing! Stevie and Teddy 4eva! Um, what? I said nothing!) were more appealing than 50's boys hockey teams and team spirit.

Boy was I wrong. (Oh the irony: as I type this, I'm listening to the Penguins vs. Detroit, streamed live. Underdogs everywhere are dancing for joy - Pens 3, Wings 1 FYI. HAH!)

If you made it through all that: Pete is the best hockey player in Winnipeg. And then the town boundaries got redrawn and he got sent to Northwestern. This book is essentially Pete coming to terms with his new, not!shiny team, but mostly with himself. It's a coming of age novel. Like your average animal story. Without the animals.

Anyways, I've only read the first book so far, and these are the reasons I loved it so:

1- They, the extreme underdogs of Northwestern High, make it to the playoffs - please understand, each game is described in extreme play by play detail - and then, the book ENDS. Abruptly. Just like that. There is no final game. Did they win? Did they lose? I WILL NEVER KNOW. Because this is a story "about winning hockey games and friends." My bad. Scott Young, you've taught me a valuable life lesson.

~~That missing book two? Had better be the championship game.~~ Hi, Scott! *waves*

2- The classic '50s expressions. My favourite: "What a guy!" There are just too many. Gosh it's swell!

3- The women are ... see, there are three women in this first novel. One is Pete's Mom. She doesn't speak. She gives sympathetic glances and makes soothing noises. She shows up at the hockey games to support her husband and child's highschool hockey teams and in general... cooks dinner. The second is Mrs. Spunska. The Spunska's are Polish immigrants (see #4 for more on this topic) and Mrs. Spunska is gravely ill. She stays in bed and is very happy for her son, Bill, who has made friends. It's all very sweet and inspiring. So inspiring that Pete gets a lump in his throat every time he thinks about the Spunskas.

The third woman deserves her own paragraph. Her name is Sarah, and she is Pete's sister. I love this girl so, so much. She brings the smackdown. But not until after she's helped cook dinner. And chopped the vegetables. And brought in the groceries. And let the men say their piece. Sarah has two suitors. They are both heavy hitting defensemen. Draw your own conclusions.

4- The anti-racism grandstanding. We're all equal on the ice rink. Stereotypes aside. (I'm looking at you, Horatio Big Canoe!) Okay there were some seriously well intentioned morals ~~hammered~~ written into this story that were only a bit appalling, in the way that most outdated grandstanding is. (I'm thinking of you, Frank Sinatra, and "The House I Live In".) But at the same time, the insults being flung were so lame (see #2) that it was endearing. I mean, at somepoint someone was called a lunkhead. No, really, a lunkhead. I aspire to use that some day. I'm sure it would hurt terribly.

5- Much like the 1963 Doctor Who series, this book induced much inappropriate laughter. I'm still laughing over the bit where Pete started macking on the bedridden Mrs. Spunska. Indeed, I did not want to be inside the head of a teenage boy.

6- Equally fearsome, are the inner workings of the adults' head. The coach is hilariously insecure. He goes to confront Pete about his lack of dedication, early in the novel, and tries to be all nonchalant by picking an appropriately insignificant waiting place. "He wanted this to look fairly casual, if anyone noticed it." Oh, Coach Red <3 Now I know why there aren't any other girls who attend Northwestern High. You use up the teenage girl quotient.

7- The play diagrams that Scott Young includes in the books. It's like you're there, experiencing the action!

8- The Baddies: For the first half is Pete's teammate and captain, Grouchy DeGrunchy. But it's okay, by the end of the novel they're best buddies! Even though Grouchy worries that Pete is making a move on his man, Bill. At least that's how it is in my head. There is canon evidence to back me up, I swear!

In conclusion, totally worth reading. Can not wait to read "A Boy At The Leafs' Camp; The Bill Spunska Show Comes to Ontario".

Oh, btw, Scott Young is Neil Young's daddy. Awesome.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

All those wholesome Canadian values and good clean fun have made you incoherent with joy. Just wait until you read the third one.

I can't remember whether or not they won the play'hoffs in book 2, and now it is bugging me. (Rosy, ILU!)

I know! I am babbling with glee!

don't you know when to roll over and play dead?

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