Blue Ice

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.

When Nick Stirling’s father was downsized from his high-paying job at
Computent, Nick’s life changed drastically. Selling their huge home,
the family moved to a modest dwelling in a poorer section of the
community. Because a depression immobilized Nick’s father, Nick’s
mother had to get a job. Further, Nick’s high-school performance
declined, but he still found solace in being able to play inline hockey.


Nick, no longer a member of the Computent-sponsored Cyclones, joins the
local team, the Phantoms, quickly establishing himself as the team’s
best player. Following an injury to one of the Cyclones, Nick is offered
a spot on the Cyclone’s roster, an invitation he refuses because of
his loyalty to the Phantoms. However, Computent’s owner, bent on
winning the trophy he donated to the league, sweetens the deal by
offering to rehire Nick’s father if Nick becomes a Cyclone.

Putting his father before himself, Nick capitulates. Ironically,
Nick’s father is headhunted by another company, but believing Nick
would be dropped from the Cyclones, he does not want to accept the
position. All ends well as Nick’s father takes the new job, and Nick
returns to the Phantoms in time to defeat the Cyclones in the
championship game played on blue cork (a.k.a. blue ice).

Characterization is thin and the plot is predictable, but Blue Line,
because of its inline hockey focus and its four game action sections,
will find an audience among middle-school males, especially reluctant
readers. Not a first-choice purchase.