Attack by Knight

Dave Jenkinson is a professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba and the author of the “Portraits” section of Emergency Librarian.

Fantasies usually demand a willingness to suspend disbelief, but this
humorous series featuring Newfoundland’s Reese McSkittles, who plays
for the Looney Bay All Stars hockey and lacrosse teams, demands a bit
more willing suspension than most as the plot lines of these two short
books frequently take giant logic leaps.

In Pirate Power Play! Reese is kidnapped at a hockey rink by marauding
pirates led by Captain Black-and-Bluebeard. Placed in the brig, Reese
taunts the ferocious “Go fish” card-playing pirates by saying they
aren’t tough enough to play a proper pirate game—hockey. Accepting
the challenge, the pirates convert the ship’s deck into a hockey rink
and use improvised hockey equipment. Reese then manipulates the pirates
into playing the Looney Bay All Stars hockey team. A pirates win makes
the children into the pirates’ navvies, but a pirates loss means their
ship belongs to the All Stars. The outcome is predictable, but
Sampar’s closing illustration offers an amusing twist.

In the sequel, Attack by Knight, Reese’s class visit to the Museum of
the Middle Ages brings him into contact with two feuding knights who
have suddenly appeared in the present. Confronted with this pair who
seem determined to continue their combat to the death despite their new
time setting, Reese offers them a chance to bash each other by joining
the All Stars in a lacrosse match against their rivals, the Trinity Bay
Marauders.

Sampar’s comic illustrations are an essential part of both books and
contribute to both plot and characterization. Fans of Allen Morgan’s
fantasy-based “Matthew” picture books who are ready to tackle
chapter books will enjoy the Looney Bay All Stars. Recommended.