Game Face

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Thirteen-year-old Jonah is determined to prove that anxiety won’t stop him from succeeding as his hockey team’s goalie.

From the adrenaline rush of sudden-death overtime to the weight of worrying about letting your teammates — and yourself — down, this novel in verse will hook readers from the first line. GAME FACE (Groundwood Books, 2023) is a middle-grade novel in verse, available now in paperback and e-book.

Awards and Honours:

  • 2023 Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selection
  • 2024 IODE Violet Downey Book Award shortlist
  • 2024 Spring Best Books for Kids & Teens selection
  • selected for state/provincial reading lists & readers’ choice programs:
    • Silver Birch Fiction Award
    • SYRCA Diamond Willow Award
    • Surrey Schools Book of the Year nominee
    • Langley Book of the Year nominee
    • Chocolate Lily Book Award
    • Red Cedar Book Award

Reviews:

“a compelling hockey story that offers insight into anxiety, while simultaneously hooking teens on free verse – a hat trick if ever there was one … Highly Recommended.” —CM Magazine

“Shines a light on the true-to-life challenges faced by those with anxiety … An insightful, heartfelt story.” —Children’s Literature Comprehensive Database

“a beautifully written, well-researched novel in verse… Everything about the novel is honest and real — from the hockey action, friendships, family dynamics and anxiety that Jonah and his father face. Game Face is word perfect!” —Lorna Schultz Nicholson, author of TAKING THE ICE and the AMAZING HOCKEY STORIES series

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