Overview

Courtney McIntyre navigates Grade Nine at Estevan Comprehensive School while playing boys hockey for the first time. Meanwhile her sister Jessie is in her second year with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies, discovering the hard way what it takes to be an elite player in an elite league. Will the McIntyre girls have positive impacts on their teams? One thing's certain. Life-and hockey-are bound to throw some blindside hits. Shootout explores contemporary teen issues like substance abuse, hazing, bullying, and relationships. Two sisters, while balancing family, school, and friendships, are challenged by their teammates and coaches to contribute and excel on the ice. Told through dual perspectives, this young adult, realistic fiction novel is about standing up, stepping out, and letting go. Other topics presented are mental health, Indigenous culture, racism, and inclusivity for trans athletes. Crammed with plenty of teen angst and hockey action, Shootout is a compelling, fast-paced coming of age story. Shootout is Book 4 in the award winning #jessiemachockeyseries. Power Plays (Book 1) won a Moonbeam gold medal and was a finalist for the Saskatchewan Book Awards, Snow Willow Awards, and BC Young Reader Choice (Stellar) Awards. Face Off (Book 2) was a recipient of a Moonbeam silver medal.

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9781989078648

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Reviews

Maureen Ulrich's Shootout is an ambitious teen novel that reaches far beyond the scope of an action-packed hockey story. The parallel, dual narratives o f sisters Courtney (14) and Jessie (19) McIntyre are presented in alternating chapters, each perspective portrayed in a convincing and compassionate manner as the plot develops. One of the things I quite enjoyed in this novel was the complexity of the interpersonal connections among the characters in each of the sisters' worlds, which reach far beyond sibling and peer dynamics. The characters' personalities are very well developed, with a raw honesty - not only the teens themselves, but the adults as well. We see their struggles portrayed clearly through very real, and changing, lenses. In Courtney, for example, we see a burgeoning growth of her leadership skills, and her mature decision-making, as she struggles against bullying as the only girl playing on her boys' U15 team, the Moose. Courtney's and Jessie's mother isn't her usual self as the story progresses, and only later do we learn that she's been trying to cope with high anxiety. The character Michael (a hateful, manipulative bully) often angered me in his scenes...as did his deeply-flawed parents. We see both sisters' worlds developed in a convincing manner - whether in terms of their goals; their maturing sense of self; their connections with peers (and adults); and many issues faced by today's teens. These range from the dynamics of friendships and families (some more stable than others); teamwork; bullying, hazing and peer pressure; to maintaining a sensible balance of activities (whether in a university or high school setting). Courtney must face the multiple challenges of having to prove herself as one of the guys . For each sister, there are bits of romance, with the sometimes-puzzling and hurtful challenges that can arise. First Nations culture plays a significant role. Substance abuse is addressed, along with issues faced by immigrants and by a transgender player; and, ultimately, learning when it's time to let go. This intriguing and intelligent novel unfurls with authenticity as it explores and portrays the world of today's teens, and teen hockey in particular. I found the hockey glossary helpful in explaining terminology I didn't always understand. An excellent read! Alison Lohans (Award-winning author of many books including Canine Cupid; and for young adults and children: The 1-Dogpower Garden Team (to be released October 2021); Timefall; Don't Think Twice; Leaving Mr. Humphries, and many others

Author Information

Maureen Ulrich was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan but grew up in Edmonton and Calgary, Alberta. She started writing horse stories when she was eleven and historical fiction during her high school years. In 1976, she returned to Saskatoon to attend university and graduated in 1980 with an education degree. Her first teaching assignment was in Lampman, Saskatchewan, and she has pretty much lived there ever since. She has been writing plays for young people since 1997. Two titles - Sam Spud: Private Eye (2007) and The Banes of Darkwood (2010) are available through www.samuelfrench.com. Maureen has also written and produced several professional adult productions - Snowbirds (2015), Diamond Girls (2016-2018), and Lords of Sceptre (2018-2019). Souris Valley Theatre in Estevan, Saskatchewan produced her full-length musical Pirate Heart (2018), scored by the incomparable Ben Redant. In her free time - of which there is not a great deal - Maureen loves to read and write, travel, knit, hang out at rinks and ball diamonds, golf, ski, and ride her motorcycle. Please visit her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or maureenulrich.ca.

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