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Reviewed by: Emily McFarlane, Elementary School Librarian Title: Hockey Girl Loves Drama Boy
Author: Faith Erin Hicks
Publisher: First Second
Year: 2023 Good for Grades: 9-12 Genre/Type of Book: Realistic Fiction Graphic Novel
Content Warnings, or things that other School Librarians should be aware of: LGBTQ+ characters, abusive/alcoholic parent
Recommended for a school library: Yes Reason(s) for choosing the book: I love graphic novels and LGBTQIA+ rep!
If you were tasked by the publisher with writing a short quote for the back cover of this book, what would it be: Can two people from such disparate worlds really get along?
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Review:
When Alix's hockey team wins again, everything SHOULD be great. But, team captain Lindsay starts picking on Alix, again. When Alix just couldn't hold back this time, she gets into a physical fight with Lindsay and is about to lose out on her spot at a coveted hockey camp she's been working for. She sees Ezra stand up to a bigoted bully at school and asks him to help her maintain her cool and control her anger, and he agrees to help. They strike up a friendship, getting to know each other better. Alix starts helping with the school play, and Ezra goes to some of Alix's games. As they start to realize they might like each other as more than just friends, things get complicated.
Right away, this graphic novel drew me in. It was done entirely in black, white, and pops of light blue. It made for an interesting dynamic and distinct style, which set it apart from a lot of other graphic novels. It was also refreshing to see a female main character struggling with anger issues wanting to learn to keep her cool from the LGBTQIA+ male lead, which I feel like is not the usual dynamic. Also, sporty girl and drama boy was not the standard, and it was nice to see. Both leads were going through difficult and realistic family issues (alcoholic abusive father left previously and mom is with a new partner, Ezra struggling to come to terms with it, Alix's parents are split and she hasn't seen her dad in years, her mom doesn't understand her love of hockey, they fight over it and her mom says some hurtful things.) The kids are also struggling with realistic friend/school issues such as bullying, friendship struggles, and understanding their own feelings for each other. There is a lot of material that can be relatable for students, whether they relate to the main characters' various struggles or the side characters' struggles that are interwoven through the narrative.
The story is fairly straightforward, but the character dynamics keep it interesting and moving forward. I enjoyed the nice slice-of-life style and how everything didn't resolve completely or perfectly. Much like real life, not everything works out and people don't always get "punished" for what they've done. Lindsay bullies Alix right up until she quits the team and moves to a different one, and the coach basically tells her to get along for the sake of the team, but Alix decides that's not good enough after a fight with Ezra. This was necessary to see since it was up to Alix's choice whether to stay and be complicit in the treatment of herself and everyone around her, or quit and protect herself. She received the help and support of better friends and made a choice that was best for her instead of the narrative "fixing" everything. Young people need to see these choices played out and understand that it is up to them to forge their path.
This book could be used in discussions of bullying, family dynamics, standing up for yourself, anger management (what it feels/looks like to lose control and how to keep it,) and how to actually be a good friend. (Ezra struggles with this- wanting to be liked keeps him from actually fixing his mistakes.) Overall, a great story with an awesome art style.
Number of party hats:
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For information and resources about this book, check out Teachingbooks.net
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