The Final Game: The Further Adventures of the Moccasin Goalie - Softcover

William Roy Brownridge

3.6

15 ratings by Goodreads

9781551431000: The Final Game: The Further Adventures of the Moccasin Goalie

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1551431009 ISBN 13: 9781551431000

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers, 1998

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Kids who live for hockey.

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About the Author:

Author and illustrator William Roy Brownridge is a native of Saskatchewan. Like the hero of his Moccasin Goalie titles, Bill lived for hockey and played goal despite being unable to wear skates. In The Moccasin Goalie, he demonstrates the unique artistic style, the flair for storytelling and the feel for prairie life that have made all three of his volumes perennial favorites. After a successful career as a graphic designer, Bill now devotes himself full time to painting.

Review:

...a winning tale by an author and illustrator with a clear love of the sport. (Ages 5 to 9) -- The New York Times Book Review, Graydon Carter

In a clear no-nonsense style, Brownridge tells the tale of Danny and his ice-hockey loving friends, Petou and Anita, who, as members of the Wolves, find themselves in the league finals. All three of them have a disability of sorts; Petou is small, Anita's the only girl in the league, and Danny, who's known as the Moccasin Goalie (the title of Brownridge's first book about this gang) can't wear skates due to a crippled leg and foot. The set up of these players, along with team nemesis, Travis, who calls them "the wimps" happens deftly in the first couple of pages. Luckily these personal setbacks are not the focus of the tale. Rather the action moves quickly into the story's main theme-the importance of teamwork. With the advice of Danny's brother, who happens to be a pro-hockey player home with an injured shoulder, Travis learns to mend his ways, passing Petou the final winning shot of the game. The illustrations serve the text. Cool blues dominate, fitting for the Canadian setting, with accents of yellow and the ruddy reds of the people's faces. While the close-ups of the players are at times stiff and rudimentary, the action and crowd scenes, with their splotches of background color, have a greater sense of movement. An elementary school reader doesn't need to know the particulars of hockey to catch the excitement of the big game. With its focus on good sportsmanship and budding hockey players, any member of a team would appreciate the book's message, as well as it's swift action and happy outcome. As Travis declares at the end, "No wimps-just winners." -- From Independent Publisher

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