Ice Attack

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.

Seventh-graders Alex Bute and Bill Rouw, both 12, were fast friends and
teammates on their Edmonton school hockey team, the Lakers. For the
first eight years of Alex’s life, he and his parents had lived in the
city, where the Bute and Rouw families had interacted a great deal
socially. The Butes then moved to a farm 10 kilometres outside the city,
and Alex now takes the bus to school, a situation that distances him
somewhat from his fellow players, as he cannot participate in the
informal hockey practices the urban-based players hold.

During the team’s second game, Alex elects to try to score instead of
passing to Bill, and, as a result, the Lakers lose the game. Much to
Alex’s surprise, Bill, the team’s captain, leads a spirited verbal
attack on Alex, accusing him of not being a team player. Encouraged by
Bill, the team’s animosity toward Alex continues as the season
progresses, and Alex cannot understand Bill’s transformation from
friend to antagonist. Things come to a head when Alex’s mother invites
Bill to stay with them for two weeks while Bill’s parents are on
vacation. Finally Bill reveals that his negative behavior toward Alex
had been fueled by jealousy. During the summer, Bill’s parents had
undergone a trial separation, and, whenever Bill looked at Alex, all he
saw was Alex’s perfect family.

A little thin in both plot and character development, Ice Attack
remains a satisfactory choice for boys looking for an undemanding sports
read. Recommended.